AdventureTaco - turbodb's build and adventures

You can find a dew heater to handle it. Of course, it requires power for a night of shooting. They cost around $50 bucks. $20 ish for an ebay one.

 

Freakin' outstanding Dan.
This might be my absolute favorite of your trips.
I could easily sit in the spot for 6 hours. The other ones definitely aren't bad either. Wowsa.
Cheers man.

 

Rig Review: What worked and what didn't - Summer 2021?
Part of the Smoke in the Sawtooths (Jul 2021), One Night at Mt. Rainier (Jul 2021), New Mexico Backcountry Discovery Route (Jun 2021) trips.

August 1, 2021.

It's been a while since the last Rig Review. Since then, I've put five trips and 20K more miles on the Tacoma. It has - as always seems to be the case - been fantastic.

1. Scouting Black Rock Desert (Apr 2021)
2. Owyhee West (May 2021)
3. Forty-One Miles of Mesa (May 2021)
4. New Mexico Backcountry Discovery Route (Jun 2021)
5. Smoke in the Sawtooths (Jul 2021)
6. One Night at Mt. Rainier (Jul 2021)

Let's do a quick rundown of things that are working well, and places that need a little TLC after the last bunch of miles.

I Need New Seats (ongoing)
TL;DR - After 21 years, my seats are worn out and I need to get new ones or refurbish the ones I've got.

It was somewhere in the middle of these trips that I really started to feel my seat being worn out. Until then, I'd felt like the Tacoma seats were pretty good - especially with the Wet Okole covers, and definitely better than the seats we had in the 4Runner (which had 270K miles). Over time though, the foam in the driver seat has worn out, and while it is still in fantastically good shape - compared to other 21-year-old seats - I've felt myself sinking into them more and more, and my back sometimes hurts after 18+ hour drives.

My initial shot at fixing things up was to buy a set of Corbeau Baja XRS seats, but I didn't find those as comfortable as others have. With a seat, comfort is king, so I've returned them and swapped seat bottoms between the driver and passenger side for the time being.

Swapping seat bottoms isn't hard, and can eek a little more life out of existing seats at no cost.​

I think my next attempt at comfort is going to be a Scheel-Man seat. Pricey, but if you're going to splurge somewhere, this seems like the right place.

Front ADS Coilover Spherical Bearings (update)
TL;DR - The stainless steel bushings seem to be doing a bit better, but I'm not ready to say that they are the right way to go. Yet.

So far, I have just over 16K miles on the FKSSX10T-F1 spherical bearings. The passenger side is still "OK," driver side is "OK+" or "Good-". While they definitely not as tight as new - when a bolt/lever is needed to move the sphere, they certainly aren't loose either - there is no space between the ball and retainer. I can move the ball by hand, relatively easily, and more easily on the passenger side than the driver side. So, these SS bearings are certainly lasting longer than the COM10Ts I was running previously (where I was getting a jiggly joint at 7-10K miles), but I don't know if they would be better than the hardened steel versions.

Oh, and here's my rating scale:

• New
• Good - not new, but still tight.
• OK - not time to replace, but not really tight anymore.
• Time to Replace - loose, but not jiggly.
• Jiggly - noticeable gap between ball and race.
• Oops - starting to wear through one or more of: race, misalignment spacers, shock bolt.

I definitely recommend genuine FKS bearings at -F1 tightness; not sure about the stainless steel variant yet.​

LCA and Front Diff Bushings (resolved)
TL;DR - All the new bushings I installed recently seem to be doing great.

It was a bunch of work, but replacing the LCA bushings, front diff bushings, steering rack bushings, and front bump stops (see Replacing All the Bushings) was definitely worth it. My alignment with the new LCA bushings was much easier, and the front bumps are a lot smoother when I get into them.

All the bushings I replaced.​

The one issue - that may be related - is that my steering rack is now leaking. I don't know if this is just a coincidence - timing wise - or if moving the rack around to replace the LCA and rack bushings caused the leak, but it's another thing to add to the list of maintenance items.

