@XenonDepot isn't going to be happy about this.

 

I think XenonDepot designed the bulbs to be dimmer in DRL mode on purpose so that it has less glare... which I prefer over the MTEC ones.

 

I think I'm leading towards the Xenon Depot due since I want the DRLs to not be so bright, but then again, I prefer the bulb having the fan vs the heatsink...decisions decisions lol

 

The MTEC is fanless in every product description I've seen for it. Perhaps @dchobo; can confirm?

 

A fan adds a component that can fail. I like the lower output in DRL.

Is there a big price difference?
If both on HB mode are about equal output, I would get the XD. Keep in mind that LED lasts long, but at 50% on during day, and depending on use of the car, also depending on temperature, they can burn out. I don't know what ambient temp bulb/LED life is tested at, but it makes a chunk difference.

 

I was digging around and I think the price difference between the 2 was like 2x (89.99 for the MTEC vs i think $169 or $179 for the XenonDepot) since you have to add on the adapter for the Xenon Depot. It's why I'm not sure quite yet which way to go.

 

If money is like paper get the XD. The DRL being lower, without a fan, I think makes it worth more paper. If money is more than paper on this car get the MTEC. For my 2002 Highlander I got the HIkari LED's and honestly for the price they are great.

 

I agree with you towards the XenonDepot for the high beams after looking at the pictures and thinking about it some more. But I’m going to wait until they have a bigger sale from what I saw from other posts, since my wife won’t gawk at the price difference with a slightly bigger discount.

 

Out of sheer boredom, I measured the DRL voltage output from my 2017 HL XLE where the DRL bulb is shared with the HB bulb. In DRL mode, the 9005 bulb is lit at reduced power as controlled by a PWM waveform. I captured the waveform (see attached pic) using a small handheld oscilloscope. From the waveform, you can see that the bulb is ON for about 15% of the time, then OFF for 85%. The PWM frequency is about 54 cycles per second. For a halogen bulb, the on/off pulses do not really make the bulb flicker (to the eye) because the bulb takes some time to turn off. But for LED bulb, this will create a flicker because LED can turn on/off quickly. Although a 54Hz flicker is quite hard to see, it's visible for people who really look at it... So this is where the XenonDepot DRL LED driver (https://www.xenondepot.com/XT-LED-PRO-DRL-p/xt-led-pro-drl.htm) comes into play, where it drives the LED bulb, I believe, with even faster PWM frequency to reduce the light output in DRL mode but eliminates the flicker to the eye.

 

Great testing dchobo,

Whats odd to me about this test from the start is, why not show the HB output next to one another? Or did I miss that?

The second image of the 2 up on the wall is the one I would like to see both on in HB mode. I prefer a lowe DRL output. This even at 50% is not much sense to me. the relay frequency is very important. The fist set of DRL from XD was a noticable flicker. The XD Pro does not show a flicker, which I also like.
Morimoto may have some that perform high/?

 

Yeah, I didn't compare the HB because they just look equally bright to me. The DRL difference is more significant, which is what I care about. I also prefer the lower DRL output.

 

As long as the heatsink is functional and does reflect on the LED lifespan in a tested condition stated, then you can make a informed decision. The fan will be a moving part that can fail. But if equal conditions show the fan being a significant difference in the LED life span, it can be worth it. These should be provided from the LED MFG. These tests show the seller confidence in product, and better understanding. The one factor that maybe important is ambient temp under the hood in high heat weather conditions. This would be Texas, Arizona, New Mex, Cal, etc....

 

Photos speak for themselves. MTEC are far too bright in DRL mode. Not safe.