headlight bulb recommendations

I know this has been discussed to death, but I went down the rabbit hole and still haven't made a decision. I have no interest in going HID or LED, and I don't want a JC Whitney looking housing.

I just lost lo beam on the drivers side, so I'm gonna replace both headlight bulbs. Which over the counter parts store bulb has served you the best as far as brightness over stock (without being obnoxious to other drivers) and longevity?

I can't justify spending more than 30 bucks per bulb. Is that an unreasonable price cap for as good or better than stock?

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-ultimate-headlight-upgrade-h4-not-led-or-hid.398066/

 

Buy the cheapest bulb you can find at your local auto parts store to get you by. Then research here on TW to decide which bulbs you want to order online.

The ultimate headlight upgrade is above your budget, but many of us here can tell you that the light output is amazing without blinding other drivers. It really makes driving at night much safer.

 

Quality bulbs don't really cost much and even if they did get a little pricey, consider what they might save you from - a trip to the ER, a premature meeting with the county coroner, or the service manager from a dealer or body shop. Sounds overly dramatic but the small investment could save you a lot of money. The ultimate headlight upgrade is one of, if not the best upgrade you can do to your Tacoma....

 

I replaced both of my headlights with the Sylvania SilverStar series. IIRC, there are 3 brightness levels. I don't recall which bulb I got.

Available at WalMart or most auto stores.

I won't pretend these are the best on the market, but I will say these are much better than OEM.

 

I had luck with Philips X-tremeVision in my truck

$19 Philips 9003 MotoVision Motorcycle and Powersport Replacement Headlight Bulb, 1 Pack

Philips 9003 X-tremeVision Upgraded Headlight Bulb with up to 100% More Vision, 2 Pack

 

What is the life expectancy of these lights?

 

I had mine go for a couple of years

 

the hotter the burn the shorter the lifespan

 

"There aint no such thing as a free lunch." A general rule of thumb here is that if you want to see better, it will cost you in some manner. Higher wattage bulbs typically have a shorter service life. It's a small price to pay.....

 

What’s the matter with the stock Lights? I always thought they served the purpose they were intended too.

 

The stock / OEM headlights in the 2nd generation Tacoma are actually pretty decent compared to many other vehicles. But if you could put more usable light on - and down - the road without bothering oncoming drivers, would you do it? I've always added better lighting to my vehicles going all the way back to the mid-1970's. (Yea, I've been around.) The Ultimate Headlight Upgrade is one of the most effective, easiest to install and cleverest lighting upgrades I've ever done. And it only works on 2nd generation Tacomas. It doesn't get any better than this.

So to answer your original question, the stock lights are good, but they can be a lot better.

 

I’ve got Sylvania Silverstar Ultras. They’ve lasted 2 years thus far. $60 for the pair.

 

It must be something like, stock head lights are like 1 ply toilet paper. And after market are like 2 ply.

 

Strangely enough they both died at the same time. Due to Covid I worked from home and have'nt used my truck at night (and the headlights) for about five months

When I started a new job in October and drove to work the first morning while it was still dark, to my surprise I only had high beams

According to the light expert Crashburn it is not uncommon to have both bulbs go at the same time

 

When one of mine burned out, I got Sylvania standard replacements from my local O'Reilly. They work fine. I kept the working old bulb as a spare.

 

I want to try these next, see if they live up to the "10G vibration resistance"


PHILIPS H4 X-tremeVision G-force 12V 60/55W Halogen Car Headlight Bulbs Twin Pack
"They outshine most other car lamps with up to 130% more brightness, superior beam length and 10G vibration resistance"

 

And proper retrofits are like name-brand paper towels lol

 

^ This
I don’t get why many want whiter brighter super bulbs. The original lights and bulbs put out plenty of light. I spend a lot of time on the highway and on back country roads and off road at night and my stock oem lights light the night just fine. If you are getting older (like me) and your night vision is diminishing I can see maybe wanting some brighter lights but otherwise don’t see a need. Also generally the brighter higher intensity bulbs have much shorter life span. My original bulbs lasted 8 years.
One thing I did do is I wanted more light off road at night so I installed some auxiliary off road lights. If you really absolutely think you need brighter bulbs then go for it. For me it’s a waste but that’s just me.

 

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