Oh, and I thought that replacing the LCA bushings might fix the squeaks in my suspension. It didn't, so I need to address those as well (see below)

Hella HIDs fail to turn on (ongoing)
TL;DR - My Hella's are working less and less now; I'm biding my time until the end of the year, when I hear that Diode Dynamics may have something fun coming.

I originally thought that my HIDs in the 7" Hella 700s were not turning on because there was a problem with the ballasts. I contacted DDM Tuning to initiate a lifetime warranty repair (which they were going to honor, though I'd have to pay shipping), but then decided I ought to try a different relay before sending in the ballasts. The relay seemed to fix the issue for a short amount of time, but then they stopped turning on again. While the issue may be the ballasts, I am not as much of a fan of the setup as I was initially - the ballasts add a lot of RFI to the electrical system, and the light pattern of the HIDs isn't great.

As such, for now, I'm going to start looking at replacement lights. I hear Diode Dynamics may have something coming out around the end of the year that I could find extremely interesting.

​

I'm not as happy with the HIDs in the Hellas as I was when I initially installed them.​

My Steering Rack is Leaking (new)
TL;DR - I noticed on the NMBDR that the steering rack was leaking. I'm going to replace it with a new OEM Power Steering Rack (44250-35042)

I don't know if it was related to the work that I did on the steering rack bushings or LCA bushings (where the steering rack has to be moved pretty far in order to access the rear cam bolt), but shortly after Replacing All the Bushings, the steering rack started to leak. So far, it's a very slow leak and carrying a quart of ATF to refill the power steering fluid reservoir - about a rate of about 1 oz. per week - has been fine, but I've already ordered a new steering rack to replace the old one. It has, after all, served me well for 21 years and 190K miles.

The dreaded leak. Perhaps I'll rebuild it once the new rack is installed.​

Just waiting to be installed.​

My Suspension Squeaks (new, ongoing)
TL;DR - Replacing my LCA bushings didn't resolve my squeaks. Time to start thinking about UCAs and rear leaf spring bushings.

After replacing the LCA bushings, I thought a bunch of the squeaking that I have as the truck bounces over rough terrain might be fixed. It wasn't. There are two more sets of bushings that I'm sure could use a bit of attention - grease, at least, if not replacement - those in the SPC upper control arms (UCAs), and the Alcan rear leaf springs. Both are polyurethane - so prone to squeaks - and I'll be adding grease zerks to them when I replace them. I'm in no real rush though, since the squeaking doesn't bother me all that much, especially after sound deadening the cab.

Time for more new bushings.​

I've Found a New Camp Chair (new, resolved)
TL;DR - I've traded in my low camp chair for a normal-height one. I'm liking it so far.

After many years of enjoyment from my low camp chair - and it really is comfy to sit in - I've decided to try a new chair that's "normal height." The impetus is really to get a chair that sits more upright, so that I can eat dinner in it more comfortably, and so that around a camp fire, more than just my feet can get the radiated heat. That said, I don't want to have something that's uncomfortable, and I do really like the reclining nature of my low camp chair, so for now I'm trying out the GCI Outdoor Freestyle Rocking Camp Chair.

My first experience with the new chair was blissful.​

A Small Mod to My Ham Radio Antenna (ongoing, resolved)
TL;DR - The NMO mount on my Ham Antenna was just a little too deep, and the antenna would contact the roof when it was tightened down, leading to rust. I've fixed that with a bit of judicious grinding.

I've really liked the Diamond NR770HBNMO Mobile Antenna and NMO mount that I have installed in the roof of the Tacoma for the Kenwood D710G dual-band ham radio. The antenna tunes up nicely, and I constantly get good reception. Having solved my problem of hitting trees (see Winter 2021 Rig Review), the final thing I needed to fix with the Diamond was to reduce the depth of the threaded connection slightly so that it doesn't contact the roof when installed. This isn't something that is constant, but it appears to contact the roof intermittently when the antenna hits a branch, and there's a bit of rust on the roof.

A few seconds with the grinder, and I've reduced the threaded section by 1/8" or so. Problem solved!​

The garage door opener installed in the headliner needs fixing (resolved)
TL;DR - An appropriately sized (slightly thicker) spacer between the opener and the roof of the Tacoma makes the opener work quite a bit better!

