Should I do this to my Tundra?

[bennysmall]

Hi everybody,

I've been going back and forth about installing lights like these on my '02 Tundra.



A recent trip through the desert proved my current stock lights just aren't cutting it. I couldn't see as far ahead as I would have liked, nor could I see far enough to the sides of the road to spot critters such as deer before they were almost in the road. I do need to resurface my headlights (I've heard toothpaste works for that?) but I feel I want even more light ahead of me and to the sides for night driving when I'm way out there. It seems like a set up like this would also allow me to swivel the lights to allow for a wider field of view, as well as illuminate the terrain further in front of me than my stock high beams.

Basically I'm wondering if there are any obvious drawbacks to a set up like this?
Does it look totally lame?
Is there any way to just beef up the output of my stock headlights (high beams) and/or expand the width of their illumination?

Any advice is much appreciated!

 

[comrad_zeelaagee]

Auxiliary lights are nice, but some patterns are not going to give you your desired side coverage. I found a good HID kit (H4 IPF 55/65w 100/110w equiv. on '00 XJ) outperformed my 55w aux lights BY FAR. After install, the aux lights were only noticeable beyond (estimated) 300+yds. I would still use the aux lights on open terrain, but the HID was a very practical upgrade.

Proper installation and tuning of these items is critical to their effectiveness.

Hope that helps.

 

[Mafo]

Toothpaste or TCut are good products for cleaning yellowing headlamps, although neither are that much of a permanent fix. Here's a great video on how to do it best

http://youtu.be/iRl8hGhKth8


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[wreckdiver1321]

I have 2 Hella 4000s. One in a driving beam, one in a spread beam. Gives me two light patterns: a relatively narrow beam that gives me a lot more than my headlight range, and a wide beam that throws light about 100 yards wide. Excellent amount of light and I don't worry at all about spotting deer or other critters.

 

[Derek24]

If you're going to put two holes in the bumper I'd suggest an LED light bar. Throws more light, less power, and easier to hook up. A 22 inch light bar would do fine and look great on the front, also they are about $80 on amazon.

 

[dyogim]

That's a pic of my truck when it had IFS.

There's definitely a lot more options for lights that will provide more light output for your needs. Later, I converted those Hella 500's to use HID's. However, I was still not happy with the results. Definitely look into LED's. As far as the mounting location, I never had any "bounce" issues with the lights mounted there and would've kept them there if it wasn't for the accident. Another option is to mount them in the grill.

 

[bennysmall]

dyogim, that's wild! This was one of the first photos that came up when I googled "first gen tundra off road lights." Thanks for the advice! I'm definitely looking into LEDs. Thinking the Baja Designs S2 pros could work well. Derek, I do like the light bar idea but can't find a light bar with the same output and versatility as the S2 pros for a better price. Any suggestions?
Thanks again!

 

[BJ'sFJ]

Take a look at the Baja Designs Squadron Pro !
PM Inbound

 

[Dances with Wolves]

Does anyone make a front bumper light bar for the 1st gen tundra? I am getting a N-fab for my Tacoma when I get to the point of front lights. From OP's picture, I would think that the lights would be jiggly mounted like that.

 

[Mrknowitall]

OP- what year/bumper is your truck? My 03 had the plastic facia, and there's little or nothing worth bolting lights to.
I had a set of Bosch Rally 225 drivers mounted to the grille- always had bounce. I did have stabilizers, but those suckers are heavy. LED light bard have several huge advantages-
1- they're easy to clear, since the grille swings up.
2- since they're vertically compact, they have very little moment if inertia, meaning they should be more steady, even with less than perfect mounting options.
3- Energy efficient. 100W of LED is a ton of light.
The divergence is on cost- the simple, small reflector lights can be had (on amazon) for less than $200. These will throw a ton of light down the road, but also have lots of scatter.
The nicer name-brand lights are better at getting light down the road, in a useful pattern, but you'll pay for it.
I'll probably order a "generic" single row curved light bar for the Foz soon. Hoping the curving will help with the light cast.

 

[dyogim]

Does anyone make a front bumper light bar for the 1st gen tundra? I am getting a N-fab for my Tacoma when I get to the point of front lights. From OP's picture, I would think that the lights would be jiggly mounted like that.

I never had any "jiggly" issues with those mounted to the bumper. Even when I was offroading. Prior to those 500's I had Procomp 6" halogens. Even those didn't jiggle.

 

[bennysmall]

Thanks all for the advice!
Mrknowitall, I've read some stuff from dyogim about mounting 500 style lights on the bumper like that. In fact the original photo I posted happened to be of his rig! My Tundra is an '02 limited, I have a bit of plastic on the top of the bumper, but underneath is metal. I've definitely been researching light bars, but after Bj's post I'm thinking Baja Designs Squadron Pros are a good way to go as well. I like the look of the S2's better, and I know you get what you pay for, but... I just graduated college! (read: more broke than I was IN college!). Ah... light bar, squadrons, S2s, Hella 500s... Choices choices choices. Cost IS a BIG issue for me though. So we'll se where it goes!