1996 Taco, what should I do about my headlights?

Hello,
To start off, this is my first post. I was just recently gifted a 1996, 2.7L Toyota Tacoma with only 130K miles on it. We had it sitting in the garage for 6 years without being driven or started. Last weekend, we got it back up and running again (gas wasn't reaching/ fuse problems) and it is running beautifully and I'm excited to get to work on it. It is all stock as of now, but back when my father drove it, he had some modifications done to it. I am decently familiar with the way that this truck works and I know what I want to do it over the course of time. I plan on putting in K&N CAI soon but my first thing is going to be headlights and brake lights, they are terrible as of now and need to be way brighter. I am looking for some sick headlights that're bright. I have read over crashnburns thread talking about the HID? conversion, correct if I am wrong, but I for some reason just don't understand and I would really appreciate it if you guys could help me out and help me understand. Thanks guys

 

Just do some searching, you should be able to find lots of threads on HID retrofits that folks have done themselves. Either with a full kit or a pieced together one. If DIY is not your thing you can alway buy a set. BXBuilt is good, but will take a long time to get. TEQ Customs also makes them

 

Please don't. Just buy the drop-in.

 

I'd recommend H4 conversion housings (Hella makes nice ones), a relay harness, and 100W halogen bulbs

 

why not the cai?

 

at work rn, will provide some pics later though

 

Your truck comes with a CAI. The intake tube is in the fender. Also the markup of the K&N is robbery. It provides 0 performance gains

 

so i should just install the K&N drop in rather than the whole cai?

 

Sure. It's questionable if that's even worth it, as after about 10% of use, a paper filter flows better. I ran one while I had a stock airbox, and I moved it to my 4runner, which I then sold. But I don't have an oiled filter in any of my cars anymore.

 

do you recommend these?

$88 Auxbeam 5x7 7x6" Led Headlights with High Low Beam DOT Approved H6054 6054 Led Rectangular Headlight for Jeep Wrangler YJ Cherokee XJ GMC Replacement H5054 H6054LL 69822 6052 6053 (Black)

https://www.amazon.com/Auxbeam-Head...e+for+jeep+wrangle,automotive,107&sr=1-2&th=1

 

If they fit, ya. Those are basically the same ones I retrofit to my Tracker. You may have to do some rewiring though, not sure. The later Tacomas use a proprietary housing.

 

Retro fit projector lights are going to be the best bet but are a pain to build and expensive.
JW speaker headlights are probably the 2nd best option and are plugs and play

 

I need to build some of those retrofits

 

The difference is amazing, I ended upgrading the bulbs also later on to the Philips extreme bulb for even more light power

https://www.theretrofitsource.com/bixenon-morimoto-mini-h1-stage-3?quantity=1

 

yeah they need a H4 relay harness.

 

You could potentially do the deck plate mod that the 4Runner guys do. Although not sure if it’s possible on a 4banger Taco. Has anyone done it before? Does it work the same?

 

so should i buy this and then plug and play?

$22 KASLIGHT H4 Relay Harness 1Set 2 Headlight Connector H6054 LED Headlights H4 Wiring Harness Kit Brightness Intensifier for 9003 6054 Toyota Pickup Jeep Headlamp Fix Light Dim Dual Ground Problem

https://www.amazon.com/Headlight-Ha...automotive&sprefix=h4+r,automotive,113&sr=1-3

$130 Hella 200mm Rectangular E Code H4 Halogen Replacement Headlight Kit with Standard 60/55W H4 Bulbs

https://www.amazon.com/Rectangular-Halogen-Replacement-Headlight-Standard/dp/B000FLWSX6

$4 Hella H4 100/80W High Wattage Bulb, 12V

https://www.amazon.com/HELLA-H4-100...54f-4c9f-80d8-0edc9bcdba33&pd_rd_i=B000COBLKW

 

also thinking of getting these

$125 AmeriLite for 1995-2000 Toyota Tacoma Pickup C-Type LED Tube Black Replacement Tail Light Brake Lamp Set - Driver and Passenger Side

https://www.amazon.com/AmeriLite-1995-2000-Toyota-Tacoma-Replacement/dp/B08HLX8V28?th=1

 

First, as someone with a K&N "CAI" I can tell you to just skip it and get a drop in stock replacement. They are in NO WAY a "cold air intake". If anything, because the stock intake pulls air from the fender well, the stock intake is more of a CAI than the K&N... The K&N's suck in air form the engine bay because those heat shields are hardly air tight.

All the CAI's do is make the intake noise louder.

2nd, as for headlights. Please don't get "sick" headlights. "Sick" (looking) headlights are almost always crap (the SPyder brand is the poster child for this). They may look cool with sweet LEDs or halos or whatever, but little to no R&D actually went into the design of the reflectors (especially compared to OEM).

Your lenses are more than likely just fogged over and need to be replaced. You'd be surprised what a GOOD quality stock replacement will do (as described in crashnburn's threads). Since you have an early model with the sealed beams, you at least have a few more options than simply CAPA certified or OEM replacement housings (Hella E-codes I believe are what crash recommends).

The other thing to consider is what you intend to use your lights for. Ignoring that many headlight mods are actually illegal for road use, especially the "super bright" ones, if you want to use your lights for better vision off road, don't sink all your money into HID retrofits, etc... For off-road, focus on roof mounted lights and/or ditch lights. Lights in the stock headlight location will always have inferior light projection/range compared to decent quality lights mounted on the roof, and are useless when trying to spot your front tire when wheeling at night. Think of it like the difference between holding a flashlight at your waist vs. using a headlamp to walk in the dark.

 

At least for the harness, no, don't bother. That appears to be chinesium crap.

If you want to improve headlight performance, get the "ultimate upgrade" harness that Crashnburn talks about.

I've never heard about any sort of issue with dual grounds or whatever making the headlights not work. Besides, those wires look laughably undersized. Take your $20 and buy a gallon of gas instead.

The larger gauge wires that come with the ultimate upgrade harness + being directly connected to the battery (with relays) are far and away the best option. I did the ultimate harness and noticed the lights (same exact setup as before the harness upgrade) were noticeably brighter because it removes the voltage bottleneck that is the stock wire harness.