Fixing the garage door opener that I installed in the headliner couldn't have been easier. It turns out that there was about ½" of space between the top of the Homelink opener and the metal roof, so I simply taped a piece of plywood to the top of the opener and shoved it back in place. Now, the cover is easier to attach, and pushing on the buttons doesn't put any strain on the clips that hold the cover to the opener, since the pressure simply transfers to the roof. This really is a great mod, and one that I highly recommend.

If you have a garage, this is a great way to get in, conveniently.​

Seemingly solved from previous Rig Reviews

1. LCA and Front Diff Bushings - resolved as noted above.
2. The garage door opener installed in the headliner needs fixing - resolved as noted above.

Unchanged / Still an issue from previous Rig Reviews

There are some things that have been featured in Rig Reviews that are - as yet - unchanged from when I originally reviewed them. Rather than highlight those things again, I'll simply link to them here.

1. Oil Leaking from Transfer Case - I haven't done anything about this yet, though I seem to be getting less leakage.
2. Relentless Skid Plate Attachment - I haven't addressed this at all, yet, because I haven't needed the mid-skid in a while.
3. The Drawer in the In-Cab Battery Cabinet Rattles - unaddressed. Still rattles.
4. Front ADS Coilover Spherical Bearings - I'm giving the new FK stainless steel bearings several thousand miles to see if they perform better.
5. The Zipper on the CVT Tent is Shit - I don't know how I'll ever address this, short of getting a GFC.
6. Hella HIDs fail to turn on, sometimes - My Hella's are working less and less now; I'm biding my time until the end of the year, when I hear that Diode Dynamics may have something fun coming.

 

Since there is a lot of first gen guys in here, I'll just leave this here: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/killer-deal-on-toyota-lower-ball-joint-recall-kits.736398/

 

@turbodb Dan, I have been a little negligent in keeping up with your thread so I spent the past couple of days catching up. Once again, thanks for some great trips reports and photos!

 

Your chair needs some ADS'

 

That's a great way to get them. I've been buying the recall kits for a few years now at about that price. No bolts, but I have plenty of those!

Glad you're enjoying, as always! Feel free to catch up or fall behind any time, hahahaha!

Of course, you know I only got my chair because I knew about yours. I'd have never thought to search for "rocking camp chair" if it hadn't been for your Kings.

...and I have plenty of ADS stickers, perhaps I'll put them to use. I was a little bummed that I couldn't get black or grey fabric though, which would have fit the color scheme better...

Also, have been eyeing your adventure. Kudos man, you're doing it right!

 

Millions of Peaches, Peaches for Me
Part of the Millions of Peaches, Peaches for Me (Aug 2021) trip.

For the last week or so, I've had the itch. That's because - for the last couple of weeks - a family vacation to the Mt. Shasta area in California has kept us occupied and off the trail. Not that I'm complaining - we were duly pampered with fabulous food and plush accommodations - but once we got back, it seemed like a good idea to get out a little bit. @mrs.turbodb wasn't quite so enthusiastic as I was, but when she learned that it was u-pick peach season near one of our favorite camp sites on the east side of the Cascades, she quickly changed her tune.

With just a single night in the woods planned, packing was simple. Heck, we didn't even bring the fridge, opting instead for lunch on the road, ramen for dinner, and freshly picked peaches for breakfast the next morning.

And so, not long after setting off - but with our bellies full of tasty burritos we'd eaten for lunch - we arrived at ****** Creek, where I quickly set up the tent at one of our favorite sites.

Home away from home.​

There was nothing on the docket except napping and relaxation for this trip, so with camp taken care of, we grabbed our new GCI rocking camp chairs (see Rig Review: What worked and what didn't - Summer 2021?) and headed down to the river.

It's been a dry year, and the water level shows it! Often, there's no room to walk on the right side of the creek.​

A nice rocky beach and swimming hole with a view.​

After a couple hours lazing around - reading, skipping rocks, and otherwise having a great time - we headed back up to camp and straight into the tent. It was 4:00pm, warm with a slight breeze, and just about perfect for an afternoon nap. Afternoon turned into evening, and three hours later we finally dragged ourselves back down the ladder for a quick dinner of Ramen.

