Headlight upgrade - bang for the buck - thoughts

Hi Everyone:

My headlights are the originals and very faded. To give it a good look and more importantly to get the best lighting that I can without requiring modifications - I don't know if projectors are in my future - unless someone can show me an easy way of getting there - but wanted to get your thoughts on this that the advisor recommended:

bulbs: https://www.autoanything.com/lights/putco-nitro-lux-led-headlight-bulbs
housing:
https://www.autoanything.com/lights/77A5221A4206563.aspx

My worry is - are these the kind of bulbs that really don't belong in conventional housing? The kind that folks install to get better lighting but that is blinding to other drivers?

Why else would it say "conversion"? I was trying to keep it simple but now I'm a little confused.

Looks like they are offering this for $406 together.

Should I just stick to halogen? I know I once upgraded my camry with projectors and some high end bubs but the result ended up not justifying the expense - maybe b/c the bulbs couldn't get the wattage that they really needed from my car.

What do you think is my best conventional set of lights and housing vs my best conversion type of setup? I know some geniuses on here have literally installed lenses inside of housing by baking the lights etc an have awesome results but I'm afraid I won't be able to follow in their footsteps as I'm doubtful about being able to pull it off.

 

Regarding this I would reach out to @SouthPaw. He builds projectors housing which you can buy. Plug, and play I think.

Let me dig around for his thread.

Edit: the link to his thread.
https://www.tundras.com/threads/the-ultimate-headlight-project.60945/

 

If you can swing it i would definitely go for retros with leds and projectors. Huge improvement over stock. While at it put some led bulbs in fogs. Lasfits work great in my OEM fogs.

 

They all require modification to one degree or another. Whether it be change the bulb, or changing the whole lense unit. Morimoto XB headlight units are what I went with. They are spendy, but considering the improvements in lighting, and appearance, they were well worth it

 

If it were me, I wouldn't spend that much on those LED bulbs and would instead get a retrofit. Dual beam LED bulbs won't work very well. Those LED elements will not be able to recreate the focal point of the halogen bulbs. The low beam may be ok but the high beam probably won't work well.

 

IMO, cheapest way if you have the time is to get some replacement OEM housings, retrofit some cheap D2S or Mini H1 Projectors, and a cheap HID kit like DDM. I ran a DDM kit for like 9 years without issue. Morimoto is a huge ripoff.

 

@bmf4069 clean up in aisle 5...

OP, contact @SouthPaw he can hook you up with great replacements

 

Wow I didn’t know headlights reached this price point! Talk about premium.

 

Thanks I just might.

 

I went the route of trying a highly regarded LED and thought it was great...for a while. But driving with oncoming traffic, the light output was washed out. I have since contacted SouthPaw and have retrofit projectors on the way. I figured that although I could do the retros myself, my guess is that one gets noticeably better at building these with a few sets under the belt. I might be wrong? Either way, check out his thread.

 

Agreeing with you here.

I tried these once upon a time. A mistake!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01B9K4DJI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_o1whFbBCF3T73
These sucked! Majorly!


I found that I had the same, if not better light output from el cheapo Amazon units like these.

JDM ASTAR Fanless Design 2504 Up to 60% More Downroad Visibility White LED Fog Light Bulbs

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HKSBG93?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

This was before the forum days before I knew people could do a retrofit

 

Did you do a retrofit?

 

At the time, no. Currently, no. I want to, but right not its just not in the budget. Once I have a few other little preventative items taken care of it will be extreme cost savings mode.

 

The Pro LED headLights with new wiring are the way to go. The halo DRL and output are top notch. I don’t think you can get there with a bulb swap.

 

Too.......many........turd gens. Must.........shoo........

 

New 1st gen headlights: $100-$150
Mini D2S projectors: $50-$150
D2S HID Kit: $50-$100

all in, $200 to $400 plus time for a huge improvement in lighting performance

 

First of all the best thing you are planning is buying new Headlight Assys. Cost $150ish. Will make truck like new and modern again!

Now at this point, you can go LED BULBS or Incandescent Bulbs for about the same price of $40-50. Either way thats the cheapest you can go. My first set of Katanas LED lasted 14 months, but were running in constant Daytime Running Mode. Not happy with longevity, but I liked the light and they performed as good as Older Style Incandescents.

Now, the Projectors look impressive but you’ll be spending $300-500 in extra parts etc on top of the basic stuff you need to buy. I almost went the Projector route when my LEDs faded out, but decided to hold off until the next round after money gets spent elsewhere on the truck.

The time to do Projectors is when you have New Assys. You’ll need to bake them twice and run the risk of destroying or messing up the aiming etc. Its not hard as I’ve experimented pulling apart a spare set of Assys. The install I’ve yet to do, so no comment there. I will be doing Projectors in the future.

 

Can it be “modern again” if it has outdated technology?

 

Yes! It can be ‘like’ new and modern again, like totally bro! Like so cool.

Seriously, new Headlight Assys will make the truck look much better. The lighting is a separate issue. OP is working through price vs. impact of bulbs and seems to just want to keep it simple. No need for me to reexplain post #17, as the OP seems pretty smart in already having asked the right questions.

 

If you don't want to take on the project of a retrofit, probably.

 

You left out a bro, bro.

 

Thanks for the recommendation! I don't seem to be picking up on the notion that LED bulbs last a long time the way we are used to thinking of LED lights versus conventional for a house - am I right. so similar to or just a little more durable than halogen as far as before they lose their full brightness?

 

I have Profile led projectors and bulbs are suppose to last 10,000+ hours

 

Thats what my Katanas stated, as well. I did the math and at 14 months, I would have had to be driving 24/7 for 14 months with the lights on. The math works out to be 10,080ish hours running 24/7 for 14 months by the way and my bulbs lasted 14 months. A Chinese Secret?

 

I replaced the old oxidized headlights on my 2002 with brand new OEM Toyota headlight housings, and then I installed a set of plug and play V.4 LED headlight bulbs. This resulted in a really big bang for my buck.

 

Nice paint too. Thank you - this is likely the route I will take. Southpaw is on the case and will send me the price and I'll weigh against this. Great folks on these forums I gotta say. Here is a picture of my truck that I hope to polish up and do do things to. (Stereo, speakers, cover,polish/buff,headlights using these tundras.com for inspiration and guidance)

 

So your link is for H4 bulbs. May I ask into what housing they are going? It's not interchangeable is it?

 

Mine went into the standard halogen style housings.

 

I went with aftermarket housings from Rock Auto... they were $30 each and came with halogen bulbs. They were a huge improvement in light output and looks over the original cloudy lenses. I then got a set of Katana LED retrofits from a member here -- @FirstGenVol -- who wasn't happy with their performance. In my housings, the LEDs were a nice improvement over the halogen. I'm very happy with my set-up. Back to the title of this thread: as to bang for the buck... pertty hard to beat.

 

Hehehe. This is silly. I paid $900.00 for Morimoto led s and I m totally fine with it. Big deal if some paid less for what they like. I don t sweat the fact that I paid more for something that I like, and for those who paid less for what they like; if it makes you feel good that you paid less for what you like than those who paid more for what they like then give yourself a pat on the back, and move along. In the end we all have what we like