For those of us with 5th gen T4R's with the sensor array in the lower grill, lighting options down there are somewhat limited. (If you
don't have the sensors, LED light bars fit in there very nicely.) Although the OEM LED headlights in my T4R were pretty good, like many of us, I needed more / better lighting.
My first step was to install a Rago Fabrications backet kit and some good old fashioned Cibie Oscar 8" halogen driving lights with 100-watt Osram bulbs.
While the performance - particularly the reach - was much better, I still wanted more.
I recently took delivery of a set of Diode Dynamics new SS5 LED pods ordered from Hotshot Offroad. On the advice of crashnburn80 (in Tacoma World) who is a world-renowned expert on automotive lighting, I ordered them in selective yellow, but also ordered a set of clear driving lenses. This combination provides a warmer (less white / blue) color temperature which I wanted. These pods also have a kind of neat backlight feature and I'm running amber backlights hooked to the parking light circuit.
As for the installation, I again removed the front bumper cover and surprisingly, the cross bar in the Rago Fab mount did not have to be moved. I did have to reposition the SS5's laterally just a bit to minimize the grill blocking the new lights. (I also had to add a .250" spacer to get the height just right.)
How do they actually perform? Well, they totally blow away the OEM high beams and the Oscars. I have to aim them up just a touch, but here's what they look like on a dark street near me. Just a straight road, right?
Nope, there's a curve in the road about 150 yards out. Nice!
What's next? I have a set of Spot lenses on order and that should almost double the reach. Yes, power does corrupt.
Linear Mode