As @mrs.turbodb set about chopping a few veggies and heating up the water, I followed a short trail to a water feature that we always like to check out, and played around with the exposure settings on the camera to get a nice smoothing effect on the whitewater.

Whisps of white.​

As I returned to camp, I was informed that the Ramen - which we've had in the kitchen box for a good couple of years - had worn a hole through the bottom of its plastic wrapper and started to mold; dinner was now going to be chopped fresh veggies.

Which was fine, really - neither of us was all that hungry after our lunch anyway. Plus, it let me head down to the creek again by camp and do some more playing around with the camera at f/22, and also catch the little bit of light in the western sky.

Magic of movement.​

Sunset over the Cascades.​

Tranquility.​

The next morning, we were definitely not up early. We'd probably been awake and reading for an hour or so, but I think it was 9:00am when we finally decided that the sun pouring through the tent windows was just too much to ignore, and we climbed down the ladder to greet the day.

Top of the morning.​

After a quick granola bar snack, we packed up the tent and pulled our Ramen-filled trash bag from the tree where I'd stowed it during the wee hours of the morning. You see, we'd stored it in the bed the night before, and the rustling of a nosy mouse been just loud enough to rouse me from my sleep. Just another benefit of the Trasharoo we use on most trips.

Threading our way out of camp.​

What a view.​

From there, it was all downhill to the highway, the road winding between the mountains and along the edge of the creek. Halfway back, the dirt gave way to pavement, but the views never let off. And then, I saw it. As has become a habit, I was quickly out of the truck with the camera in hand.

Hey look, another one of my fury friends!​

With vehicles approaching from both directions, this guy wasn't going to stick around - he quickly loped over to the edge of the road and down toward the creek.

Not sure where the bear went, he was gone when I got to the edge. A cave, perhaps?​

Back on the road, and headed towards peaches!​

Soon, we were at the Stutzman Ranch - a family-run u-pick farm that we discovered years ago and return to every summer for cherries, peaches, and whatever else we can get our grubby little hands on. With big eyes and even bigger peaches (and nectarines) ripe for the picking, we made quick work of the boxes we'd taken into the orchard, and filled our stomachs at the same time!

Perfection!​

Half the haul.​

Millions of peaches, peaches for me. Millions of peaches, almost for free!​

It'd been a short trip but a fun one. And one that we'd enjoy slurping down the results of for the next week to come.

 

Mmmm...Peaches!

 

Finally Adding Fogs (Diode Dynamics SS3 Pro)

I never win anything.

I think we all sort of feel that way when it comes to raffles and drawings. I must have entered hundreds of them when I was younger - never winning a single one. Eventually, I gave up even throwing my name into the hat at all - it just wasn't worth my time (or giving away my email address and other random personal information that they usually asked for).

But the other day, I was browsing around the internet - as one does - and I stumbled on a giveaway of some Diode Dynamics SS3 Sport LED light pods. All I had to do was throw my name in the bowl - no other information - and then check back later to see if my name had been the one selected. So, I did.

And I won!

Now would be a good time to mention that I've previously looked into purchasing LEDs, and Diode Dynamics always came out at the top of my list. Their offerings simply seem better than the other two major players in the market - Baja Designs and Rigid - from a build quality, lighting distance, and lighting pattern perspective.

So, you can imagine that I was super jazzed and contacted John ******* to let him know (a) that I was super excited, and (b) that I had a completely outrageous request.

I explained in my email that I was actually looking to replace the HID-converted Hella's on my bumper (which have recently been giving me problems) to something more reliable. I wondered if - instead of SS3 Sport pods - he could send me some SS3 Pro pods, with the spot lenses.

John was freaking awesome. Not only was he all about sending me the Pros, but he also offered to send one of each of the lenses - so I could try out the different light patterns to find the one I liked most - as well as a wiring harness and a set of covers. His only question: would I like the white (6000K) or yellow (4000K) emitters behind the lenses? Holy smokes! Just another reason to love Diode Dynamics, really.

