Better Headlights than OE?

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Old 09-28-2015, 09:45 AM
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Better Headlights than OE?

I got a slight annoyance with the stock headlight bulbs on the daytime running lights. They're too yellow! I'm looking for a nice set that are clean & clear white. Nothing too blinding though, as i don't want the attention. Here's what's mine look like now.



Yellow bulbs





Yellow reflection
Old 09-28-2015, 09:48 AM
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Get some LEDs to drop in and call it a day.
Old 09-28-2015, 10:12 AM
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Originally Posted by thoiboi
Get some LEDs to drop in and call it a day.
I like that idea. Would you recommend the bulb replacement or the LED strip? Also has anybody had experience with the halogen strip?
https://acurazine.com/forums/fourth-generation-tl-2009-2014-123/jlc-lighting-drl-led-module-09-12-tl-831247/
Old 09-28-2015, 10:15 AM
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are you up for the task of modifying your headlight to install a strip? Just do the bulb for plug and play functionality. get some relays, get some LEDs and load resistors and have fun
Old 09-28-2015, 10:24 AM
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Originally Posted by thoiboi
are you up for the task of modifying your headlight to install a strip? Just do the bulb for plug and play functionality. get some relays, get some LEDs and load resistors and have fun
Any recommendations? I see ppl here are using CREE, JLC, iplaytoys for bulbs.
Old 09-28-2015, 10:33 AM
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Found this thread but the pics don't work.

https://acurazine.com/forums/fourth-...n-drls-827442/

Curious what the look of this would be. Obviously not as bright as LED's or as clean looking, but it also is not an attention grabber for cops. Easier installation than LED's I would imagine.
Old 09-28-2015, 10:45 AM
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Also be careful replacing the DRL's with LED's. The DRL is also the headlight high-beam, so if you go with a dedicated LED for the DRL you lose the focus/distance of the high beam. If you really want a whiter look, go with a brighter halogen bulb (like silverstar, etc), but be aware they will burn out faster than a normal bulb. but will have a brighter/whiter appearance....
Old 09-28-2015, 11:04 AM
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Thanks for the advice, this is what I'm going after. Something that looks cleaner than the yellow but doesn't grab too much attention. I'll post what i do here once it's installed. I was thinking led but didn't realize it could burn out faster than a halogen and didn't know that it would affect the high beam performance.
Old 09-28-2015, 11:20 AM
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Originally Posted by hashbrown
Thanks for the advice, this is what I'm going after. Something that looks cleaner than the yellow but doesn't grab too much attention. I'll post what i do here once it's installed. I was thinking led but didn't realize it could burn out faster than a halogen and didn't know that it would affect the high beam performance.
Just fyi - the LED won't burn out faster than hallogen - those last forever. But using the same LED bulb for DRL and high-beams is the issue. The brighter white halogen bulbs like Silverstar do burn out faster than OEM, so if you go that route, just be aware....

andy
Old 09-28-2015, 12:13 PM
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Originally Posted by andysinnh
Just fyi - the LED won't burn out faster than hallogen - those last forever. But using the same LED bulb for DRL and high-beams is the issue. The brighter white halogen bulbs like Silverstar do burn out faster than OEM, so if you go that route, just be aware....

andy
This is correct. In my experience the Silverstars will last about a year before one of them goes out. I have heard the PIAA's last a little longer, but they are a little more expensive as well.
Old 09-28-2015, 08:27 PM
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I had a chat with a retrofit rep...

H-Series Morimoto XB LED Bulbs - Automotive LED Signal Bulbs - The Retrofit Source

Make sure to get right bulb. The drl/hi-beam is 9005. That will be next upgrade.
Old 09-28-2015, 08:30 PM
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So after digging deeper in acurazine search I see this question comes up alot! My first post so i apologize for being noob here. Anyways I'm partial to this kit found on amazon from kensun. Does anyone have experience with their stuff. I've read some bad reviews about the Nokya arctic white stage 1 camp and i was leaning towards that. I don't want to be under powered/luminated but i don't use the high beams much either so i don't know if that makes a difference.
Old 09-28-2015, 08:42 PM
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I got a halogen silverstar axe that says they are the white halogens. Bottom line is halogens are more then likely to be yellow or a light yellow. I am going retrofit source because everyone that has a 2012 TL has these on their fog lights....

