Morimoto 2Stroke 2.0 LED Headlight Kit Review

April 8, 2019

PLEASE NOTE: Results and recommendations on this page are based on our version 1.0 test bench. For the latest results, please see our test chart and recommendations pages which are results from our version 2.0 testing.

RECOMMENDED FOR: All Headlight and Fog Light Styles
RANK*: #4 in Reflector Headlights, #4 in Projector Headlights
*as of this review, for the latest facts check our recommendations here

Even though this is not the #1 rated LED Headlight product, we still recommend them almost every day due to the lower kelvin temperature, meaning, the closest to a pure white we have seen yet from any LED bulb. Why should you care? With a lower color comes better visibility and a more ‘OEM’ look, we’ll get into it more below. Another great benefit to this model is all the sizes available. Many people not only want to upgrade their headlights, but also their fogs and high-beams, and want them all to match in color. This is the product to get to match up the entire front end of your vehicle. No more mismatched colors.

REFLECTOR STYLE HEADLIGHT TEST RESULTS

Reflector Beam Pattern @ 12'

From a premium brand like Morimoto you expect the best. The new 2Stroke 2.0’s do not disappoint, with 170% MORE light (2.7X) in your low/main-beams, with a near perfect beam pattern (rated 4.5 star) in most headlights. Glare is minimal in reflectors and nothing to worry about unlike some other LED products that are all foreground light with no distance. The 2.0’s currently sit at #4 rated under the premium category and are about on-par with the top Amazon brands but with a much higher quality coming from a high-end brand Morimoto.

Upgrading from halogen high-beams to LED high-beams is always tough and never yields the high results like in most low-beams, however if you consider your safety, it is a good idea to change them out as well. The 2Stroke 2.0’s would rank #3 in the high-beam category, at around 61% more light, so just over 1.5X brighter than the halogen, but with a whiter color.

PROJECTOR STYLE HEADLIGHT TEST RESULTS

Projector Beam Pattern @ 12'

Projector style headlights are ironically about on-par with reflector test results. The low-beam showed an increase of about 165% (2.6X) with a great beam pattern. Why do we talk about the beam when it’s in a projector? Well some LED products we have seen tend to have a large dark spot, however the 2Stroke 2.0’s are about the same as the top tier tested kits. There is a very small dark spot, but nothing critical. With any LED upgrade into projectors, we also recommend running or upgrading the fog lights for the needed foreground and side visibility.

If you have dedicated high-beam projectors, the output is about the same as a halogen, so you may want to pass there. If of course you have a bi-halogen (or referred to as bi-xenon or bi-led) where a flap opens up to remove the cut off in the projector bowl, then it’s recommended to go LED.

KELVIN/COLOR TEMPERATURE

This is the best part to the 2Stroke 2.0’s, the nice pure white color of 5250k. Nothing else came remotely close, at least at this brightness level. What’s wrong with 6000k, 6500k, etc.? Well a color closest to 5000k will have the whitest color, with minimal or no blue tone at all. Most new vehicles that arrive with stock LED headlights are typically around 5250k. The ‘best’ color of headlights has been debatable subject for a long time, and there are now many different colors coming from the front end of vehicles nowadays, but what we do know is that the closest to 4300k the better. This is due to the warmer color cutting through fog, reflecting off snow, bouncing off rain, better. It’s easier on the eyes and allows the driver to relax more, thus allowing them to be more attentive. Moving up to 5000k still provides great visibility; not quite as good as 4300k, but with the trade off of a nicer color, more clear visibility, and a small sacrifice in inclement weather. Moving towards 6000k and beyond still provides good visibility, but at the sacrifice in inclement weather as it’s much harder to see. 5250k seems to be the new 4300k. (For reference 4300k is popular among OE HID bulbs, whereas 5250k is popular among OE LED headlights).

LUMENS

Lumens is very subjective, especially in automotive headlight technology. It is important how MUCH light is produced, but even most important is where it’s placed on the road. With that said, the 2Stroke 2.0’s rank high in terms of total effective (measured) lumens at 6150lm per kt (3075 per bulb) from our integrating sphere, a bit higher most other LED products, but if you are looking for more total light output, check out the Katana and Alla Lighting models available from Amazon as they reach past 7500lm/kit, with the Alla Lighting right at 8000lm/kit, great for vehicles that lack fog lights.

LED CHIPS, POWER, & TEMPERATURE

The Morimoto 2Stroke 2.0 LEDs use the very popular Philips Lumileds line, which are known to be very efficient, bright, and last a long time. That combined with the quality from Morimoto will surely provide a long lasting LED upgrade. They come in just under 21W per bulb (stable), which is very impressive considering the amount of output. Most other LED bulbs climb towards 25W and up. This allows the bulbs to stay cool (115°F vs 160°F halogen), especially with the running fan, maximizing the output.

DIMMABILITY & DRL

Here is yet another great benefit to the 2Stroke 2.0’s. The are THE ONLY product we have tested thus far that are dimmable on a DRL (both 6v and PWM systems) while producing a high lux level. The next LED product is the Kilakila, but they are only about as bright as a halogen in the high-beams, and just under 2X brighter the low beams. The color is closer to 6000k as well, much more ‘blue’ vs the nice pure white 2Stroke 2.0’s.

CANBUS

From our CANBUS test on our VW Jetta (mild sensitivity), and unfortunately they throw the infamous bulb-out error. Not to worry though, as you just need to buy the add-on ‘DRL Anti-Flicker Module’ to trick the system. If you have a vehicle with a CANBUS system that detects errors, you’ll want the module. If you’re looking to run them in your high-beams which dual as a DRL, they should dim without an issue.

WARRANTY

They hold an incredible 3-year warranty form Morimoto, which is among the best in the industry. Morimoto is known to provide great customer service and are highly regarded in the headlight expert community. The expected product life should extend way past 3 years, but it’s always good to have nice coverage just in case.

CONCLUSION & COST

One of the highest recommended products based on expert opinion. They are a great all-around kit performing well in all headlight and fog light types with superior quality and brand recognition. For around $120, you not only get a very good LED upgrade, but the lower color temperature, and a DRL dimmable model if you are in need with many sizes available.