Letting him know that I'd like the yellow (4000K) emitters - I knew that the 6000K would be much to blue for me from my little time with the LED headlights - it only took a few days for everything to show up. I was like a kid in a candy store.

Diode Dynamics SS3 Pro with yellow (4000K) emitters, selective yellow SAE fog lenses, wiring harness, mounting hardware, and a bunch of sample clear lenses.​

With the parts in hand, I did a quick evaluation and determined that - while the wiring harness was nice, I would feel more comfortable with a bit beefier 12ga gauge wire pair running to the two lights (vs. the 4, 18ga wires in the harness). That would also make it easy to use my existing Bussmann relay block and switches in the cab.

To make the harness, I pulled together the necessary supplies and tools and after a bit of tape measure kungfu in the engine bay and front bumper, set to work.

Most of the parts and tools needed to make the harness.​

For anyone else making a similar harness, wire lengths will of course differ, but here's what I used.

• 12ga wire (red & black) - a few feet, but buy the rolls
• Heat shrink tubing - glue lined variety pack - get the glue-lined stuff so all your solders are weather tight.
• 1/4 inch braided wire sleeve - for runs of individual 12ga wire.
• 1/2 inch braided wire sleeve - for runs of dual 12ga wire
• 2, Deutsch DT 2-pin pigtails - these were supplied by Diode Dynamics and would connect the harness to the SS3 pods.
• A quality soldering iron and solder.
• A cheap heat gun.
• Some wire cutters and a wire stripper.

Pretty soon, I had something that looked totally workable, and I was ready to set about installing the lights in my Relentless Predator front bumper.

Ready for service.​

It was at this point - probably a later point than would have been ideal - that I first looked into how I would attach the fogs to the bumper. There were - I knew - two square cutouts, but I wasn't sure exactly how the lights would mount behind those cutouts. Further inspection showed that there was a small mounting point behind the cutouts, but that it was at the wrong angle to mount the Diode Dynamic brackets.

Luckily, Diode Dynamics is a household name in my circles, and I knew that Monte @Blackdawg had recently installed some in his bumper (also a Relentless). Perusing a few photos of his work, I noticed that he had an additional 90-degree bracket on his bumper that adapted the mounting point to the LED brackets.

A quick conversation with Monte confirmed that those had come from Relentless when he bought the bumper a couple years earlier - so I fired off an email to Eric and Brittony at @RelentlessFabrication asking if they could send me a set of the brackets. In no time, I got confirmation that they would ship them out ASAP - and at no charge! I've gotta say, my interactions with those two over the years has been fabulous.

A few days later I had the brackets (and mounting hardware) in hand, and quickly primed and painted them for install.

Relentless mounting brackets, ready for installation.​

SS3 Pro LED Pod with Diode Dynamics bracket installed. I really like how there's no pigtail, and that the Deutsch DT connector plugs directly into the housing.​

Not wanting to remove the bumper from the truck (with the winch, it weighs a couple hundred pounds and I was working alone), installation of the 90-degree bracket and LED pod was definitely a pain-in-the-buttookiss. With only tiny spaces in which to work, I found myself wishing that I had miniature hands. Eventually though, after realizing that removing the grill would make my life a little less miserable, I managed to get all the bolts tightened up and the lights positioned in the appropriate places.

If only my hands could get in the space as well as the camera!​

I found that it was best to tighten the bracket as securely as possible without worrying about alignment, and then lever it into the correct orientation with the adjustable wrench.​

SS3 Pro pod mounted, and wiring harness installed.​

The view from the front.​

All that was left was to install a switch in the cab and test everything out. I've run out of space on the dashboard for switches, so the driver side kick panel seemed like a reasonable place for a single pole, double throw switch. This would allow me to set the fogs to ON, OFF, or ON-with-headlights when wired through the Bussmann relay. My guess is that they'll be OFF or ON-with-headlights most of the time.

As always, it's painful cutting into the interior of the Tacoma, but going slowly and carefully ended with nice results.​

I'd started the project sometime mid-afternoon, so after putting everything away, I decided to wait a while before taking photos. It was just after dinner when I headed back out to see how everything looked in the fading evening light.

