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Bi-LED Shoot-Out = Oracle Oculus 9" vs Morimoto MLED 2.0 retrofit

darkhorse13

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First Name
John
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Location
Castle Rock, CO
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2020 JTR
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Data Analyst
Hey everyone,
So I have done a couple retrofit swaps with my previous 2010 FJ Cruiser before selling it for the current 2020 JTR I own. I've always enjoyed doing the retrofits and my last retrofit to the FJ was the Morimoto MLED 2.0 Bi-LEDs (Jan 2020). My JTR came with the halogen headlights and like others have mentioned they are junk and borderline dangerous IMO. I recently purchased the Oracle Oculus 9" Bi-LEDs after reading positive reviews about them.

I chose not to retrofit the JTR this time for the following reasons...
1) Time Savings = took only an 1 hour to install the @ORACLElights Oculus 9" lights vs 2-3 days of retrofiting
2) Less adjustment set-up = typically you remove the entire reflector housing when doing a retrofit so that means to have to orient the horizontal beam plane (usually done with a "keyed ring" included with the retrofit but you still have to be mindful to make sure it's good before re-baking the headlight shut), vertical plane and correct width between the hotspot of the beam in relation to the centerline of the headlights

Basically I just really wanted something more plug and play this time around since the aftermarket seems to be doing a good job with the fully assembled units.

Here's my honest opinion between the (2) brands now that I've owned both... conclusion at end

Oracle Oculus 9" Bi-LEDs: $530 msrp w/ 2 year warranty; I paid $427 on holiday sales from Morris 4x4

Pros =
  • Fully assembled plug and play installation, quick and "easy"
  • Strong blue banding at the top edge of the beam... I like the coloring personally
  • Good 6K white light color... matches my Diode Dynamic white color of SAE/DOT fogs for reference
  • Good cutoff line with a steep "step" in the vertical rise of the cutoff
  • VERY nice high beam output
Cons =
  • Inconsistent cutoff performance in driver side vs passenger side... see the pics where the driver side beam is a little more sloppy overall that the passenger side
  • The bowl of the projector creates a "U" shape for the foreground limiter vs the Morimoto MLED 2.0. This makes the overall beam pattern more concentrated in the middle like a flashlight circle output rather than a smooth, uniformed, wide dispersion of light like the MLED 2.0 (see red drawings in pics)
  • Beam pattern is not as wide as the MLED 2.0's... fog lights are making up that difference currently
  • Unable to adjust the beam center distance spread in relation to centerline of the headlights (I know I called this out as a positive at the very top but I'd like to be able to adjust this if I want)
Morimoto MLED 2.0 Bi-LEDs: $412 msrp (includes shrouds and wiring splitter harness) w/ 5 year warranty

Pros =
  • Very precise cutoff line throughout entire beam pattern on both driver and passenger sides
  • Wider beam pattern overall with lighting performance all the way to the edges
  • Good 6K white light color... matches my Diode Dynamic white color of SAE/DOT fogs for reference (tied with Oculus in color)
  • The bowl of the projector creates a "frowning upside down U" shape as the foreground limiter. This makes the overall beam pattern less concentrated in the middle and creates a smooth, evenly dispersed, wide projection of light (see red drawings in pics)
Cons =
  • Vertical rise in cutoff line is more "sloped" than "stepped" (this is a personal preference that I like a more vertical "step-up" transition to the horizontal beam)
  • FULLY custom setup with plenty of human error to factor in the setup

Conclusion: I personally think the Morimoto MLED 2.0 Bi-LEDs have better overall performance.


Notes of the personal kind: I do NOT regret buying the Oracle Oculus 9" Bi-LEDs as an upgrade to OEM halogens. The output is FAR SUPERIOR to the OEM halogens and the fit & finish and performance is worth the money. BUT, if you're willing to take the time (and enjoy) the process of retrofitting you'll save some money and get some of the best LED lighting in the aftermarket with the Morimoto MLED 2.0's. Just remember that your truck is going to be sidelined while you work on your halogen buckets unless you have a spare set to mitigate down time during the retrofit (highly recommended to hack up an extra set of buckets to keep your JT drivable at night in case of emergency). I might down the road wait for the MLED 3.0's (if that's a real thing) to come out. I am hanging onto my OEM halogen buckets for this reason.

I hope this helped and shed a little more light (pun intended) on the Oracle Oculus 9" Bi-LEDs.

Here's the pics you earned for making it this far :)

Jeep Gladiator Bi-LED Shoot-Out = Oracle Oculus 9" vs Morimoto MLED 2.0 retrofit Garage Wall Oracle Oculus LED.JPG
Jeep Gladiator Bi-LED Shoot-Out = Oracle Oculus 9" vs Morimoto MLED 2.0 retrofit Garage Wall Morimoto MLED 2.0.JPG
Jeep Gladiator Bi-LED Shoot-Out = Oracle Oculus 9" vs Morimoto MLED 2.0 retrofit Side Wall Oracle Oculus LED.JPG


Jeep Gladiator Bi-LED Shoot-Out = Oracle Oculus 9" vs Morimoto MLED 2.0 retrofit Side Wall Morimoto MLED 2.0.JPG


Jeep Gladiator Bi-LED Shoot-Out = Oracle Oculus 9" vs Morimoto MLED 2.0 retrofit Driver Oracle Oculus LED.JPG


Jeep Gladiator Bi-LED Shoot-Out = Oracle Oculus 9" vs Morimoto MLED 2.0 retrofit Passenger Oracle Oculus LED.JPG


Jeep Gladiator Bi-LED Shoot-Out = Oracle Oculus 9" vs Morimoto MLED 2.0 retrofit Alley Wall Morimoto MLED 2.0.JPG


Jeep Gladiator Bi-LED Shoot-Out = Oracle Oculus 9" vs Morimoto MLED 2.0 retrofit JTR Oracle.JPG
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