[Hanwei]

I purchased these for my 2013TT about a month ago. I got the H4's. When they arrived I installed them and they were horrible. There was no discernible cutoff line in the beam pattern. Each headlight just threw out a big circle for a beam pattern, along with a ton of glare (lots of smaller beams of light going in all directions (as if you were shining a light through a crystal). Very weird.

Needless to say I removed them and reinstalled the stock halogen bulbs.

Are the housings/reflectors different between FJ years? For instance, are 2010 reflectors different than 2013 reflectors? I don't know how else some of you guys have good experiences (you say the beam pattern/cutoff line is good, etc) and others like me have bad experiences.

I have to apologize... (I forgot to take pics of the LED bulbs installed) but here's an "artist's rendering" of what my stock halogen beam pattern looks like and what the Opt7 LED bulb beam pattern looked like.

 

[Hanwei]

Can you guys post some night shots of your beam pattern with these LED bulbs? I'm really curious what they look like (and if they're really different than how mine were).

 

[chris68]

There's a mod you can look up that some Tacoma guys did to these headlight bulbs to get a cut off. They basically cut a 1/2 copper pipe to cover the low beam from shining on the lower half of the housing.

Found the link to the glare mod for these:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/problem-solved-the-led-headlights-glare-guard-mod.395222/

 

[Hanwei]

Thanks Chris! I checked out that thread... Though, it's definitely more work than I'm willing to put in just to have bulbs that aren't ridiculous.

 

[FatJohnson]

I bought these for $45USD. They don't have fans or control box. I didn't disable DRL, so they're on all the time. DRL mode is exactly low beam mode when the headlights are turned on-no difference at all. No flicker, no modding, so you can keep the rubber dust boot in tact.













I had to re-aim them after installing. The improvement is quite drastic over the 2 halogen bulbs, for only 10 bucks more. Been running them since Dec24, no flicker, no issues at all so far.



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[maccve]

Just for comparison, I bought these...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015J221E6?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00

I got them around Christmas for $48.00...I thought I would give them a try. We bought a Corolla last summer and it came with LED's and I love that bright white light! These have not disappointed...they are very bright. They are a little different than some as they have a cooling ribbon instead of a fan...supposed to be more reliable.

I did have trouble getting the clip back on, but if you position it just right, it can be done! I was also able to fit the rubber boot over the cooling ribbons and re-install it.

I do notice a little flicker when the daytime running lights are on and I pull in the garage, but only when I shift it out of drive and into park. I think they DRL's are a lower power and it messes with the system. When the lights are actually on, there is no flicker at all. I did put the regular bulbs in the glove compartment just in case they crap out.

They have the regular beam on the top and the high beam on the bottom, so it looks kind of funny when looking at them like only half the light is on...which I guess it is? I thought I had some actual pictures on my phone, but I am not finding them... The install was very easy except for one of the clips which was a little tricky...

 

[smoking_rubber]

Looks like the prices for LED lights are coming down. I want them but I had a bad experience with a flickering LED mirror bulb.

I'd really like to find a plug n play replacement bulb from a name brand mfg. (for less the $100).

 

[MotioncontrolMike]

Subscribed for night shots....


Mike

 

[FatJohnson]

Ya my mirror bulbs started flickering but my LED headlights are still going strong for $45


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[maccve]

Here is a shot my security camera took of my EyeYourLife LED's pulling into the driveway this evening....a little snowstorm this evening!

 

[Zed 71]

Are the housings/reflectors different between FJ years? For instance, are 2010 reflectors different than 2013 reflectors? I don't know how else some of you guys have good experiences (you say the beam pattern/cutoff line is good, etc) and others like me have bad experiences.

The stock housing is not very good at projecting light, even the halogen bulbs have some glare. So if you put in brighter bulbs with different construction (HID, LED, etc.) those will have a brighter scatter pattern.

The glare can be reduced by aiming the lights downward enough so you will not get flashed, but there will always be glare. IMO when folks say they have good experience with LEDs or HIDs they are referring to the increased light output not cut off. BTW I am running HIDs :jester:.

 

[smoking_rubber]

I won't buy a Chinese knock-off that has a model name like "LED Headlight". That tells me it's the first and only model of LED headlight they've ever copied.

When Sylvania sells a model the says it fits a 2013 FJ I'll buy it. I've seen FJ headlights on the road that look great, but I don't know what brand they were.

 

[FatJohnson]

I'm curious about the flickering that some members have reported with LED headlight bulbs..about how long did it take before this started happening ?

As I mentioned, my el-cheapo LED mirror lights started flickering about 4 months after installing them. On that note, I only paid 14 bucks for 14 lights. I haven't had the headlights in long enough to have any flicker issues yet.

As for light scatter/cut-off of LED vs the halogens they replaced. If you look at the picture that I posted of the 2 lights beaming on my wall in the garage, they project a similar spot on the wall. The LED bulbs I bought have 3 LEDs on the top, and none on the bottom side( so they don't reflect upward blinding people while scattering the light up into the air ). 2 LEDs run in low beam, and 3 for high.

