Hi all,

First time poster on this site. I just bought my first Toyota pickup - a '94 standard cab 4x4. Loving it so far!

I'm interested in upgrading my headlights to LEDs, and have done a LOT of research over the past several days, including on YotaTech. It seems the headlight wiring on these trucks is somewhat different than other vehicles using 5x7 H6054 headlights, and as a result only certain 5x7 H6054-compatible LED headlights work on our trucks without modifying the wiring to some extent.

What I'm looking for is a list of LED headlights that are truly plug-and-play, requiring NO modification to the wiring or harnesses. It seems the GE Nighthawk (part # 69822) and TruckLite LED headlights are truly plug and play, but they cost about $180 each. Then, there are the MUCH cheaper $30-60 5x7 LED headlights all over Ebay and Amazon, which seem to have problems when connected to the OEM Toyota wiring harness (even after switching the low beam and ground pins in the socket).

So, again, my question to all you experts is: are there other truly plug-and-play LED headlight options besides (apparently) the GE Nighthawk and TruckLite LED? Thanks in advance for any help you've got!

 

http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTri...adlights.shtml

make a plug an play harness w/o hacking the OEM harness?

 

Opt7 but I modified my wiring when I replaced the sealed beams with Hellas years ago that's equivalent to H4.

 

ewong - thanks, but I'm trying to avoid having to modify any harnesses. I did see that site a couple days ago though, and may end up getting creative if I can't find any LEDs that just directly plug into the stock harness without issues. SOMEONE out there has got to have made an LED that works on these trucks with no mods, for less than $180 a headlight, right?

 

I had the Truck Lite LED'S in my 81...well worth the $$$

 

Its not the cheap way to do it, but make a complete "harness" for the new headlight, with direct to battery connections and relays.
Trigger this harness with a "male" plug that connects to the stock headlight harness.

No Cutting

Like one of these

http://www.rallylights.com/all/wiring-harness

 

Same here. Trucklites FTW.
The added safety of being able to see better and being seen better, from improved brightness and better spread is priceless.
Also consider the cost of bulb replacement and the hassle of taking the grille off each time you replace bulbs.
It's a legit upgrade, so you do not join that band of A$$holes with blinding, improperly lensed LED or HID replacement.

 

If you're going to do it right, you're going to have to spend some money. Those two products you mentioned are good choices IMO.

btw, please don't join the folks who settle for cheap, illegal solutions. You're not only blinding others but they also don't perform as well. ....those people think just because the lights are bright and spread light everywhere they work well.

 

Which one? http://www.truck-lite.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/en/aurora/CategoryDisplay?urlRequestType=Base&catalogId=1000 2&categoryId=13091&pageView=grid&urlLangId=-1&beginIndex=0&langId=-1&top_category=15554&storeId=10001#facet:-700000000000000328653341205534&productBeginIndex:0 &orderBy:&pageView:grid&minPrice:&maxPrice:&pageSi ze:&
It looks like they run around $180 each, vs. $11 for a plain ole headlamp. I know I won't live long enough to change my headlamp more than three times, so I wouldn't get one for their longer-life. You feel the driver's experience is that much (10x) better?

Have you ever driven in the snow? Do these ice up? (A regular incandescent/halogen bulb is hot enough to melt that off.)

 

Ditto what dropzone said. I put the trucklites on my 1980 and could not be happier. Much much more night time visibility. Have not had anyone flash their brights at me so they must not be blinding oncoming traffic. Spend the money, you'll be glad you did.

 

Sorry Scope, link did not work, but yes, $180 each.

Biggest advantage is improved beam pattern. Comparison here.
I may not live long enough but, because of the improved spread, people on poorly-lit road I'm turning into may live longer - LOL!
Yes, they stay cooler so icing up may be a concern. However these are being used on trucks so it would be interesting to know truckers' experiences. Because they run cooler, an advantage for me is I can easily put red filter in front of headlights when entering area where stargazers hangout.

 

Thanks for the great feedback, all, especially about the very convincing downsides of the cheap, non-DOT certified LEDs you see all over Amazon and Ebay. The added safety from proper DOT certified LEDs is convincing. Sounds like the TruckLites or GE Nighthawks really are the way to go. Again, I really appreciate the great input from you all.

 

Just throwing it out there but another option might be to go with a conversion assembly that will let you run more modern halogen bulbs. This is what I did on my '86. I bought the Hella Vision Plus headlamps that come with an adapter/harness for 9003 (HB2/H4) bulbs. In this particular kit it includes two bulbs but you can upgrade to something better if you wish. It is a noticeable improvement albeit not dramatic IMO/IME. ....only made better if using a high efficacy bulb like the Phillips XtremeVision or Osram NIghtbreaker.

The Hellas appear nearly identical to sealed beams and are also glass vs. polycarbonate (plastic). Mine were about $80 for both IIRC. They are DOT legal and everything was plug and play. I would have went with the LEDs but I simply don;t drive my 4Runner that much (once every 1-2 weeks) and rarely at night.

 

This is a good idea which I did. it is essential is to correct the poor stock wiring that routes ground from bulb filament, through roughly 15 feet of wire to the cabin, to the dimmer-switch combo (stalk), back to the engine compartment and finally to fender ground - a convoluted path as 4Crawler calls it.

 

The Phillips LED (DOT Legal) ran close to $300 EACH

http://www.rallylights.com/philips-l...ctangular.html

At least that is cheaper than the DOT legal Plug and Play HID sealed beams, which if I recall (circa 1996) ran around $500 each?

FYI - I;m running Hella H4 "E Code" beams...
I am not sure if I am running an upgraded harness or not (I just can't remember - its been ages since I I did major electrical work on the 4Runner)

 

So you found these $50 LED headights that fit your H6054 housing...

https://www.amazon.com/GENSSI-Headli.../dp/B013TMZUSM

Except you see the message
"Notice: Toyota Pickup Trucks = You must swap two pins for the lights to turn on"

And you don't want to hack / mod the Toyota Harness...

Basically - you buy two of these. (2 x $15 = 30)
In the worst case, you move the pins around.
But then you are mucking with a $15 adapter, and NOT your OEM harness.
And you can plug and play back and forth.

The $ way to do it, is to get a full aux relay kit. - around $100

http://www.rallylights.com/hl281s-tr...-vehicles.html

 

....just be aware that those are not in compliance with DOT/SAE standards like the other two solutions mentioned earlier. Yeah, you save a lot of money but these are no different IMO than the myriad of crappy alternatives that are out there. Personally, I think it's really irresponsible of the manufacturer and seller to offer these without mentioning that they are likely illegal for street use in most areas. Some manufacturers of these types of products will at least have a disclaimer (e.g. "off-road use only") on their website .....these don't.

 

Hey guys,

Just to close the loop on this one - I installed the TruckLite headlights. They were plug and play; no need to modify the wiring harness at all, and install took maybe 20 minutes. To over-use a tired cliche, the difference is night and day - the LEDs are really bright, and give really good peripheral lighting too on either side. I don't feel the need to install auxiliary lights for off-roading anytime soon, though I haven't done much of that in the dark yet.

Once you get the beam level dialed in, they don't affect other drivers either, which I care about from a safety perspective. And they're DOT legal. Really great headlights and worth the price, IMO.

Now to find some good LED tail lights!

 

Way to go.
And this ^^^ sets you apart from those a$$holes who blind others with their pathetic, non DOT-approved lights.

 

Added actual driving video to my post comparing Truck-lites with Sylvania Silverstarts in Auto-Pal housing.