https://acurazine.com/forums/fourth-...type-s-915221/
Old 09-28-2015, 08:47 PM
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do nokya white. No need to spend extra on led
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Old 09-28-2015, 08:52 PM
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Originally Posted by hashbrown
I got a slight annoyance with the stock headlight bulbs on the daytime running lights. They're too yellow! I'm looking for a nice set that are clean & clear white. Nothing too blinding though, as i don't want the attention.[
If you don't want the attention, just pull the DRL fuse. Your high beams will still function as normal, and you won't have to deal with piss yellow headlights
Old 09-28-2015, 09:34 PM
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Originally Posted by arpypat
If you don't want the attention, just pull the DRL fuse. Your high beams will still function as normal, and you won't have to deal with piss yellow headlights
Ha! That's an idea! A temporary fix till i can find a perm solution. I think I'll look at the arctic whites again as i dont want to be w/o .

I am going to seriously consider some halogen rings since they do enhance the view on my 12' enclave.




Old 09-29-2015, 11:28 AM
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I'm looking to put in whiter bulbs, likely this weekend. I'll put up pics when I do so that you can see if you like the look, want to go brighter, etc.
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Old 09-29-2015, 03:17 PM
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Originally Posted by echodigital
I got a halogen silverstar axe that says they are the white halogens. Bottom line is halogens are more then likely to be yellow or a light yellow. I am going retrofit source because everyone that has a 2012 TL has these on their fog lights....

https://acurazine.com/forums/fourth-...type-s-915221/
Like these?
Amazon.com: SYLVANIA 9005 SilverStar Ultra High Performance Halogen Headlight Bulb, (Pack of 2): Automotive Amazon.com: SYLVANIA 9005 SilverStar Ultra High Performance Halogen Headlight Bulb, (Pack of 2): Automotive
How long have they lasted?
Old 09-29-2015, 05:06 PM
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I just put them on...maybe 9 months. It is the ZXE version. No issue so far but still yellow. I am going to google Noyka white...

I think I may go LED cause I know it will be white for sure.

Last edited by echodigital; 09-29-2015 at 05:10 PM.
Old 09-29-2015, 10:08 PM
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I can't find the answer here so i have to ask. Say you were to put LED's w/ resistor harness for your drl's and lose the high beam function. Does anything happen when you manually flicker the high beams or leave them on? Does the display say they're on but no change in actual brightness? I'm thinking about 5000k brightness for drl and doing the fog lights over to white led too. No resistor harness needed for for LED fog lights?
Old 10-09-2015, 02:59 PM
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Originally Posted by ITSJESTER
I'm looking to put in whiter bulbs, likely this weekend. I'll put up pics when I do so that you can see if you like the look, want to go brighter, etc.
Hopefully I'll get around to this this weekend! Last weekend was pretty crummy and rainy out from the hurricane
Old 10-09-2015, 10:58 PM
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How you get better weather to enjoy that project. What did you go with? I bought a pair of Phillips Crystal Vision for now. Waiting for them to get delivered. Researching replacing alot of the stock bulbs to led now. The bright "white light" obsession bug for my TL has me deeper in the rabbit hole. I want to do either a 6 or 9 strip led mount near the fog lights, change the tail lights and trunk to led. I'd also like to do an led switchback for the turn signals but don't want to take apart the housing to remove the orange reflectors.
Old 10-10-2015, 05:44 AM
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Originally Posted by hashbrown
How you get better weather to enjoy that project. What did you go with? I bought a pair of Phillips Crystal Vision for now. Waiting for them to get delivered. Researching replacing alot of the stock bulbs to led now. The bright "white light" obsession bug for my TL has me deeper in the rabbit hole. I want to do either a 6 or 9 strip led mount near the fog lights, change the tail lights and trunk to led. I'd also like to do an led switchback for the turn signals but don't want to take apart the housing to remove the orange reflectors.
O man you did catch the bug!

Be careful when you take those outta the package as they are a little snug in the plastic. Also wear gloves or use a napkin so you don't ever actually touch the bulb directly. This will help it last longer. My dad had these on his Subaru for awhile and they looked nice.

I haven't decided what I'm going with yet. Most likely silverstars or the zxe version. I just want something that looks a little cleaner and less yellow as I think the stock DRL's really take away from the cars looks. But who knows...ill prolly catch the bug as well and update to all led next month hah
Old 10-10-2015, 05:25 PM
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^ if you touch the bulb just wipe it off with 90% iso-alcohol. No big deal
Old 10-11-2015, 06:57 PM
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The passenger side is the Phillips crystal vision.