My nighttime visibility is significantly better than with the halogens they replaced. Low beam was barely OK with halogens, and high beam flat-out sucked, therefore I used low beam instead of high beam on the highway.

I will say, it did take quite a bit of aiming to get it right( well very close, I may tweak the P.side light a tad more ). At first, the low beam was quite awesome, but I couldn't notice much difference in high beam, but it was better than stock.

At first I trial and error-ed it because the information I was finding on adjusting headlights wasn't very clear. This went on for a week-go ahead and laugh:grin -, I couldn't seem to find the sweet spot, it was better but something was still off.

I figured I would keep asking my buddy, Google, until I finally found something I could understand, and roughly followed the guidelines because I was pressed for time. FFW>I'm quite happy now, and would likely not consider using halogens again. High/Low are much better than the stock bulbs, and the clarity is similar to HID..it's as close as it get to and HID projector retrofit for my FJ( I intend on doing an HID projector retrofit for mine at some point if I can figure out how to do it all )

I can try and get nightspots, but the light output always looks subdued with my iPhone cam when I tried before. Again, for a plug-n-play fanless, box-less LED headlight bulb for 45 buck..about what some are paying for 2 halogens..they are hard to beat, even if they only last as long as a halogen, the light they cast is so much easier on the eyes and so clear that it's worth it to me.

 

[FatJohnson]

I won't buy a Chinese knock-off that has a model name like "LED Headlight". That tells me it's the first and only model of LED headlight they've ever copied.

When Sylvania sells a model the says it fits a 2013 FJ I'll buy it. I've seen FJ headlights on the road that look great, but I don't know what brand they were.

To be honest, if one of these bulbs was to have a problem, the Chinese seller would ask me to take a picture, and he would then send out a replacement for free. They really want to keep their customers happy. I'm quite shocked at how far they are willing to go to keep you happy..I can give you examples if you like. I certainly didn't expect it.

 

[smoking_rubber]

I wish EVERYONE would put their FJ stats in their signature. I get tired of asking what year FJ they have. It's annoying when someone claims a product works on their vehicle but doesn't tell me what year/model FJ they're referring to.

 

[FatJohnson]

..sorry about that, I didn't know that my FJ specs made a difference with headlight bulbs.

Mine is an '07 Black Diamond, aftermarket stock size rims/tires, off road lights in both grills, ATRAC/DIFF LOCK hack, VSC hack, airbags in the rear coils, and a Budha bobblehead on the dash. And it sits level.

I don't think the headlight geometry has changed on the FJs anyways. I'm also just giving my input, not making claims. Some members here prefer the light colour of halogen bulbs, I don't. I don't expect those members would be interested in replacing them with LED headlights. If I'm going to pay the same price for both bulb types, I'll take LEDs.

 

[NyNomad]

I use my DRL as my low beams.. The low beams as my slightly brighter then low beams... And borderline illegally use my my 22" led light bar that's mounted to my hood as my high beam. The 100w bulbs I'm my Hella Ralley 1000's are as bright as the OEM high beams. More for show the go for sure. I have been looking at led replacements for the OEM lights though, its just tough for me to commit

 

[FatJohnson]

I hear ya, and I really can't comment on the longevity of my bulbs because I haven't had them long enough nor ran them in the summer yet, but performance/simplicity/price-wise, I like them.


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[Zed 71]

As for light scatter/cut-off of LED vs the halogens they replaced. If you look at the picture that I posted of the 2 lights beaming on my wall in the garage, they project a similar spot on the wall. The LED bulbs I bought have 3 LEDs on the top, and none on the bottom side( so they don't reflect upward blinding people while scattering the light up into the air ). 2 LEDs run in low beam, and 3 for high.

FYI the scatter pattern is light around the focused beam part. In everybody's pictures of different bulbs (not matter the type) there is scatter since this is not a projector type lens/housing.

In your picture the LEDs show a lot of light above the focused beam and this would be perceived as glare for oncoming drivers. Actually also shows it for the halogen bulb, so the OEM housing does not have a cut-off.

In any case I like the increased output of both the LED and HID bulbs. Like you one day I would like to do a projector retrofit using my HIDs.

Cheers!

 

[FatJohnson]

Yes, I have to agree with you on what you say above.

After running HID projectors in my FX45 for 5 years and switching back to halogens in the FJ's light buckets left ALOT to be desired. It was very hard getting used to the lack of light, so any improvement felt significant to me lol.. stock felt looks like the old incandescent headlight bulbs.

The projector retrofit won't cost as much as some of these LED bulbs I see people buying. You can purchase dual halo Bi-xenon projector kits with lights for under 200 bucks. My issue is trying to figure out the wiring/electrical. I think I can manage the retrofit itself though. I'm really leaning in that direction. I'd like to try a projector with an LED bulb if it's doable..and skip the ballast headaches I hear about.:thinkers:

*edit* I forgot to mention, I did park my FJ on the street with the headlights on at night, and ran nearly a block away to look and see how much glare I have. I'm certain that I'm not annoying oncoming drivers with this setup, even if I squatted down low, it didn't sting my eyes, as well no glare when moving left to right. I haven't been flashed in the time Ive been running them which makes me feel a little better.