Head lights
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Cross-Country
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 63
Likes: 3
Head lights
So I'm pretty much done with these weak halogen headlights on my 18. I'm considering switching to LED headlight's. I'm considering the Morimoto lights but just really don't know much about this. My concerns are quality, causing glitch's with the truck and causing glare to oncoming traffic. I don't really want to just change bulbs because Frankley you just don't know what your getting with these. I'm sure this has been discussed before but I haven't had much luck with the search engine. I was wondering what your thoughts are. Thanks in advance.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 1,563
Likes: 533
From: DFW
I would stay away from Morimoto's. Maybe check out Headlight Revolution online? I haven't made a change like this but they seem like a good resource. Also not a big fan of putting LED's in the halogen housings. It makes it pretty painful for oncoming traffic or blazing into the back window of folks in front of you. Keep us posted on what you do.
Lead Driver
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 5,938
Likes: 1,355
From: NY/Canada border
Morimoto would be questionable for me. Reading through posts here over the years some will swear by them, but many will swear at them. The unhappy ones don't seem to be the random here and there. There seem to be several.
I ordered the hybrids once but returned them unopened because I bought a different truck while waiting for the lights to arrive.
I ordered the hybrids once but returned them unopened because I bought a different truck while waiting for the lights to arrive.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 4,085
Likes: 1,627
I would stay away from Morimoto's. Maybe check out Headlight Revolution online? I haven't made a change like this but they seem like a good resource. Also not a big fan of putting LED's in the halogen housings. It makes it pretty painful for oncoming traffic or blazing into the back window of folks in front of you. Keep us posted on what you do.
Most people just buy the cheap ones, then complain that they don't have any improvement.
More Turbo
Joined: Jun 2021
Posts: 663
Likes: 352
Morimoto's are known for their issues and there's been many threads supporting that comment. I had them in a 2020 4runner and had to have a couple replaced as well as on a previous Superduty. The lights themselves are prone to ballasts going bad and constant flickering. But they look killer! I'd source some OEM LED headlights and be done with it.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: May 2018
Posts: 1,765
Likes: 502
I went the LED drop in route and have no regrets. I very rarely get flashed and my headlights aren't any worse than other OEM LED headlights on the road these days. I have a good cutoff, I have no issues passing inspection. I have the Headlight Revolution SV4. My truck does not have fog lights. I know, flame on, but the reality is this setup works just fine.
I did not go Morimoto because I'm not a fan of how they operate. They pull power off of a jumper fuse and use the factory harness for relay control only. Likely not a huge deal, just not a setup I wanted.
As another option, you could start with the LED fogs and see if they get your to a better spot lighting-wise. I'm also running a NFab light bar with 4 Rigid Industries long-range lights mounted. With a flip of a switch, they'll cycle on and off with my high beams and they're great for back-road driving. If you get LED fogs and the Rigid hyperspots, you could add enough supplemental light without touching your headlights.
I did not go Morimoto because I'm not a fan of how they operate. They pull power off of a jumper fuse and use the factory harness for relay control only. Likely not a huge deal, just not a setup I wanted.
As another option, you could start with the LED fogs and see if they get your to a better spot lighting-wise. I'm also running a NFab light bar with 4 Rigid Industries long-range lights mounted. With a flip of a switch, they'll cycle on and off with my high beams and they're great for back-road driving. If you get LED fogs and the Rigid hyperspots, you could add enough supplemental light without touching your headlights.
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Tuned
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I already feel blinded in your oncoming lights.
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Cross-Country
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 63
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In a much as I can't find anything with rave reviews. I decided to keep the stock lights and put LED's in the fog lights. Probably won't look that great but it should be functional on really dark roads. It seems that all of the aftermarket lights have their pluses and minuses, I'm going to give this a try and see how it does.
Trailering
Joined: Mar 2023
Posts: 22
Likes: 8
I initially swapped out just my fogs with the diode dynamics kit. Went "pro" version. Have the aimed slightly down I suppose but no flash and was more output than the halogen. Install was actually easier than the instructions but could have been my truck.
I put the Mori headlights on about a month ago. Had a pair in my tundra I bought used, ran 4 years no issues. Unsure if they did get quality right or not, but it's not a huge deal to troubleshoot, just a hassle.
I also run 2 diode dynamics ss5 combos on a-pillar for now that I use for country darkness and they're more than everything combined so I'm never lacking for light.
I put the Mori headlights on about a month ago. Had a pair in my tundra I bought used, ran 4 years no issues. Unsure if they did get quality right or not, but it's not a huge deal to troubleshoot, just a hassle.
I also run 2 diode dynamics ss5 combos on a-pillar for now that I use for country darkness and they're more than everything combined so I'm never lacking for light.
Lead Driver
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 5,938
Likes: 1,355
From: NY/Canada border
Morimoto's are known for their issues and there's been many threads supporting that comment. I had them in a 2020 4runner and had to have a couple replaced as well as on a previous Superduty. The lights themselves are prone to ballasts going bad and constant flickering. But they look killer! I'd source some OEM LED headlights and be done with it.
Many people here have. I started on a 2017 with Beamtech from Amazon. With the ensuing trucks I moved on to a couple of different models of Hikari. I was happy with all of the results. Just adjust properly so as not to blind oncoming drivers. As BManFX4 notes in the next post, make sure you have them indexed properly. Chips facing 3 and 9 o'clock positions. If there are 2 chips with one more toward the tip of the bulb, that goes on top. Some have a hex set screw, some do not and are more easily adjusted.
Here are some tips from Headlight Revolution that can be used whether you buy their products or not.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Feb 2021
Posts: 1,405
Likes: 1,171
From: East TN
Yep. Don't listen to all the naysayers - you can absolutely buy bulbs that work properly in the factory halogen housings. Based on my brother's good experience with these I installed them in mine a couple of days after I bought it:
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There is a hex screw that allows you to adjust the bulb for perfect alignment in the housing. The cut-off is EXACTLY like the halogen bulbs were but the lights are so much brighter. Paired with LED fog lights it makes the night time driving experience much better. I never get flashed. I have driven towards my truck in my wife's Vette and even that low to the ground they do not blind you. I'm coming up on 4 years of use and no issues at all. They just work.
EDIT - I just looked at my original order. When I bought them they were $80 / set. They are now less than half that cost. Not sure if the quality went down with the price reduction. It was almost 4 years ago.
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.
.
There is a hex screw that allows you to adjust the bulb for perfect alignment in the housing. The cut-off is EXACTLY like the halogen bulbs were but the lights are so much brighter. Paired with LED fog lights it makes the night time driving experience much better. I never get flashed. I have driven towards my truck in my wife's Vette and even that low to the ground they do not blind you. I'm coming up on 4 years of use and no issues at all. They just work.
EDIT - I just looked at my original order. When I bought them they were $80 / set. They are now less than half that cost. Not sure if the quality went down with the price reduction. It was almost 4 years ago.
Mountain Pass
Joined: Dec 2021
Posts: 190
Likes: 131
From: North Central Washington
So I'm pretty much done with these weak halogen headlights on my 18. I'm considering switching to LED headlight's. I'm considering the Morimoto lights but just really don't know much about this. My concerns are quality, causing glitch's with the truck and causing glare to oncoming traffic. I don't really want to just change bulbs because Frankley you just don't know what your getting with these. I'm sure this has been discussed before but I haven't had much luck with the search engine. I was wondering what your thoughts are. Thanks in advance.
I’ve had no problems with Morimoto on my old truck. I have Led on new one.