Cali raised brackets

You are better off waiting the few weeks of backorder than using an Amazon auxbeam till then. They are garbage and will do more harm than good. Auxbeam is a china LED company that has a couple of different aliases on Amazon all selling the same rebranded stuff like drop in LED bulbs.

All manufactures have been forced to pull their LED drop in bulbs by the NHTSA because they are not-legal. Auxbeam will continue to rebrand in order to get around the DOT rulings.

Paul and his team at @Diode Dynamics are awesome. I was able to work with them and provide feedback for the fog light mounts for the 05-11' before release. Id rather wait for their led products personally. There are talks about them developing a stealth mount for the 05-11' soon. I will definitely be moving forward on that when it happens.

If you are looking to install these as soon and the backorder is the only things then you should just contact DD directly on here and tell them you are looking to do that install. It will probably be more of a hassle to take the other lightbar out in order to put your DD one in its place lol.

Pssttt:
They like TW world members coming to them lol.

 

That is the "special" box in the instrucions for removing the grill in order to mount the brackets. You only need to do that 2012-2015 models.

 

hmmmm well u have me thinking now lol. Maybe that auxbeam that arrives will have to be returned to Amazon ;-). what do u think about that single row bar and our higher lower grille vent area vs the newer tacos ? Think the single is still good ? And won’t look too gappy ?

 

Remember, anything from Amazon that you return to khols , you get a 15% off in store coupon for khols lol. That will be more useful than anything Auxbeam .

I suppose if you are worried about it looking weird with the lower valance opening then just do a flush mount install, which you need to use a dremel tool to cut away some of the grill. Since it would only be 1 row of LEDs you might only have to cut 1 row of the "grill fins" away. IDK but just a different idea. Maybe worth asking Cali about it.

https://caliraisedled.com/collectio...wer-bumper-flush-led-light-bar-brackets-combo

Im unsure about the look of a single row vs the a dual row fixture on our trucks. I feel that if you need 2x as many diodes to replicate the output and focus of 1 row of well designed diodes and optic (lenses), then what are you really paying for? More diodes means more heat generated. More heat generated = drop in performance for LEDS.
And personally, I feel that sometimes the 30" dual row led bars dont look that great hidden behind a grill. If you are buying something that "huge" you might as well mount it to your roof like everyone else on the internet lol.
I like small and efficient.

 

I think I just needed to hear that from someone else and also to see that someone besides me was considering the diode dynamics stage series bar ! Thank u ! Also I think the single rows fit better into other situations like if you were to get an aftermarket bumper someday which I’ve considered. I don’t think the dual row options fit that !

 

Glad I was able to convince you to consider other options besides Amazon. I was the same way, being reluctant about which one to buy. But when DD came out with those SS3 pods I knew I wanted them lol, I ordered them in Dec before they even made the brackets for our truck.

I am unsure if I want the Driving or Combo light bar. I with they made it with the selective yellow instead of amber though. 3000k (yellow) color temp has a high output efficiency than 2500k (amber) and It would match my fog lights lol. You could also build something out of their 6" or 12" light bars.

 

So how much brighter are the SS3 sport than the stock fog lights ? Trying to decide if I can make do with them or if I should just go all out and get the pro. I tend to want to go top level on most things. And wonder that I’ll always be asking myself “what if” if I didn’t get the pros.

 

Every piece of info you could need for fogs is in this thread. Look for direct comparisons in the first page.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-led-sae-j583-fog-pod-fog-light-review.554813/

Direct SS3 pods comparison video vs other brands
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...as-diode-dynamics.641306/page-8#post-23557807

Diode dynamics official thread.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/new-ss3-led-pods-for-toyota-tacomas-diode-dynamics.641306/

Headlights page
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/3rd-gen-hid-vs-led-vs-halogen-h11-projector-headlights.589465/

Info on LED lights in reflector housings. Read this to not piss of people lol.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/why-leds-should-not-be-run-in-halogen-reflectors.454371/
Follow those thread and check in every now and then for new info

 

Thanks man, I Totally agree with you. Definitely happy with them. I look forward to more stuff with Paul and the guys there. Really good guys who want to make a scene. A scene with good stuff instead of Amazon junk.

 

New shot from tonight on the dark road when driving home from work. The road is lined with grass and pine trees (Xmas trees ). I can just see the base of the trees.
These are the SS3 sport models. Different road than my other pictures

 

@memario1214 is a verified TW vendor and will sometimes have different inventory available vs backordered items from a lot of companies. Pm him if you know what you want to get.

 

This excactlly. I had to get a breaker bar to loosen up the bolts

 

So do I still have to remove the front grille ?

 

Based on my experience with my 2014, yes, you will have to remove it. It's not hard to remove though.

 

I don’t think you would regret the diode dynamics bar
Like you said it’s only single row but IMO it looks better in all the pictures and videos I have watched It has a good balance.
Two row lights just look like a little too much reflection in the front for my taste.
I haven’t seen one in person yet but I can’t imagine it looks much different than the pictures.

 

We got it done today! great project and only cussed a few times! Auxbeam 32” lightbar. Caliraised brackets, Trigger 4 plus wireless accessory system for no wires Into cab

 

Nice job! Glad you got everything successfully installed. You might want to consider some sort of revised cover for your positive battery terminal though.

 

What would u suggest ? Open to all suggestions. I got those battery terminals before I started upgrading some mods

 

Can you modify the OEM cover by cutting some slots in it for each of the additional cables?