Footwell Lights That Don’t Suck

Intro
I’m happy to be sharing the next brain child of @caribe makaira, @Puppypunter, @daveeasa, and myself. This thread is intended to share our ongoing development of a fully plug-and-play footwell lighting kit for the 3rd Gen!

Function
This kit includes a wire harness and a PWM that will allow you to have 2 different modes of lighting. The first mode is courtesy mode and will trigger whenever you unlock or open a door. The lights will remain on until you close the door and the factory light timer reaches ~30 seconds, or you simply start the truck or lock the doors. New for version 2: The lights are controlled with the overhead dome light switch; so courtesy mode will now work in sync with your dome lights! The second is night mode which will engage whenever you turn on your parking lights or low beams. This setting is fully adjustable using the PWM. The user can make their ambient lighting as bright or dim as they like — although I must say that I run mine at the lowest and I can’t imagine someone wanting to go much brighter than that. Total install time is around 20 minutes for 2 lights. Longer for rear installs (details coming soon).

Lights
The entire kit is built around the newly redesigned VLEDs footwell lighting strips. They are BRIGHT. The standard options will be 5500K white, deep red, blue, or an aqua blue. The user can select whichever they prefer, and swapping them in and out is a breeze. For other color options (i.e. other shades of white) VLEDS will be offering lights separately and you can get them without buying the entire kit with all of the harnesses if you want to change.

Ordering
Standard kits will cost $140 for 2 lights with the PWM, an OE-style wire harness to make everything plug-and-play, extensions, wire anchors, adhesives, etc. An additional 2 lights will be $50 sold as a separate kit.

You can place your order at one of these authorized retailers!

• VLEDS
• Hotshot Offroad
• Guild Outfitters
• TacomaBeast
• Runnin4Tacos

Photos
A comparison of the 2 modes in action:


New in version 2!


Here are the standard color options! Please note that these are NOT RGB! You will be ordering a single color. If you want to change them it is very simple (less than a few minutes).

5500K White


Aqua Blue


Red



Blue


Install Instructions
Front kit install -- Updated for Version 2
Rear kit install
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZl8Xg9N8AY

If you are installing the rear kit and attempting to mount the lights in your own unique way (e.g. the front of the rear seats), here are some extensions you can purchase separately to ensure you have enough wire.

Version 2 upgrade:
If you purchased version 1 (a-pillar harness) and want to upgrade to the overhead switch version, you can purchase the harness separately from the kit.
3rd Gen Tacoma Footwell Switched Breakout Harness

Other Trucks
Kits for the 5th Gen 4Runner and 2nd Gen Tacoma are now available for pre-order!
5th Generation 4Runner
2nd Generation Tacoma

 

Nice!

You going to have front and back kits like the VLED tundra kit offers?

 

I'd probably be in for a set for some red. How hard is it to pull that bottom panel once the lights are in? I'm always fuckin around behind there haha.

 

Nice!

 

The great thing is that the VLEDs are modular, so you can expand our kit to run 4 lights without modification. Just so long as you don’t exceed 2A. Each light is 0.25A, so with 4 lights you would be within budget!

Very easy. You just disconnect the lights from the harness and cut any zip ties you might have up there. I think I used 2 zip ties on each panel to tuck the wires. It would only take a couple of minutes to replace.

 

Sweet!

 

I'm interested!

 

Put me in for a set for my 2017.

 

Count me in. My wife hates the truck at night because of how dark it is and has been asking me to add some sort of ambient light source.

 

These look awesome, keeping an eye on this thread for sure.

 

same!

 

Any pics of the blue LEDs? I would like to have the kind of "ice blue" color that the rest of the controls are when the headlights are on. But if it's a darker/deeper blue, I'll probably just end up going with white since it wouldn't match.

 

You and me both. I’m curious to see how close we can get it.

 

You can look at the options here. I believe it’s a darker blue. We will be directing people to go through @memario1214 for the lights themselves. @Puppypunter is working on some strange disco project in his truck that might support RGBW.

 

Disco? Oh, ya!

 

I'd be interested in a blue set for sure

 

Sorry, catching up here, but this might help?
lighter blue:

Regular blue

I have parts arriving today, and I might be able to make this more tunable. The above pictures are the simplest forms of blue I can do, so kind of a “worst case” in a way.
And I think I glanced @daveeasa wanting Purple?

 

LIT!.. literally.

 

This is greatly interesting me.