Help upgrading to LED/projector headlights

https://www.carid.com/spyder/halo-h...MIorv87-Xt5QIVzCCtBh2gxwA_EAQYASABEgKkg_D_BwE

One of my headlights just went out so I decided to upgrade the housings themselves to something brighter, LED or projector. What do you guys recommend? Will not spend more than $200

found these Halo Spyder lens, are they any good? I don’t want any Chinese bullish*t that’s going to fail in 6 months

 

Start with a search. Hundreds before you have asked the same thing

 

NO.

There aren’t any aftermarket housings that are made for LEDs. They are all designed for halogens, and if you put LEDs in those housing, the ligt gets smeared and you blind other drivers.

There aren't really any good quality projectors, either, unless you do an HID projector retrofit.

Search for the “proper headligt upgrade” as that is really the only decent upgrade save for an HID retrofit, which are several hundred to up to a grand. If you had an older Taco, there are some LED options for the sealed beam headlights, but for our later model 1st gens, there is squat. Spyder lights are all bro, and no go.

IMO, your best option is new CAPA certified TYC housings from Rockauto (next best thing to OEM, and 1/3 the cost, some Osram halogen bulbs, and if youre feeling saucy the upgraded wiring from the proper upgrade. I noticed my lights were bringhter with JUST the wiring because the voltage is direct from the battery vs. from the stock switch harness.

If the headligt upgrade still isn’t enouh light for you, get some LED pods or a lightbar. It’s MORE than enough for street use. the pods or ligt bars are off road only.

 

Screw it, do a retrofit. Buy yourself some Morimoto M Bi-LED projectors and retrofit them into your headlight housings yourself. If first gens use H4 (which I believe they do) the retrofits go in there INSANELY easy. Do a chip flip on the LED and it will get you equal to HID without the HID style lighting, all from a projector housing which is designed to run LED and built from the ground up for LED lights exclusively. It's not cheap for the projector kit, but you'll thank me later for spending a little more than you wanted to.

Go hit up The retrofit source. They got them and opening up your OE lights is insanely easy to do.

 

He did say his budget was $200

 

"Screw it, do a retrofit. Buy yourself some Morimoto M Bi-LED projectors and retrofit them into your headlight housings yourself. If first gens use H4 (which I believe they do) the retrofits go in there INSANELY easy. Do a chip flip on the LED and it will get you equal to HID without the HID style lighting, all from a projector housing which is designed to run LED and built from the ground up for LED lights exclusively. It's not cheap for the projector kit, but you'll thank me later for spending a little more than you wanted to.

Go hit up The retrofit source. They got them and opening up your OE lights is insanely easy to do."

 

I'm just giving him options outside of his low budget expectations.

 

I agree with @12TRDTacoma on this one. If you are going to do something like this, do it right.

 

https://www.theretrofitsource.com/projector-kits/retrofit-kits-universal.html

Found this website, they offer a discount for TW members. I want white headlights not blue. I understand retrofitting is the way to go. What’s the difference between LED and HID?

Essentially, I have the same truck as pictured below (2002) without the ugly chrome grille. I want to do a clean looking install with brighter headlights. What setup am I looking at pictured below and where do I buy it

 

Keep in mind that ANYTHING significantly brighter, especially 400% brighter than stock is not going to be DOT legal. Really, ANY modification of your headlights is not DOT legal, even when it says "exceeds DOT requirements"

Even the brighter 80W Osram bulbs described in the Proper Upgrade aren't technically DOT legal, even though they are still halogen bulbs. They are just too bright.

Doing something the most expensive way (i.e. HID retrofits) is not necessarily the "best" way, or what makes the most sense. I see no reason to blow your budget. IMO, Take that money and spend it on new ball joints or a timing belt.

Are HIDs brighter? Sure, obviously. Are they necessary? That's debatable.

Personally, the only place I've felt like I needed more light is offroad, in which case the requireemnents for where the light goes is completely different than street use. Roof/rack mounted pods or a lightbar will be far superior to anything that's mounted in the stock headlight location, no matter how bright it is. The higher the light source, the farther down the trail it projects, and fewer shadows, too. Of course they are illegal for street use, but technically so are HIDs.


https://ricksfreeautorepairadvice.com/are-hid-kits-legal/

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/retrofit-dot-approved.271632/

 

Are these the headlights you're talking about?

https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/toyota,2002,tacoma,3.4l+v6,1388987,body,headlamp+assembly,10762

 

The retrofit source.com

D2S Kit. Bake em and install.

 

I've tried to find a retrofit kit for my 2002 and that website says none available, after choosing all the options for lens depth and projector shape, etc.

 

The Mini H1 7.0 should fit no problem.

 

I did all my retrofit for around $150. I got mini H1 projectors from Aliexpress (Sinolyn brand), Kensun H1 HID kit and relay harness from Amazon. I also painted the inside of the headlights and put new butyl tape. For the lens removal i just made the diy oven with a cardboard box lined with aluminum foil and a heat gun. Worked like a charm. Everything was plug and play and super easy

 

Also switched the blinker to the corner lights

 

As cheap and as easy as this is there's no excuse to put HID's or LED's into stock housings and being a asshole

 

I don't disagree with you, but I do gotta say DOT is run by a bunch of moronic simpletons who would rather approve headlights which offer little to no visibility which decreases safety over a headlight assembly which offers incredible clarity and increases safety.

I would rather run illegal headlight assemblies which increases my personal safety on the road as a driver at night and does not interfere with others, over putting my trust in their hands any day of the week.

 

I'm going back to this post. You need to see what the prices are before even putting a limit like that. A proper retrofit is more than that. If you want a comparison between LED and HID projectors TRS has youtube videos to tell you what each can output.

 

That look like them. The CAPA certified ones are what I got. Some people say they're just a stupid meaningless sticker to charge you more money, however @ $29, they're hardly racking you across the coals. CAPA is the same cert process that the factory requires, too, or so I've read...

Mine were indistinguishable from OEM, and fit perfectly.