Years ago I installed a set of genuine KC HiLites on my first TJ, and I’m not exaggerating when I say those things were bright enough to slay vampires. They had a nice crisp cutoff on the low beams, and a blinding throw on the highs. Sadly, they’ve gone up 60% in cost since I last bought them in 2018. I can’t justify $140 on a set which is what they run on Amazon.
Through research on a better headlight option, I stumbled across a genuine Toyota headlight kit meant to replace the stock sealed beams on the FJs; part number 81110-60p70. A simple google result will wield many affordable options. You can also have these shipped to your local Toyota dealer. I was $80 out-of-pocket total for this kit. Here’s my overview on what I received and install of the kit.
Product came in a nicely packaged box that shipped out of Phoenix the day before. The kit includes two H4 housings, bulbs, and a complete heavy-duty wiring harness with fuses and relays designed to wire directly to your battery.
The brand of the lights is Koito, and they are extremely well built and manufactured in Japan. These are glass surfaces and feel very heavy duty with a thick glass lens.
These also came with a detailed set of instructions and a nice letter from Toyota. Even the paper feels high quality
Last night I hooked up one of the headlights just to compare it to the stock sealed beam. On top of being brighter, the Koito headlight has the same crisp cutoff pattern that my old KCs had, instead of the wild blurry throw the stock sealed beams cast. I didn’t have the engine on, so I don’t have an accurate assessment on how bright the new beam really is.
Today I worked on install. First step was to remove the stock headlights after deciding to run the wiring under the headlights and through the grill to the driver side. My first stretch of wiring ran under the PDC and followed the loom running past the AC line.
Next step was to line up the first headlight plug where the headlight would sit. The plug that attaches to your factory harness for signal is wired next to the first headlight plug. The manufacturer was kind enough to pack the plugs with dialectic grease where the wires were inserted. The new plugs also have nice water/weather proof boots attached.
Once my length was set, I started securing the harness to the bottom of the grill with the 50 (not exaggerating) NASA-grade zip ties provided in the kit. The wiring ran nice and neat through the channel in the bottom. On a side note, I also found where the air temp sensor plugs in for the fancy electric mirror.
Next I adjusted the wiring to the proper length behind the driver headlight, and bundled and secured the excess wire underneath it in the dead space below the light.
Satisfied with how the wiring was run, I installed the driver side light and packed the plug with the supplied dielectric grease. You can see how nicely the two rubber boots on the light and plug fit together.
The same was done on the passenger side. There was a bit of excess wiring between the battery and the first headlight, so I zip tied the excess off under the PDC and out of sight. Once tied off, I could find a permanent place for the inline fuses and relays in the kit. These were also all packed with grease.
Lights are now installed and wired. They don’t look too different or aggressive, but I imagine that the light that they give off is plenty for my needs.
I’ll be going out in a few minutes to test and adjust the beams. I will report back!
Through research on a better headlight option, I stumbled across a genuine Toyota headlight kit meant to replace the stock sealed beams on the FJs; part number 81110-60p70. A simple google result will wield many affordable options. You can also have these shipped to your local Toyota dealer. I was $80 out-of-pocket total for this kit. Here’s my overview on what I received and install of the kit.
Product came in a nicely packaged box that shipped out of Phoenix the day before. The kit includes two H4 housings, bulbs, and a complete heavy-duty wiring harness with fuses and relays designed to wire directly to your battery.
The brand of the lights is Koito, and they are extremely well built and manufactured in Japan. These are glass surfaces and feel very heavy duty with a thick glass lens.
These also came with a detailed set of instructions and a nice letter from Toyota. Even the paper feels high quality
Last night I hooked up one of the headlights just to compare it to the stock sealed beam. On top of being brighter, the Koito headlight has the same crisp cutoff pattern that my old KCs had, instead of the wild blurry throw the stock sealed beams cast. I didn’t have the engine on, so I don’t have an accurate assessment on how bright the new beam really is.
Today I worked on install. First step was to remove the stock headlights after deciding to run the wiring under the headlights and through the grill to the driver side. My first stretch of wiring ran under the PDC and followed the loom running past the AC line.
Next step was to line up the first headlight plug where the headlight would sit. The plug that attaches to your factory harness for signal is wired next to the first headlight plug. The manufacturer was kind enough to pack the plugs with dialectic grease where the wires were inserted. The new plugs also have nice water/weather proof boots attached.
Once my length was set, I started securing the harness to the bottom of the grill with the 50 (not exaggerating) NASA-grade zip ties provided in the kit. The wiring ran nice and neat through the channel in the bottom. On a side note, I also found where the air temp sensor plugs in for the fancy electric mirror.
Next I adjusted the wiring to the proper length behind the driver headlight, and bundled and secured the excess wire underneath it in the dead space below the light.
Satisfied with how the wiring was run, I installed the driver side light and packed the plug with the supplied dielectric grease. You can see how nicely the two rubber boots on the light and plug fit together.
The same was done on the passenger side. There was a bit of excess wiring between the battery and the first headlight, so I zip tied the excess off under the PDC and out of sight. Once tied off, I could find a permanent place for the inline fuses and relays in the kit. These were also all packed with grease.
Lights are now installed and wired. They don’t look too different or aggressive, but I imagine that the light that they give off is plenty for my needs.
I’ll be going out in a few minutes to test and adjust the beams. I will report back!
