Headlight Bulb Upgrade?

[zak99b5]

Of course, the headlights on my 92 suck. I am sure they have cheap bulbs in them, and I also bet they are not aimed properly. But even so, they are so dim, I don't expect great improvements.

I did come across these LED replacements.

https://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/led-headlight-bulbs-conversion-kits/led-headlight-kit-9004-led-headlight-bulbs-conversion-kit-with-built-in-fan/2116/

They are Cree LEDs, but unfortunately have a 6700*k color temp. I'm not sure if the added brightness will make up for the bluish color.

I also wonder if there's enough room behind the headlight housings in the Previa for the fan housings.

[93_Previa]

Zak099b5,

I feel your pain...we have a 93 Previa that also has almost useless factory headlights. You almost have to run the brights just to have useful headlights, which is not a long-term solution!

So far I have not implemented a solution to this issue, unfortunately. The issue becomes what you're comfortable with in terms of what other drivers see (brightness/color/aim/etc.) Although I have not personally done this to verify, it seems like the most straightforward way to fix the dim headlights on any 91 - 93 Previa is to buy a set of 94 - 97 Previa factory headlights (or glass EDM (European Domestic Market) from a right-side of the road driving country) and install them, and then get the best bulbs you can. I'm sure TheMAN or TimSRV will chime in here, as they were a big help for me when I asked a similar question (see: http://www.toyotavantech.com/forum/showthread.php?3625-Upgrading-headlights-in-93-Previa ).

Hope this helps!

[zak99b5]

I am looking into the relay mod to help maximize voltage in any case.

The later headlight housings are better, but I am not sure how much better or if they are worth the trouble to source (no Previas in junkyards out here).

So that's why I was thinking of upgrading the light source itself.

I did find an LED bulb that was 5000*k, which would be nice. I am just not sure of the quality and actual improvement found with these replacements.

[TheMAN]

no amount of bulb or wiring upgrades on those crappy 9004 headlights will ever make significant improvement to be worth the cost
9004 headlights are the 1st generation of "aero" or bulb replaceable headlights that came out in the US during the mid 80s... they are all junk junk junk!
traditional sealed beam large square or round headlights are far better albeit ugly in some applications
the issue here are the optics design inherent in 9004 headlights mainly caused by bulb geometry and restrictive headlight reflector design due to SAE/DOT rules.... this causes extremely poor beam patterns in which no bulb upgrades will fix

the 94-97 headlights are far better (but not great or ideal) because they use the much superior 9003 bulbs that have been around across the world since the early 70s... they're proven technology and are still used in new some new cars today
save your time and buy the 94-97 headlights online and install them... H4 bulb sockets can be had anywhere, and in a bind, you can use a socket meant for sealed beam headlights, they fit

[zak99b5]

For now I wil get the GE Nighthawk Platinums and aim the headlights best I can.

Long term solution will will be to replace the housings with 9003-style from a later Previa.