What Have You Done To Your 3rd Gen Today?

Is that a bolt on bumper?

 

Replaced the factory halogen interior bulbs with red Diode Dynamics bulbs. The map lights are HP3 194 and the rear light is a 29mm HP6 festoon. This seems like a silly modification, but there is some science behind using red light at night as opposed to blue light. The most commonly known reason for using red light is that it affects your night vision less than light with shorter wavelengths (blue, white, green, etc.) However, red light also has less of an affect on your circadian rhythm (CDC source and NIH source). As such, it's a logical choice if you spend a lot of time in your vehicle at night while not driving. I can't advocate for people driving down the road with your interior lights on; please, do not do that. With that being said, I would recommend getting the lowest lumen light possible. Night vision is not only affected by color but intensity as well. For reference, the 193 lights are 56 lumens per bulb--so 112 lumens total--and the festoon is 120 lumens. These bulbs are dimmest that I could find on Diode Dynamics website.

As far as visibility goes, these lights are bright enough to allow me to look around the front of the cab and find something in the center console or in the charging station under the A/C controls. The rear, however, is a different story. Due to the location of the rear light, there isn't much light that makes to the back of the cab. As unfortunate as this is, it's something that I have to deal with for the time being. I would actually rely upon a flashlight if I needed to find something small or something dark in the rear seat area.

I also have the VLEDs footwell lights installed in the front driver and passenger area. As such, this will provide some additional light in an area where things are likely to get dropped. Given how little light there is in the rear, I may need to add the rear footwell lights as well.

Admittedly, this is one the mods I enjoy the most. Prior to the Tacoma, I owned a 2015 Audi S5. That vehicle had some very small, moderately dim red LEDs in the overhead console and the footwell from the factory and it gave the interior a soft, red glow. Aside from feeling like I was sitting in an aircraft in night mode, those lights helped a lot with being able to see in the interior without having to turn on the map lights. It was something I really missed; I just didn't know it until I put those footwell lights in.

And of course, no post is complete without pictures. Don't let the camera lie to you. These photos make the light appear brighter than what it actually is.

 

I remember my dad telling me it was illegal to turn them on at night when I was a kid.

 

Its in the eye of the beholder, pun intended. Combining three different companies version of LED red may seem problematic but I thought it all worked well together. Of course there are variations, and you can control one of those by pairing VLEDs for the maps and the footwell. Know none of the individual fixtures throw alot of light around, and even together its not alot of light (or not alot of bright light) - but that's probably the point. Long answer short - I thought the different lights blended fine but you should simply try it out. Have fun with it as we wait for the dual color maps to come in...

 

wondering if the supply chain is impacting 2020-2021s and others.

 

Send it to me

 

Thanks for the thoughtful response. I went ahead and pulled the trigger on the VLED maps. You hit the nail on the head with having fun. All these little mods are just fun to play around with and for less than $30 I'm in.

 

probably these

 

Installed my TRD Pro Grille and front camera mount today!

 

Is there a reason that you didn’t center the camera in the grille?

 

I plan on running 3 raptor lights so I kept the center open for a symmetrical look in the big picture. I mention this and how I customized the bracket to fit on the passenger side in my build thread for anyone interested!

 

trim it

 

I’m trying to install raptor lights but accidentally purchased this t-tap harness instead of an add-a-fuse harness. How do I wire these to have my raptor lights on with DRL and low beams? Can I tap my side marker lights? Can anyone link a thread or video where this harness has been installed?

 

I bought them through a dealer online. It changes the whole look of the truck!

Part #: ‎PT280-35170-02

 

My recommendation would be to go this route. This harness will take the signal from the DRLs and route it to a connector that can then be used to plug into the Raptor Lights. Doing it this way keeps you from tapping into the factory harness risking damage and a resulting expensive repair. If you're dead set on tapping into a factory wire, use a

$11 Lockitt Posi-Tap 6pc pack #605/6 16-18 awg Blue

posi-tap; the needle in the tap will do less damage to the wire. I do not recommend the T-tap you posted. More often than not I've cut wires with those damn things.

 

Yes it is, made by CBI covert front bumper

 

Nice looking truck, What brand of fog lights are those and were they plug and play or a little time to install. I want to replace my led fog lights .

 

where are you from, i have some extra wiring harnesses you can have to tap into a fuse.

 

Waiting on my remote start. Should be here tomorrow

 

Key or push button start? Mines a '18 SR5 and I want remote start soon as well