ON-with-headlights.​

I really dig the selective yellow color that these Diode Dynamics SS3 Pro pods give off.​

All that's left now is to see how they do on the road, in adverse weather conditions. My bet is that I'll be extremely happy with them, and I'll be sure to update with my takeaways once I've run them through their paces.

Update: September 11, 2021

So, I had the opportunity to use the fogs for the first time on my Rady Can't Wait trip to British Columbia, Canada. All I can say is wow. I had no idea what I was missing, and quite frankly, I figured that the install of these SS3 Pros would be more "for show" than anything else.

I couldn't have been more wrong. There are three things I really like about these lights:

1. The brightness. After installing them, I was worried that they sat too far back in the bumper, and that their position would result in a lot of light being "lost" in the tunnel of steel before it ever made it to the trail. I'm sure some of the light is lost, but plenty of it makes it out to where I need it, and there is significantly more near-field light (than when I'm just running my low beams) when the SS3s are on.
2. The color. The selective yellow is fantastic. It's so easy on the eyes compared to the whiter and bluer light of many of today's LEDs. It was such a pleasure to drive without any eye strain or feeling like I was squinting.
3. The interaction between the SS3 Pros, my high-wattage halogen headlights, and my HID-upgraded Hella 700's. I adjusted my SS3s so that they'd illuminate the near field - ranging from directly in front of the truck to midway into the lo-beam headlight range. My headlights (both lo- and high-beams) then cover the mid-field. And that leaves the distance range to be covered by the Hellas. This results in a ton of light output, and the SS3 selective yellow (3000K) does a great job of mixing a bit with the 5500K Hellas to provide a more pleasing transition from dark to bright white.

Here are a couple photos, and I will of course cover all this (and perhaps a bit more) in the Rig Review for the trip.

The only forward facing lights that are on in this photo are the SS3 Pro fog lights. Notice both the quantity of light, as well as the pleasurable hue it projects onto the surroundings.​

In this photo, note the clearly defined beams of the fogs and Hellas, with a nice transitional area between the two. Additionally, note how much yellow light reaches the mountainside some quarter-mile away.​

 

I always wondered about those Diode Dynamics, as they seem to be very popular amongst the Insta-wheeler builds.

 

Cali Raised LED is another option. They gain traction when the cost is half to a third of Rigid/Baja Designs. For example, if you're using the Prinsu cutout on your rack, the BD bar they suggest is somewhere between $1000 and $1800, Diode Dynamics is $500, and the Cali Raised $290 (all are single row lights).

 

but no one, and i mean NO one, can compete with the output and cut off pattern of the Diode Dynamics. They are in a league of their own.

 

Cali Raised is not an option as far as I'm concerned.

My understanding is that they ripped off their ditch light bracket design from Rago, and I think there may have even been a legal battle over them ripping off designs (unsure if Rago or other). They've since moved from Cali to TX (very close to where I used to live), so I want to like/support them. I even bought one of their tailgate antenna mounts and the design, while highly touted, is absolute crap. It was too close to the body and too high to be used with a camper top, which I realize is not their fault. I reached out to them via the forums and either their website or email and never got a response. at all. ever. When I took the camper top off, I thought "hey, I finally get to use this thing!" and put it on. However, it makes contact with the tailgate and took off some of the paint. My tailgate/bedside gap is the same on both sides, so it isn't a "difference in my truck."

I cannot and will not support them. I will save up for something better or buy chinese crap before I give them another dollar.

Sorry, I don't mean to derail the thread or get worked up over a $20 bracket. But the principle of the matter and the fact that I got zero support or response from them. Maybe their lights are fine, but that $20 bracket was enough for me to dislike the company as a whole.

 

I have the same fog pods and they are fantastic! And I too am using another set of driving lights in the warm white 4000K variety- it's a fantastic color that I wish more companies would make available.

They're definitely gaining traction with the insta-landers, but I think for a good reason. I would say that their pedigree is not as established as Baja's but their bars and pods punch above their weight for the asking price. The bars use off-the-shelf housings and extrusions, but the optics are proprietary. And the pods are completely designed and built in-house. They have one piece optics (the pattern is cast right on the outside of the optic instead of having a separate lens). It's more efficient while also being cheaper to manufacture.

