What have you done to your Tacoma today? 1st Gen Edition

I dunno, LED's interfered with my ham, @turbodb had an issue too I think. Never really worked great after that, till I got a new one.

 

I installed my paranoid switch panel below my radio

 

I'm sorry, whats a ham?

 

Ham radio

 

Expensive radio that never works right when you want it to

 

Oh okay. I thought so but I didn't think it would interfere with the lights

 

My ditch lights interfere too, but they're right next to my antenna so it makes sense

 

The lights interfere with the radio

 

I generally liked the light pattern from my LEDs (with cutoff), though hi-beams in the snow was a disaster. Here was the write-up I did on the RFI (radio frequency interference) from my LEDs with the Ham Radio. Out with the LEDs, Back to Halogen Headlights

I have yet to find any (low priced) LEDs that are "good" from an RFI perspective. That's to be expected, frankly, at such a low price point. The same was true of my HID-upgraded Hella's - they were a bear from an RFI perspective. The SS5s are *much better* but still not perfect.

Also - I think that one of the reasons you never had any issues with your LEDs and cutoff, whereas I felt like mine - also with a cutoff - weren't as good, had to do with the housings. I think the 01-04 housings are a lot better, since they reflect back and out, vs. the 98-00 which are just a complete mess from a reflector perspective.

@Noakea_Bean

Hey now, it's no harder to get a ham to work than a CB. It's the APRS that we always have trouble with. Well, and anything Monte sets up.

 

You shouldn't need to adjust them. Aiming them down due to glare issues is counter productive to the design of a headlight. The headlight is to project distance, the goal is to extend that distance projection with better focus to you can see farther and react sooner. LEDs might produce more light, but they lack focus so they don't project as far, then aiming them down due to poor beam discipline compounds that issue even more, greatly reducing the distance you can see, therefore reducing your reaction time to hazards. The tricky part is that reduced focus and aiming the lights down increases the foreground light on the ground right in front of the truck, so it seems brighter leading people to think they are as good if not better than their halogens. But it is brighter in the wrong spot, short range foreground and loss of distance light where it actually matters. Foreground light is useless at speed and foreground light also reduces your distance vision at night, which is why OEM lights do not contain high amounts of foreground light. The entire thing kinda snowballs down a bad path. That said, some LEDs are better than others. But none are nearly as good as using a good halogen bulb in a halogen assembly.

The RFI and EMI can be transmitted through the electrical system, proximity doesn't necessarily matter.

 

Glad you found the headlight thread useful. BeamTech is literally the worst headlight product I have ever evaluated. Reason being the product isn't a serious one at all, I'd never waste my time reviewing something that bad, but a certain member was sooo adamant that their LEDs were a huge upgrade and absolutely swore they were better than their halogens. They couldn't seem to understand the concepts about foreground light shift and lack of focus I mentioned in the previous post, so I bought them to demonstrate the issue.

The review is for H11 in 3rd Gen in post #1854. Not quite as detailed as most my reviews because it isn't worth the effort. Enjoy.

 

I think there are a lot of folks who think the white color of the LED light is cooler. No pun intended. Personally, I can see a lot better at night with a warmer light. To some of us that is important. Were talking the difference between 6,000 kelvin compared to 3,500-4,000 Kelvin.

 

driving newer cars at night i've found to be miserable with leds. the light sucks in snow and rain.. halogens color is far better in my opinion

but it does look dated.

 

Is there anything about 1st gens that isn't 'dated'?

 

I had to bend the “feet” to contour to the cab. Took me the better part of a day. I’m not sure why they didn’t just do it from the manufacturer.

 

Definitely, 6000k LED is so reflective any bad weather is hard to see through. If you haven't driven a vehicle with LED headlights in bad weather it is actually quite a shocker. At first it just seems the weather is super bad, but then either over time or if you have the chance to drive a halogen vehicle back-to-back you realize it isn't the weather that is bad, it is the headlights. All the reflective back scatter is gone with the halogens and you can see the road that was difficult to see with the LEDs.

Post #6206 demonstrates a good example how the 6000k color temp highlights bad weather and lower color temps allow you to see beyond it. It is 6000k LED vs selective yellow so not halogens, but halogen 3200k is much closer to selective yellow than it is 6000k and similar results will be realized.

 

my enjoyment of them!

i really do not enjoy newer cars. i stick with my old ones and add what i want.

 

All you add is a thick layer of rust dust from dying cars surrounding your collection

 

I save them from rust. By spring I hope to have at least 2 frame swaps done and the mr2 roadworthy

just waiting on the clutch for the 98 to start getting the swaparoo

 

I deleted my EGR and am adding a catch can to mine. Bc I don’t want my 3rz to suffer from black lung disease.