Bought another Tacoma 4x4 - suggestions for suspension/headlights/towing

I bought them on eBay and modified them to fit the original Tacoma mounting locations since I didn't want to drill into the cab. They are MUCH better than the stock 60/40 that was in my 95.5. They do sit a little higher but I actually prefer it from a driving position standpoint. It does put my legs a little close to the steering wheel since I like the wheel as low as possible.

 

I bought these from eBay (Link) for
$104.99. Not sure why the price is now $399, but that's not what I paid. I received them yesterday and I don't have my truck yet. I did assemble one of the bulbs and power supply so that I could plug it into my 95.5 Tacoma where I have the GE Nighthawk or Truck Lite LED capsules installed. These put of a bit more bluish light than the Nighthawks. Without a capsule it's hard to determine the brightness but it appears they will cast quite a bit of light. They power on instantly and seem to have good build quality. They do have an integrated fan, but it's a bit cleaner setup than on some of the other bulbs. These look just like some of the kits which range in price from $150 to $250 online. There are other sellers that ship from China for these same lights, but the auction where I bought it from was in the US so I got them quickly. You can purchase them for less if you want to wait the two or three weeks for shipping from China.

How they will hold up and last is yet to be determined. I'll post an update once my truck is delivered and I get these installed.

On another note I have arranged transportation for my truck but also got a call from the seller that the ABS light came on. I was able to get a $300 refund on the truck which should easily allow me to purchase a used ABS module or have the existing one repaired. So make that $12.3k for the truck.

 

how much modification did it take for those seats to fit?

 

You can see my thread here:

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/1st-gen-tacomas/350276-installed-2010-scion-tc-seats.html

It wasn't a very hard project if you have access to the right tools.

 

I received my '02 Tacoma about four days ago and so far, so good. The only issues I can find is the power lock switch on the drivers door does not work, the gas tank shield is rotted and the ABS module is faulted with Code 15. They gave me $300 off for the ABS issue, since it wasn't called out up front but they were honest about it after the fact when the light came on.

Truck runs and drives like new. Really tight, super clean, only one ding in the body, no paint work, all VIN tags are in place, no vibrations, no pulling. The brakes could stand to be done (rotors and drums turned) or they may require replacement. The grille is losing some of it's chrome above the headlights and the headlights are a little dull on the top edge. Not bad for a 12 year old vehicle.

Passed CA emissions testing, so she's ready to roll. We have a big storm today in CA so I thought it was a great time to do the Gray Wire Mod and take it out to hit some mud. Nothing too crazy, but man it sure is nice to have a locker. Makes getting sideways and spinning donuts so much fun!




Halogen vs LED - verdict is still out:


GE Nighthawk LED 5x7's in my 95.5 (left) versus the LED's in the 02 Tacoma (right):


A little mudding for the new Taco after I performed the Gray Wire Mod:


More to come another day.

 

I bought the same LED headlights off Amazon for $150, but I can return them NO HASSLE until 1/31/2015. I'm still unsure about them as well. I haven't had a chance to take a drive at night away from these LED city street lights to get a good feel for how far the brights can throw.

 

They seem pretty bright up close, but I'm not sold on the throw. I may try to adjust my capsules up just a little bit to see if it helps. The throw on the GE Nighthawks is better, but it's primary because of the hot spots they have. They are very nice lights.

I've driven around with these CREE bulbs for the past few days and they are not terrible. However I'm just not sure if it's better than halogen or not. I may throw a halogen bulb back in and go for a drive to compare. They do a good job of illuminating street signs but I don't know if the optics of the stock capsules are particularly good.

 

I just drove around on dark and windy backroads up in the Oakland hills with mixed rain and fog. I am not impressed with the LED headlights we both have. Straight out in front is decent - the low beams are definitely an improvement over the halogen.

My problem is that the high beams don't throw as far as I desire (seem like they are worse than the cheap halogens that came in my truck) and the bigger problem: They case a narrow beam. I can barely see into turns because it's more of a spot than a flood beam. I'm most likely going to take them out and return them and deal with halogens for a while and think about the benefits of a retrofit and/or external LED bars.