Thread: Headlight upgrade for 90s 4wd

I have a Lj78 landcruiser Prado.
After Driving modern vehicles for the last few years and going back to this era my gosh the lights are shit!
Lightbar you say...well I probably will but that won't help low beam.
I want to upgrade/replace the original headlights and most importantly still get warrents.
The lights appear to be the same as same era Hilux and Surf but I haven't actually checked that yet.
What's everyone else done?

In the same wagon, I fit new Headlights every few years so I know the reflective coating is in decent condition.
Water ingress stuffs the coating.
Run Narva 130/100 bulbs.
LED headlights would be great but getting ones that are up to code at a realistic cost is prohibitive.
I'd love to hear other options too.

Get a relay system for the H4s, most probable bulbs, and then fit a really good set of the most applicable +something H4 globes research suggests..
Assuming lenses and reflectors ok.
That's about all you can do for low beam

Fog lamps increase the flood of lighting down and to the sides, plus are legal for wof to run with low beam just must be powered up off the headlight circuit (i.e. can't be turned on without at least low beam powered up). High beam is easier as you say, as you can run a pair of LED spot/flood combo units and good to go.

The existing setup is limited in what you can achieve - the standard reflectors in the headlamp units are about it really and as good as their time. Upgrading the bulbs will get you a 'whiter' or 'bluer' light which penetrates further but won't fix the pattern of the reflectors in the headlamps. A bulb upgrade to the Narva or similar upgrade bulbs that fit into the standard housing will give you that whiter light and a bit more range, then fit driving LED's for high beam (you don't actually need to spend a fortune on huge units to get an effective upgrade in high beam light) and fit the fog lamps which you can use on back country dark as the inside of a cow areas with either high or low beams for the light fill to get better spread and pattern on dip...

its not hid lights is it fuk me the ones on wife's car are fukn useless tried new bulbs etc

https://www.aa.co.nz/cars/ask-an-exp...ns/show/11700/

https://www.sparkshop.co.nz/Catalogu...oduct/19-HL165 not certain on legality on these ones, can only ask

https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/lj7...rsion.1335715/

What year is your lj78?
My quick google fu mainly is coming up with front grille replacement to the older 87-90 round headlight version(parts ex japan) and run a nz compliant 7'' round headlight unit
https://www.hella.co.nz/en/products/...am-insert.html

Originally Posted by striker

https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/lj7...rsion.1335715/

What year is your lj78?
My quick google fu mainly is coming up with front grille replacement to the older 87-90 round headlight version(parts ex japan) and run a nz compliant 7'' round headlight unit
https://www.hella.co.nz/en/products/...am-insert.html

Those round inserts with Halogen bulbs do a good job - natural reflector shape without needing a computer.

Originally Posted by striker

https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/lj7...rsion.1335715/

What year is your lj78?
My quick google fu mainly is coming up with front grille replacement to the older 87-90 round headlight version(parts ex japan) and run a nz compliant 7'' round headlight unit
https://www.hella.co.nz/en/products/...am-insert.html

It's a 91 with the rectangular headlights but maybe I can find a round headlight grill and headlight mounts.

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

It's a 91 with the rectangular headlights but maybe I can find a round headlight grill and headlight mounts.

Might pay to give a Toyota parts guy a call, check the compatibility of the same year 79 series ute, for grille and light mounts, its a Toyota, no doubt there will be compatibility in the LC components

Something often overlooked is voltage drop to the headlights - if youve got access to a multi meter see if you can measure the voltage across the bulb itself. Did a Narva training session about 25 years ago when i worked in auto electrical, and they said the difference between 13.8v (charging voltage) down to 12.5v reduced light output 30% - 40%. Putting thirstier bulbs in just made the voltage drop worse, and often they throw the light wrong as well with the filament in the wrong place. As someone else said above a couple of relays wired in can make a decent improvement just solving this issue with 80s/90s jap cars and their super thin wires.

Originally Posted by svt40

Something often overlooked is voltage drop to the headlights - if youve got access to a multi meter see if you can measure the voltage across the bulb itself. Did a Narva training session about 25 years ago when i worked in auto electrical, and they said the difference between 13.8v (charging voltage) down to 12.5v reduced light output 30% - 40%. Putting thirstier bulbs in just made the voltage drop worse, and often they throw the light wrong as well with the filament in the wrong place. As someone else said above a couple of relays wired in can make a decent improvement just solving this issue with 80s/90s jap cars and their super thin wires.

My quad has this issue. But it's a quad, and one led flood on the front on high beam circuit cures a lot of ills... Nice not having to worry about wof sometimes haha

Originally Posted by svt40

Something often overlooked is voltage drop to the headlights - if youve got access to a multi meter see if you can measure the voltage across the bulb itself. Did a Narva training session about 25 years ago when i worked in auto electrical, and they said the difference between 13.8v (charging voltage) down to 12.5v reduced light output 30% - 40%. Putting thirstier bulbs in just made the voltage drop worse, and often they throw the light wrong as well with the filament in the wrong place. As someone else said above a couple of relays wired in can make a decent improvement just solving this issue with 80s/90s jap cars and their super thin wires.

That's why I suggested a relay system.
Power straight from that battery.
There is also another added bonus especially on a lot of models like most hiluxs. The switch on the headlight stalk on the steering wheel can't handle lots of voltage/amps. To much of an upgrade and they burn out. Using them to a switch a relay stops them burning out

Originally Posted by csmiffy

That's why I suggested a relay system.
Power straight from that battery.
There is also another added bonus especially on a lot of models like most hiluxs. The switch on the headlight stalk on the steering wheel can't handle lots of voltage/amps. To much of an upgrade and they burn out. Using them to a switch a relay stops them burning out

Most of the modern vehicles do actually run some form of relay for that reason - with the current model stuff the switches are computer devices not switches as we know them. They only send a signal to the damn computer modules that then tell everything what to do...

I use these
https://www.narva.com.au/blogs/press...us-200-release


Seem to work OK