New 4runner owner. Smoke tail lights

[blindside]

I did the same to mine, I got the pre cut kit from sticker city as well. Definitly buy the sheets and cut to fit or just go to the tint shop and have the pros do it. The pre cut kit is so small and you have to stretch it alot. My drivers side taillight got shrunk and now I have to redo it. I tried to line up one side and stretch it over, but it ended up peeling back and bubbling because it was cold at night and the material was stretched too much on one side to hold. I am going to just take it to the tint shop and have them do it, that way they can cut out the part that covers the reverse light. If you do it yourself buy the bulk kit and make sure to wrap the tint completely around the light instead of trimming it at the edges.

Imotion, nice job, looks good. I'm pissed mine didnt turn out as planned.

So i could go ahead and buy the film and take it to a regular tint shop then? I gave up on the pre cut that i bought so ima try and get a whole sheet this time.. i tried doing my G and i kinda messed up

 

[iMotion4Runner]

 

[josh220]

Amazing photography skills. :bigok:

 

[iMotion4Runner]

Amazing photography skills. :bigok:

Thanks man. I wish i could take some better ones but i never have my camera on me. These are Cell phone shots with my Nokia N95 8gb w/ a little bit of editing.





I took some shots today at our jet skiing spot. its some private property off of the river that a family's friend owns. My Room mate was out there fishing so i though i'd stop by to test out the 4runner.

Its sad how much i can't do without a lift. Just saving up a little more money and i should have it done pretty soon.

 

[4Runnin_ToyBoy]

My apologies for getting off topic, but I was curious how much, if any, rub you get with the tires you have on your 4R without a lift? Thanks!

 

[iMotion4Runner]

My apologies for getting off topic, but I was curious how much, if any, rub you get with the tires you have on your 4R without a lift? Thanks!

None that i know of so far. I drive 52 miles round trip for work everyday and went down the messed up dirt trail yesterday to our jet ski spot. I even thought my chik how to parallel park so i know she had the wheel turned full crank. No rubbing so far but i haven't taken any hard turns at higher speeds and i don't think I'll have to any time soon. If i had to leave it like this without a lift i don't think i'd have any problems.

 

[RonMAIDEN]

Is a lift next to match the tires?

 

[iMotion4Runner]

as soon as i can save up the money i'm getting it done. i think i'm going with the Daystar 2.5 lift because the price is good, the black isn't too noticeable, and i hear that the material used make the ride a little more comfortable.

 

[ssnider]

iMotion4Runner: The smoked tail lights look great!

Question: Have you noticed any decrease in gas milage since you put on the new tires? The Copper STTs are sick but not sure if i will be off roading enough to make a decrease in MPGs worth it.

 

[iMotion4Runner]

iMotion4Runner: The smoked tail lights look great!

Question: Have you noticed any decrease in gas milage since you put on the new tires? The Copper STTs are sick but not sure if i will be off roading enough to make a decrease in MPGs worth it.

I'm losing like 1-3 MPG that it reads but i don't know how much it actually is because I'm getting more distance per rotation and speed because of the extra inch in tire size.

Its a little bumpier because this tire has more layers and the road noise is noticeable but not bad. If you're listening to the radio at a moderate volume then you can't really hear the road noise but if you have the radio off to have a relaxing drive home then the noise is back.

 

[josh220]

I found your Ebay auction for the tail light covers. Are these a b*tch to apply as far as fitting/stretching them properly?

 

[iMotion4Runner]

I found your Ebay auction for the tail light covers. Are these a b*tch to apply as far as fitting/stretching them properly?

Unless its stickercity don't buy it from ebay. I ordered some ebay ones for my audi headlights and it wouldn't stick well at all... one flew off 2 weeks later so yeah... i learned from that mistake.

The ones from sticker city are thicker, stronger, and sticks a lot better.

If you heat it up with a blow dryer it will stretch pretty nicely but the pre-cuts seem to come up short. (saids me and a lot of other people who have used it)

Best way to go would buying a sheet big enough and wrapping the taillight using while using a blow dryer. Then trim the edges. For the best results do it with the tail lights off of the car. Thats what i wish i would have done because mine looks like crap up close. I'm going to have to redo it.

 

[4runner07]

I got my tinted tail light film from ABD Graphix. Its pretty thick stuff but was pretty easy to install. I definitly recommend buying the sheets since the pre cut isn't perfect. Ill post some picture up when i get a change.

here's where i bought it
http://www.shiriappleby.com/products/smokedtaillightfilm.html

I did the same to mine, I got the pre cut kit from sticker city as well. Definitly buy the sheets and cut to fit or just go to the tint shop and have the pros do it. The pre cut kit is so small and you have to stretch it alot. My drivers side taillight got shrunk and now I have to redo it. I tried to line up one side and stretch it over, but it ended up peeling back and bubbling because it was cold at night and the material was stretched too much on one side to hold. I am going to just take it to the tint shop and have them do it, that way they can cut out the part that covers the reverse light. If you do it yourself buy the bulk kit and make sure to wrap the tint completely around the light instead of trimming it at the edges.

Imotion, nice job, looks good. I'm pissed mine didnt turn out as planned.

 

[josh220]

What size sheet would be needed to cover each tail light? Just get 2 of the 12" X 24" sheets?

 

[4runner07]

What size sheet would be needed to cover each tail light? Just get 2 of the 12" X 24" sheets?

i bought the 24"x24". it was just enough to cover the tail lights.

At ABD Graphix you can get a 24" x 24" and its cheaper then sticker city.

 

[josh220]

i bought the 24"x24". it was just enough to cover the tail lights.

At ABD Graphix you can get a 24" x 24" and its cheaper then sticker city.

Was that sheet enough to cover just one tail light, or did you mean it covered both with one sheet?

 

[tigerspy]

I would also like to know if 1 24''x24'' sheet is enough for both tail lights and the 2 little lights below the tail light?...also how easy is it to do this mod? do you put the tint overlays along the outside of the tail light? how easy is it to pull out the tail light and when installing do you just stretch it out over and then cut? also is this easy to remove later on?....thanks for any help

 

[tigerspy]

also forgot to ask...is the 20% tint too dark?...or should I go with the 35% for my white 4runner...will the lights still show day and night?

 

[josh220]

also forgot to ask...is the 20% tint too dark?...or should I go with the 35% for my white 4runner...will the lights still show day and night?

If I am not mistaken, tail light tint is not measured the same way window tint is. So 35% is darker than 20% when talking about tail light tint, whereas 20% is darker than 30% on window tint.

For tail lights, the % refers to how much light is BLOCKED, rather than how much light is let in. So 35% tint is the darkest when referring to tail lights, because it blocks 35% of the light (meaning your brake lights are reduced by 35%.) This is why I haven't done this mod yet, I don't want some ******* rammed up my ass because he didn't notice my brake lights as much.

 

[KGB4187]

You say you replaced the interior bulbs? What does that look like? Same orangish color? Could you post some night shots? Thanks.