In pictures they look more like the stock Sylvania on the driver's side. I don't know, i like it and it's brighter than what was in there. But i think I'm going to do the 6 or 9 strip led's and mount on bottom and use that as drl's. I'll keep these for brights.

Old 10-24-2015, 12:32 AM
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DRL light

Originally Posted by thoiboi
Get some LEDs to drop in and call it a day.
I did the same and I got a DRL check.
Get the right bulbs. Its too much bullshyt to keep replacing to find out.
I just ordered replacements for the low and high/driving bulbs.
I ordered some Hipro Power 9005 + 9006 5900k 100 Watt Super White Xenon HID Headlight Bulbs - Low/High Beam.
Old 10-25-2015, 10:07 AM
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Originally Posted by Bruce Dub
I did the same and I got a DRL check.
Get the right bulbs. Its too much bullshyt to keep replacing to find out.
I just ordered replacements for the low and high/driving bulbs.
I ordered some Hipro Power 9005 + 9006 5900k 100 Watt Super White Xenon HID Headlight Bulbs - Low/High Beam.
Can post up pics?
I still have the bulbs in but i pulled the drl fuse for now. Just did my 30k service and this is project is on the to-do list(looking at rear sway bar). From research there are some really cool ways to get a fresh look for lighting.
I like the accord led strip that you feed through the turn signal inlet. But i don't think it would work in a TL.
http://store.ijdmtoy.com/Honda-Accord-Install-LED-Running-Lights-a/573.htm

And then there's the 4-9strip add-on to the lower front end.
http://www.myhellalights.com/index.php/products/daytime-running-lights/universal-daytime-running-lights/
Old 10-28-2015, 03:58 PM
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Just an FYI, when I turned on my hi-beams, my zxe are quite white and match the Zenon headlights. As a DRL, it is yellow.
Old 10-28-2015, 04:03 PM
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Originally Posted by Bruce Dub
I did the same and I got a DRL check.
Get the right bulbs. Its too much bullshyt to keep replacing to find out.
I just ordered replacements for the low and high/driving bulbs.
I ordered some Hipro Power 9005 + 9006 5900k 100 Watt Super White Xenon HID Headlight Bulbs - Low/High Beam.
That's probably because you'll need to wire in some resistors to get rid of that annoyance.


Originally Posted by echodigital
Just an FYI, when I turned on my hi-beams, my zxe are quite white and match the Zenon headlights. As a DRL, it is yellow.
DRL is usually at 6V versus hi beams at 12V. You may need to install a relay harness if you want the ZXE's at full power.
Old 11-05-2015, 06:18 PM
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One of my fog lights are going out, i thinking the morimoto type s treatment is in store. This may solve my issue for led drl too.

What would cause the reflector in the fog lamps to recess like this below?





This one looks like it's normal with the reflector close to the glass and it works.<br/>



The reflector on this fog lamp is now recessed. Wasnt like this before and the bulb is out.
Old 11-05-2015, 06:29 PM
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Has anyone replaced w/LED strips? I have disliked the stock bulbs since I got the car, but am not sure how labor intense putting in LED strips would be.
Old 11-21-2015, 06:02 PM
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Has anyone replaced drl's ww/a set of Opt7 led's? I'm just wondering if they will fit as the space is quit cramped.
Old 11-24-2015, 08:47 PM
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Went ahead and got morimoto xb type s fog light replacements. Hope to have time this weekend to put them in. I'd like to either run these as drl's or replace drl's with opt7 led's. Just don't know about the fit since a heat sink/fan is built into the back of the bulb.
Old 12-29-2015, 06:14 PM
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Well i can't run fog as led. Morimoto type S in place.



So i got the jdmtoy SMD 68 @ 6000K in place.


There not that bright at night but that's not the idea i has in mind.

Old 12-31-2015, 12:44 PM
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I took this new photo under the same weather conditions as the original.
Old 02-18-2022, 09:52 AM
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Hey just wondering what bulbs you're using in the last pic?
Old 02-18-2022, 09:53 AM
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Originally Posted by D32320
Hey just wondering what bulbs you're using in the last pic?
Dude way to necro a thread, it's been 7 years he's not responding..
Old 02-18-2022, 11:20 AM
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Originally Posted by thoiboi
Dude way to necro a thread, it's been 7 years he's not responding..
Oof yeah I should've looked into it more. My bad. Just noticed he mentioned they were the jdmtoy SMD 68 @ 6000K's too.
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