Why are "Raptor lights" a thing?

Sure does. The radar sits in the same position as on the Pro grille.

 

It’s awful I have yet to understand it

 

Ferd envy.

 

I like my lights. They're unnecessary, but I like them. That's why I did it.

 

I know the mod is popular on here , to each his own , but why I would want my Tacoma to look like a Ford is beyond me . Just my two cents.

 

I'm starting to wonder if they're "fucked out" yet. I think I might own two of the only 5-10 Toyotas in the LAX/South Bay area that doesn't have them at this point.

Almost starting to wonder if Ford might slim the next generation of Raptor down to 79.5 inches so they don't have to have them anymore.

 

They’re on about every other 4 runner or taco that I see up here too.

 

I put "Smoked Ambers" on my 2021 TRD Sport/AT when I installed the Heritage Grill.





They're subtle during the daytime...


And I like the way they look.

 

You mean "is Ford going to remove something that's so popular other people are trying to imitate it?"

Yes, I'm sure they'll get rid of it immediately, and come remove them from every non-Ford in the country.

 

Ford can't control what people want to do with aftermarket junk on non-Ford vehicles. At some point so many people will have mimicked it that it'll be played out and the "original" won't have any perceived aesthetic value; happens with everything that gets widely copied at some point, just like it did with "spinner" wheels, "lambo" door kits, exhaust resonators, and "halo" headlights. If it doesn't help the vehicle go, steer, or stop better then it's all just trendy junk that'll fall out of style as fast as it became popular.

Besides, why should Ford give half a shit what people who aren't buying Fords waste their extra money on? Ford will do whatever makes their vehicles sell (nobody who owns a real Raptor bought it for the lights in the grille), and short of getting into the after-market parts business for Toyota trucks, their bottom line doesn't change if one person puts fake lights on a Tacoma or of a billion people do it.

Since the law requires similar lights on the rear of vehicles that are over 80 inches wide, it'd be kind of funny to see someone with a fake "raptor light" kit in their grill get pulled over by a cop who thinks there's supposed to be some red ones on the back bumper or top of the cab to go with them.

 

I don't get the 3 pages on the subject of a personal mod? Just because the lights are mimicking Raptor lights? I did the same amber fog lights inside the grille on my '77 Charger back in 1981 (embarrassed to say along with sidepipes. jeez, talk about following crappy trends at the time). I don't care for the LED strips in the cabin but lots of folks do. To each their own.

Kinda diggin' @TacoTime55 light mod in the grille

 

Actual fog lights mounted in the grill at least has the benefit of being fog lights which serve a purpose rather than just a minor cosmetic tweak. Mounting driving/fog lights in the grill like that on muscle cars was a fairly common thing to do, and with as low as some of those cars rode, it probably made more sense than trying to hang anything under the front bumper where it could get torn off on rough roads or nose-in parking near curbs.

I'm not trying to "hate" on anyone doing whatever they want to their truck. In terms of mods done for only cosmetic reasons, the "raptor lights" crowd are at least not necessarily spending $Hundreds on the mod (there's everything out there from $20 kits on ebay to full grill replacements) and potentially compromising safety the way some of the cheap spacer lifts or guys using shim-type spacers to get a "stance" look are doing to their vehicles. The one thing about the kits for non-raptors is that since they're for the purpose of showing off, they're usually 10-40x brighter than the lights on an actual Raptor.

I just don't get why so many Toyota owners are so obsessed with it, or why in my area they're spreading so fast that the rigs without "raptor lights" in the grill are almost now the unique ones. I'm pretty sure I've even started to see them showing up on models like Subaru Outback and maybe even a Honda CRV or Civic at one point. I could maybe understand better if it were adding some capability or even mimicking some kind of functional component that was part of why people who buy Raptors do so, but if I'm going to believe that anyone anywhere ever bought a Raptor in any large part because of the three little LEDs in the grill I'm going to need to meet that individual in person.

 

Ah. Didn't know that. That high up could cause safety problems if they're actual driving lights and not just a decorative LED. Up in northern Michigan, I've only noticed it, at most, a handful with the grille lights. The couple I've seen are just the decorative style.

Mine (on the car) were mounted too high to actually serve as fog lights. Purely decorative. And I can see owners of other model vehicles liking the look. Lights have always been a way to customize your ride. From blue dot inserts to Knight Rider flasher LEDs it's typically quick way for non-mechanically inclined people (which is the majority of car owners out there) to add a custom look.

 

Simply changing the term to "grille lights" (which is what they are) can really help change your perspective on who "owns" the look of these.

There's no Ford envy, it's just personal preference.

 

Hey now, my truck is full of pin stripes!
I figure there won't be any paint left if I buff them all out!

 

@Bishop84

Hey now!

That "Skewp" is a benefit! lol




But seriously, what is the hang-up on "Raptor Lights/Grill Lights".

I liked them before I knew they were part of a Ford truck.

It's an inexpensive addition to the grill and adds a touch of amber to the center of the headlights.

 

They're not really driving lights-bright, but some of the kits are about on a level with stock turn indicators from the 80s and 90s, and tend to be wired to be on with the ignition circuit. The lights on the actual Raptors that I've seen are pretty much at the minimum level of brightness to meet DOT requirements for wide vehicles and can be almost hard to see when the headlights are on (and aren't lit when the headlights are off, but probably wouldn't be noticeable in the daytime anyway); pretty much just 3 barely-there dots in between the headlights when the truck is coming at you.

 

I guess you could think of it that way. It's hard for me to get into that mindset, because I never saw anyone looking to add lights of any kind to the grille of a toyota until the Raptor had been on the road for a few model years. Then suddenly these kinds of groups were flooded with posts from Toyota owners looking for (in their words) "Raptor lights".

 

It'll be the opposite. The next generation raptor will have 103 inch fender flares, which will require signage, flags, and an escort. Naturally, Tacomas are already jumping in on the trend.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PI_Jl5WFQkA