Morimoto 2Stroke LED Low Beams 5th Gen 4Runner from The Retrofit Source
As most of you know by now, the 4Runners factory low beam lighting is horrible.
With our 2016 Trail Premium 4Runner, we wanted to increase the output on our low beams without drilling into the dust caps.
You need to drill when it comes to other common options like the Xenon Depot LEDs and Xenon Depot HIDs.
Both of those headlights, by the way, are incredibly impressive, they just require drilling of your dust caps. And, if you drill too large of a hole, that will cause moisture in your headlights, and ultimately you will need a fix for that problem.
The 4Runners h11 halogen projector low beam is very underpowered. You’ve got your main hot spot in the center and it’s spread is not super wide.
At 25 feet the H11 headlight only comes in at 250 maximum lux.
The 2Stroke 2.0 light bulbs create 570 maximum lux at the same distance.
I am beyond stoked to see a high-quality LED low beam that doesn’t require drilling of the dust caps, produces impressive color, outshines factory light output all while being incredibly simple to install.
All of this is backed by a proven and well-known name in the lighting industry.
If you haven’t heard of them, now you have.
Introducing the Morimoto 2Stroke 2.0 H11 LED kit
This 2Stroke 2.0 is a great upgrade for double the light output in your 4Runner low beam all without drilling your dust caps.
The Morimoto 2Stroke 2.0 H11 LED kit comes with two bulbs one for each side of your low beams. The bulbs come with a three-year warranty and each bulb features six Philips Lumileds Z ES chips colored at 5700K. They boast an impressive 2440 raw lumens per bulb which are over 2X times brighter than the stock 4Runner stock halogen bulb.
They draw only 23 watts of power per bulb and have an input range of six to 18 volts DC also they only draw 1.9 amps of power.
When you plug in the LED bulbs, you will notice a world of a difference. Instead of a dim yellow orangish incandescent filament that shines dull and almost non-existent, you’ll see an ultra-bright array of stunning 5700K cool-white LED chips.
The fan is encased in an aluminum housing and both quiet and powerful. Morimoto has produced the ultimate in optical positioning inside the housing which produces ultimate brightness and heat management.
WHAT’S INCLUDED
- Purchase the lights: Check Today’s Price
- WARRANTY: 3 Years
- LED EMITTERS: 6x Philips Lumileds Z ES per bulb
- KELVIN: 5700K
- INTENSITY: 2440lm (raw; per bulb)
- INPUT POWER: 23w (per bulb)
- INPUT RANGE: 6-18V DC
- CURRENT DRAW: 1.9A 12V DC
Installation
The kit is incredibly easy to install. You will need the H11 male adapter harness for our headlights. These are on the same product page with the link above. Compared to the Xenon Depot LED and HID kit, there is not much to this installation.
Tools & Materials
- Basic shop tools
- Mini screwdriver
- Extra Zip Ties
Step 1: Twist Dust Caps & Set Aside
Locate and twist to remove low beam dust caps.
Remove Factory Low Beam Bulbs
Twist halogen light bulb out and proceed to unclip light bulb from the harness.
Prepare Morimoto 2Stroke 2.0 LED Low Beams
Prepare your H11 Morimoto 2Stroke 2.0 LED Low Beams with the provided H11/H9/H8 adapter harness.
Install Morimoto 2Stroke 2.0 LED Low Beams
Connect the adapter harness to the Morimoto 2Stroke LED harness and then proceeded to connect the harness to the factory harness.
Test the lights
With the LEDs in place and connected, turn your headlights on and test the LED chips.
Install Morimoto 2Stroke 2.0 LED Low Beams
You will need to press firmly in order for the Morimoto 2Stroke 2.0 LED bulbs to fit in place. Once you have pressed the gaskets on the bulbs tight enough against the headlight housing, twist, and lock into place. Place the remaining portion of the LED harness into the enclosed headlight backing.
Morimoto 2Stroke 2.0 LED Headlight Color on 4Runner
Again, turn on your low beams once the headlight bulbs are in place for a final test to ensure low beams accurately display.
Put dust covers back on
Driver Side Installation
Driver side may take additional work depending on how large your hands are. In order to remove the dust cap on the driver side, you can remove the battery and proceed to install. Or, remove the dust cap with a flat head screwdriver or plastic trim tool.
From here, you can unplug the halogen bulbs and swap in the new Morimoto 2Stroke 2.0 LED low beams. If the area is too tight for you to access, proceed to remove the battery. This will give you plenty of room for the installation.
Thoughts?
For the light output and impressive beam pattern these H11s LEDs produce, they are well worth the cost.
They are not going to be brighter than a set of HIDs but if you are looking for a set of lights that will outshine the factory headlights while boasting an impressive clear white color, this is a great set.
Finally, with this set of LEDs, you don’t need to drill into your dust caps and for some, that is a HUGE plus.
So what do they look like?
Factory Low Beam Headlights H11 (Halogens)
Morimoto 2Stroke 2.0 H11 (LEDs)
Morimoto 2Stroke 2.0 H11 LED Low Beams + Factory 9005
Morimoto 2Stroke 2.0 H11 LED + Baja Squadron Pro Ambers (Wide Cornering Lens)
Hey all!
I’ve seen a lot of guys expressing frustration on install for these and wanted to provide a tip.