I would say that you should be very selective about the bar you install on your roof. Baja reflector cones are very deep and the Diode TIR optics are extremely controlled. The shallow, open reflectors on the Cali-raised bars make for poor pattern control and glare the hell out of your hood, making the light less useful than it seems.

Exactly- the biggest advantage to Diode Dynamics lights are their tight pattern controls on their fog and driving light pods. They are SAE compliant, making them legal and courteous to use on the road. Baja and Rigid make SAE compliant lighting as well, but they are no longer the front-runners in this category.

 

Light bars come in many different price points and light output specs. Not everyone can, needs, or wants to pay top dollar. Plus, it can be difficult to decide based on how the supplier rates the light bar when the most commonly supplied number is lumens which isn't necessarily the best but if it was, Baja Designs would win with 38k, Cali Raised with 20k, and Diode Dynamics with 15.9k (40-42" slim single row bar).
Some other factors that add to the cost include water resistance and mechanical impact resistance (both are international standards), lens and reflector design, whose LEDs are being used, etc.. Diode Dynamics offers more measurements of actual light output but nothing beats examples/use.

For me, it was a review on a Type R website that swayed me toward DD. The JDM part for the Type R is a standard fog lamp for the car. Not terribly bright and probably only one or two LED elements in it but the light is smooth and consistent. SS3's and also the BDs also fit-I would not choose either because of how they look. With an SS3 on one side and the BD in the other, it is obvious the SS3 is brighter and offers a wider beam pattern. So here I sit with a new 42" driving light for my Prinsu.

 

Lumen's is definitely not a good way to judge a light. If you took that route, than your $90 fleabay special would win over all of those with some boasting lumens over 50,000.

There is so much more it than what a chip's raw output is which is what a lumen's measurement is.

To keep this short, Lux is by far the best way to measure a lights effective output as its a brightness measurement. 1 Lux should be enough to be able to ready black print on a white page. So if a light puts out 1 Lux at 200m you know the distance.

BUT

Distance isn't everything for every light. Pattern is huge. What kind of pattern are you needing and how a light controls its pattern is just as important.

Take our $90 ebay special again that your distant cousin bought to slap on his truck. It has a lot of chips that put out a ton of raw light. But the optics/len's it has are..well shit. So even if its supposed to be a "spot" it actually ends up with a large flood type pattern. This is bad for lots of reasons. At first it seems great! Shit load of light everywhere. But then you realize..everywhere is bad. The more light you have in the immediate area the less effective your eyes become at night. So if we are lighting up the whole front area of the truck you effectively kill your ability to see far away well at night. A good spot light with actually focus the light to be thrown far down range, not right in front for this reason.

This is why fog lights are not supposed to be run all the time. And exactly why all OEM fogs switch off when you turn on the high beams. To save your night vision and to allow you to see further down the road with the light that is being used.

LED bars struggled with this for a long time and still do IMO. DD has really changed the game though with their new optics on what is possible from an LED chip based light. I'd imagine we will see some pretty amazing stuff coming out in the next 5 years from other companies too. Which is cool.

Plus as you pointed out, waterproof rating, impact, and (something I wish MORE companies would do work on and talk about) RF shielding. LEDs and HIDs cycle and give out a ton of RF as they are essentially flickering on and off at extremely high frequency. This impact HAM/CB/radio performance. Really good LEDs won't do this as badly. The SS3s do okay at this. But aren't perfect.


Anyways, I'm not saying you didn't know all of that. But rather jumped at an opportunity to talk about lights haha

 

Cool. Learned something about lights

 

I've taken a couple of lighting classes for photography and a lot of that helps. I think Candela is a better overall measure. Lux for reflected light.

 

Yes that is another way to do it.

I think Lux is still better for useage in a truck as you need to be able to see the light reflecting off of the thing you're trying to see. So im my case, deer. ha I want to know that the spots I run are going to pick up a deer/elk crossing the road as far down as possible.