I'm looking to replace my $800 '98 LS400. It was a fun project car but it has unfortunately passed onto the afterlife. I went to a vehicle auction and saw a lot of LS430s in good condition for cheap. The supply of cars isn't the issue--the dearth of information about older Japanese cars' headlamp systems is the issue. I've never sat behind a pair of legitimate LED or HID lights, and I'm wondering if I should seek out an older LS430 or similar with a xenon lighting system, or if my curiosity is misplaced, and that these systems just aren't worth seeking out over standard halogen setups.
I know that some LS400s came with D2R systems and that the LS430s came with both D2R and D2S systems. I can't even find a smidge of information regarding the LS's on CPF, apart from Alaric's comment that LS430s have a "very wide beam." The various HID engineers at TRS and elsewhere on the Internet seem to share this sentiment, but what about distance performance?
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...-headlights!&p=5200547&viewfull=1#post5200547
So, my questions are: regarding late 90s LS400s, is the D2R system superior to the halogen system? Between the LS400 and LS430, which has the better headlamp system? Why does it seem that many older Japanese vehicles use D2R lamps? Seems as if D2S lamps can be built to be more compact as well as higher-performing because D2S bulbs are brighter than D2R bulbs.
I know that some LS400s came with D2R systems and that the LS430s came with both D2R and D2S systems. I can't even find a smidge of information regarding the LS's on CPF, apart from Alaric's comment that LS430s have a "very wide beam." The various HID engineers at TRS and elsewhere on the Internet seem to share this sentiment, but what about distance performance?
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...-headlights!&p=5200547&viewfull=1#post5200547
So, my questions are: regarding late 90s LS400s, is the D2R system superior to the halogen system? Between the LS400 and LS430, which has the better headlamp system? Why does it seem that many older Japanese vehicles use D2R lamps? Seems as if D2S lamps can be built to be more compact as well as higher-performing because D2S bulbs are brighter than D2R bulbs.