I have an 87 fǰ60 which I installed the OEM kioto halogen upgrade kit. I am not happy with the results. Can I just buy led bulbs for it or is more required.
Headligh upgrade
- Thread starter RustyTLC
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City racer leds
I've had them in my 40 for years and love them.
I've had them in my 40 for years and love them.
Holley RetroBrights, JW Speaker, Torfab or other properly engineered lights are the right way to get light improvement and not blind oncoming traffic
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I'm already interested in LED and have already purchased and installed the factory conversion to halogen including relays. The question is are the receptacles the same as the plugs on an LED headlight and will they work on the oem koito kit. I don't want to purchase another conversion kit if all i need is two bulbs.
They take H4 bulbs so whatever comes in that size will fit
halogen lenses with led bulbs often have bad scatter. always best to have a lense that’s specifically designed for led lights.
I had the koito's and then went to the cityracer LEDs and I like them. I have retrofits in my other trucks (Acura TSX HID projectors in my LX470), Morimoto in my ford excursion) but don't drive my 60 at night enough to have had the motivation to properly swap in some "good" projectors.
Get the cityracer sealed LED's (generic ones from Amazon that he includes reverse polarity modules with) however if you-re-use the koito harness, you don't need his adapters (at least I didn't). Just buy his and support him as it's only a few dollars more than buying them off amazon without the modules he includes. This way you'll get useable light pattern which you'll like with a cutoff. Throwing LED bulbs into your koito housings will scatter the light everywhere and it'll seem bright 10ft in front of you but won't be useable down the road where you need it.
Edit: There are proper LED drop in bulbs you can buy that are meant for halogen housings and have a cutoff as another option but more expensive.
Get the cityracer sealed LED's (generic ones from Amazon that he includes reverse polarity modules with) however if you-re-use the koito harness, you don't need his adapters (at least I didn't). Just buy his and support him as it's only a few dollars more than buying them off amazon without the modules he includes. This way you'll get useable light pattern which you'll like with a cutoff. Throwing LED bulbs into your koito housings will scatter the light everywhere and it'll seem bright 10ft in front of you but won't be useable down the road where you need it.
Edit: There are proper LED drop in bulbs you can buy that are meant for halogen housings and have a cutoff as another option but more expensive.
I have the Holley Retro bright headlamps on my 75 series and am not super impressed. On my 60 I updated to the Koito's and installed Diode Dynamics bulbs and it is a great combo. My theory is that one has to purchase a high quality LED bulb in order to get a good beam pattern. Going to Mr Bezos (Amazon) is an exercise in futility as the quality is a crap shoot and even if you think you are purchasing a name brand product, you can end up with a counterfeit. Had this happen twice and after the second time I've stopped buying from Amazon and go direct to the vendor for these types of items.
Once my 60 is back from Kelly Saad, I plan on doing a side by side comparison of each so we have actual data to compare between the Koito's with the Diode Dynamics bulbs and the Holley Retro bright product..
Once my 60 is back from Kelly Saad, I plan on doing a side by side comparison of each so we have actual data to compare between the Koito's with the Diode Dynamics bulbs and the Holley Retro bright product..
I am a big fan of Diode Dynamics products also
Yes, you can install LED bulbs and nothing else is needed.
Was it just plug and play with the diode dynamics bulbs? Don't have to worry about reverse polarity as stated in above messages? Would you mind letting us know which bulbs you purchased? I've got Koitos and they are not adequate for these dark country roads with no street lights. I was extremely disappointed after so many recommendations for these. I think they look great, just not functionally adequate. Thanks.
I bought some DD for my 60 stuff during their Black Friday sale and was looking at the H4 bulbs for this exact application. I'd be really interested in seeing those comparison photos.
Hello, apologies for the delay, I purchased the Koito factory upgrade with the wiring harness. With this as my baseline, I was able to just install the Diode Dynamics bulbs directly, Below is the link:
H4 SL2 Pro LED Bulbs (pair)
<div class="ddescr dcol1"> <div class="block1"> <h3>Features</h3> <ul> <li>Advanced TST LED Technology for industry-leading performance.</li> <li>Internal cooling for superior reliability.</li> <li>Fully integrated design, no wires or external drivers.</li> <li>Direct replacement bulb with...
www.diodedynamics.com
I also purchased this from @CruiserTrash to ensure my high beam indicator light works as designed:
HBIM - High Beam Indicator Module for Koito Headlight Upgrade Kit
The High Beam Indicator Module: So you bought the Koito Headlight Upgrade Kit - "the best $35 you can spend on your FJ40/60" - but now the indicator for the high beams doesn't work. Annoying! Here's the fix. This has been designed to work seamlessly with Toyota's stock wiring system for...
cruisertrashparts.com
Also, have you set your headlights height and side to side orientation per the FSM? This will have a big impact on projection accuracy and quality.
Lastly, below is the link to my continuation of @wngrog s build thread of my FZJ75 that is featured. If you go to post #298, you will see the Holley setup on my 75. Same would be for the 60 too. Once the 60 is back, I'll take some pictures with both trucks at the same location so everyone can have true apples to apples comparison, Koito with DD bulbs vs Holley Retro Bright.
This one is fresh off the container. The second Saudi cruiser I’ve imported.
1992, first of the 1FZ trucks.
Real.
1992, first of the 1FZ trucks.
Real.
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Thank you so much for a thorough response. I look forward to the upgrade in brightness! Cheers, Sir!
FYI, my 60 wont be back until April-ish as I don’t want to drive it back from Flagstaff while the salt is still around but I’ll definitely do the comparison then.
I’m also looking for a headlight upgrade, and after reading this it seem racer city is the most cost affective solution for LEDS. Unless you want to keep the look of glass bulbs.
With the racer city conversion does it leave an open plug for HBIM from Cruiser trash to plug into? According to RC the high beam indicator light might not work after conversion. And will that solve the issue??
I had the City Racer headlights for a couple of years. They worked great, plenty of light and a robust headlight with everything included to make them functional. I used a blue LED bulb in the high beam indicator with my stock gauges and the indicator worked.
I've since swapped them out for Holly retrobrights simply for the aesthetics of a stock looking headlight as opposed to the blacked out look on the City Racer units. I'd say the light output and beam pattern is about the same.
If you have the budget , the retrobrights are great, but they cost 3x what the City Racers run you.
I've since swapped them out for Holly retrobrights simply for the aesthetics of a stock looking headlight as opposed to the blacked out look on the City Racer units. I'd say the light output and beam pattern is about the same.
If you have the budget , the retrobrights are great, but they cost 3x what the City Racers run you.
Thanks JoeW, I just looked up the Holley retrobright. Are they plug and play? I think that’s the route I’ll go I prefer the classic look. Can you point me in the direction for the led high beam indicator. Is there a way to make all dash lights led?