The gasket that is around the Morimoto bulb is far too think to muscle into the socket and often time results in a loose fit. In order to avoid this, remove the gasket from your factory bulbs and replace them on your new Morimoto bulbs. This allows for a tight and locked fit that won’t come loose.
Hope that helps! Cheers!
Make sure you adjust your lights when done, the pictures above show you’re clearly going to blind everyone with your lows
I had the same struggles as most people posting, on the driver’s side I spent almost an hour fighting with it.
Turns out the old gasket fits perfectly on the LEDs and let’s it fit snugger than the stock lights but doesn’t require the strength of Mum-ra to turn. It also allows that bulb to turn and lock as it should vs never locking into place like the passengers side.
I’m going to go back and swap the passengers side to the old gasket as well and see if I have the same positive results.
Hi there.. so you replaced the gasket on the Morimotos with the gaskets from the original halogens? Did it also work on the passenger side, snug fit? Thx
Thanks for the tips on these . I used the old gaskets on both lights. With a light coating of Vaseline on them and also on the dust cap o rings. You can certainly hear the fans running with engine not running.
But the end results are well worth the effort. When I would turn Baja fogs off it was like driving in a dark room. Good investment so far .
Hey guys. I’m having a really hard time getting these bulbs to lock into place due to the thickness of the gasket. Any tricks I should know, or do I just need to muscle it in?
I just installed some. You really have to get your arm perpendicular to the angle of insertion and push, then turn. The weird thing is that the bulbs rotate even when locked in. Mine are installed, but the light is not perfectly even. I oriented the arrows up, as that would make the bulbs horizontal. Any tips to make the light more even?
Same experience here with the install of the brackets not locking in or stopping. I also placed the arrows up at 12 and 6 o’clock making the led’s facing at 3 and 9 as it should.
I just wanted to throw out headlight revolutions GTR low beam LED
https://headlightrevolution.com/2014-2019-toyota-4runner-gtr-lighting-csp-mini-led-low-beam/
No I don’t work for them but I have been using their products for years in my Tacoma and 4Runner. I have never had any problems with their products.
The GTRs are comparable in price, they easily fit into the housing without having to do anything to the dust cap, they don’t use a fan to cool so one less thing to go wrong, they create twice the light as stock halogens at 33% less power usage, kit includes everything you need including harness.
Just throwing it out there for another option.
Good call, we actually just bought their Supernova V4 high beam and installed that over the weekend. Write-up coming soon. Great bright lights at 6000k but DRL runs as high so we’ll have to find a workaround there.
Brenan,
Does the Amazon link above include the adapter? If not, will the adapter below work?
Thanks a lot and as always, great write up!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TXRWOPA
Yes, it does come with 2 adapters. No, those adapters will not work. I would not buy any other adapter for this kit. Stick with Morimoto branded items to be on the safe side.
Thanks for the write-up. How do they compare to the Xenon Depot?
At first glance, the Morimoto 2Stroke 2.0 seems solid. The design, light output, beam pattern were all on par with the Morimoto reputation. The gaskets were tight but nothing I would complain about. Both are quality lights but judging by Andrews comment on this page, I may go with the Xenon Depot Xtreme LED Pros, especially if you are considering paired H11 and 9005 (Kelvin consistent) LEDs due to the 9005 fitment. If you go with H11 Morimoto 2Stroke 2.0 alone, you should be fine. As Andrew said, TRS (The Retrofit Source) is well known for taking care of their customers. Both are around the 5500K color range so you can expect the same temperature. Both are solid bulbs, but not having to drill your dust caps to fit the 2Strokes is a plus.
Brenan,
Thanks for the write up.
Question; are you concerned at all with the lights over heating with by shoving the LED fan housing in behind the lights and no ventilation for them?
Just installed this weekend. They look great!
I have been using these for about 3 months. The gaskets on the bulbs seem to be thicker than the factory hallogen gaskets, which makes them incredibly hard to completely engage into the projector housing. After about 6 weeks, one of the fans started to fail (excessive noise and vibration). However, the folks at The Retrofit Source replaced the defective bulb under warranty. I also ordered the 9005 high beam replacement and it did not fit securely into the socket, as excessive play was present. A rep at The Retrofit Source stated that they have had some fittment issues with the 9005 bulbs in certain vehicles and that they were being redesigned and should be available in the fall.
Andrew, are you still liking the Morimoto’s or do you wish you had gone with something else? I find some of the reviews by these YouTubers to be contradicting and vague. I’d like your longer term review.
Hey all!
I’ve seen a lot of guys expressing frustration on install for these and wanted to provide a tip.
The gasket that is around the Morimoto bulb is far too think to muscle into the socket and often time results in a loose fit. In order to avoid this, remove the gasket from your factory bulbs and replace them on your new Morimoto bulbs. This allows for a tight and locked fit that won’t come loose.
Hope that helps! Cheers!
Hi there, did you buy a PWM module or a specific module to make the 9005 also work as DRL? or does it run a very high beam when in DRL?
Hey Max,
Morimoto makes their own anti-flicker module (cost is $20/set) to allow the 9005’s to function properly as the DRL without flickering. Although I ordered them with the bulbs, I actually never installed the modules due to the fitment issues I had described above.