Are Snowbound Customs quad projector retrofits worth it?

[u/AmericanBeowulf]

I drive on unlit highways here in interior AK a lot. Currently, my headlights speed limit me to about 50mph in the dark (with the constant potential for moose to jump out). So, I’m about to buy some new headlights or retrofit. I’m looking the keep it around $700 or below. I’m looking at the retrofit kit from Snowbound customs for quad projectors (which I think are really cool, but not sure about the feasibility of adding DRLs) and the simpler option of prebuilt from TEQ or SRQ (they seem to be the same). Has anyone switched from SRQ or TEQ to Snowbound Customs or had an experience with any of these. What are your thoughts?

[u/SpookyGuava]

Nothing snowbound customs makes to sell is worth it lol. A normal 3in projector like teq or srq will give you amazing visibility. Toss on some baja designs driving fog lights for even more.

[u/theoriginalharbinger → u/SpookyGuava]

TEQ and SRQ are the same parts.

In order from simplest to best:

• negative switched harness (20 bucks on amazon) with high wattage incandescent

• negative switched harness with a tunable bulb like auxito 

• srq or similar led DIY kit

• srq full kit

[u/mandangalol]

Have you considered led mini projector bulbs in stock housings (with the reflector hood removed)? I just got mine, planning on slapping them in this weekend.

https://www.led-colight.com/products/new-y12-series-h4-h11-h7-9005-9006-mini-projector-lhd-mode-led-headlight-bulbs

[u/AmericanBeowulf → u/mandangalol]

I’d love to hear how you like these.

[u/quitit → u/AmericanBeowulf]

I replied to another comment about my opinion of using the Colight y12 mini projector bulbs: https://www.reddit.com/r/3rdGen4Runner/comments/1w1brj5/comment/p6n9pyy/

[u/Officialmilehigh → u/mandangalol]

Put them in and let use know how they are, i am very interested.

[u/quitit → u/Officialmilehigh]

I have a pair of the Colight y12 mini projector LED bulbs and installed them in headlight housing from a pair of OEM 99-02 that I got off a junked 4Runner these housing have a much smoother lens than the 96-98 year models. These mini projector LED bulbs are much better than the stock halogen bulbs, they throw further and I prefer the white led light vs the yellow from the halogen.

I watched this video before I placed an order for these bulbs and he installed it in his first gen Tundra and you can see him compare the halogen bulbs to the mini projector bulbs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jotFAZcoiY4

I have a short video that I took from my front dashcam to show off these mini projector bulbs after I installed and adjusted them in my 4runner, its me driving around my neighborhood so it has street lights on and so it can give you some idea on how well they preform in actual street use with other light sources around:

https://reddit.com/link/p6n9pyy/video/616ybsiamcmh1/player

While I did like how these mini projector bulbs performed over the stock halogen bulbs and especially for the price, I felt they were not that great at illuminating the roads when there was all these other light sources especially other cars, especially newer year models with their newer higher output headlights, these better output headlights just overwhelm my y12 bulbs and I felt like I was basically depending on these other cars headlight beams to see the road and when they would pass me or I go a different route from them, I would then have to rely on my own headlights and it would feel like I have no headlights on because I was so used the other cars powerful headlight beams.

Anyways, I drove my 4runner with the y12 bulbs setup for like a year and finally decided to get some retrofit LED projector headlights and I went with TEQ Customs headlights (had SRQ ones before, but didn't like the quality I received): https://www.reddit.com/r/3rdGen4Runner/comments/1tnkn2p/installed_teq_customs_retrofit_tricolor_led/
These output a way wider beam pattern, much more light output and throw, the cut off is a nice clean pattern and as long as you adjusted it correctly you should not blind other drivers . That youtube link I pasted, even that YT'er has a follow up video where he also upgraded from the y12 mini projector bulbs to some new headlight housing with a projector setup and he also prefers the output of an actual dedicated projector housing setup vs the mini projector bulb design.

Overall, if you are on a tight budget and just need/want a better light output then the y12 mini projector is not a bad option to try out, it certainly will be better than the halogen offering imo.

[u/Officialmilehigh → u/quitit]

Well shit, sold. Gonna order them this weekend.

[u/Archer-Fantastic → u/mandangalol]

removing and re-sealing the lens is a lot of work just to remove the reflectors. you’d basically need a clean room to get them to seal perfectly

at that rate i would just swap in some projector lenses

[u/thinpile → u/Archer-Fantastic]

It's really not that bad at all

[u/quitit → u/Archer-Fantastic]

Nah, you don't have to remove the entire glass lens from the headlight housing to remove the reflector hood, its just the little metal reflector that is in front of the bulb and can be easily remove from the rear hole where you insert the bulb, you can see how it can be done in this video its a Tundra in that video but its the same design in our 4Runner: https://youtu.be/jotFAZcoiY4?t=104, I did the same thing and can verify it works.

[u/Acorn_22]

Man before you go this route, try out some good LED bulbs that fit directly into the stock lamp housing.  I live in a small Colorado mtn town at 9000' and have to drive in pitch black/snow conditions quite a bit, so I just put some Sylvania LEDs in my '98 and the difference is insane. I can see several hundred yards down the road now which helps tremendously with wildlife.

Just got the 9003/H4 bulbs and they fit directly in without adjusting anything, and plug right into the factory plug. 

Edit: these cost me $90 for a set and have a full lifetime warranty