Love your point about spacer lifts. I thought about a spacer lift but after watching your video about 1st gen tundra lifts, I opted for OME 2885 springs paired with 5100s front and rear. Can't believe how smooth it rides even after a 2 inch lift.
@@208Tyler Every truck that I have owned, (40+ years now) has had a camper shell of some type. If you have a bed rack and you are out in the dirt when it rains you'll find out.
I agree with over spacing the parameters of our vehicles. I did put a leveler kit on mine before I learned that spacers put more stress on our ball joints. (Live and learn) I guess the bed racks are a "look at what I have" thing. Lol. On the lights, I find it irritating a lot of people don't set their after markets right. Oh sure, you can see the world, I can't see a thing! I saw from the video your truck is also a tight fit in the garage😂✌️
I point my ditch lights diagonally off to the sides. I also have lights mounted to the sides from my shell mounted roof rack. I love them for driving off-road at night.
I bought my 04 Toyota Tundra SR5 back in April 2004. First add was a cab high, Snugtop shell. Racks on top. Good for 19 years, Last year I got a GFC. New bumpers, Rebuilt the whole suspension
Thanks for the commentary on the bed racks and camper shells. I'm struggling with deciding which way to go on that right now - for all the reasons you outline.
Well said, OEM geometries were carefully designed. I bought a bedrack, the one I have mounts via clamps to the rails. These rails are not rated for much load, especially that load being pinpointed to 4 points. Even unloaded with additional weight, over a couple years of washboards every day, my bedrails began to crack. I removed it and will never go back to a rack. I will be building it into a utility trailer though for mounting kayaks and canoes to!
I have an 04 Tundra. Last year I upgraded from a Snugtop to a GFC after owining it for 20 years. The GFC pre install prep instructions thst I recieved. For an 04 Tundra? Not much. For newer Tacomas? You need to do some prep work to beef up the bed rails. Not the weight of the shell. But when you set it up and sleep in it.
I agree with all you say about not needing all the gear, but there are some areas more remote I’ve been to like the dollhouse in canyon lands that are closer to overlanding based off time, not mileage. Also 100% agree about doing suspension modifications for performance, not for lift.
Absolutely. There are some 40 mile stretches of road that can be done in minutes. I’ve also seen it take 3-4 hours just because of how narrow and bumpy a forest service road is. That’s a big difference if there’s an emergency or a miscue during your trip.
Added ditch lights to my 4runner because of where we live. We live in rural AZ, several miles off of paved roads. There are no street lights so cross roads can be hard to see. It's also open range so going around these dark corners can be a surprise of cattle or burros. I actually use them as the name implies. Seems like most aim them as driving lights.
I bought my 4runner, used, from a Toyota dealer. It had a spacer lift, I'm assuming to clear the oversized tires. I think this is acceptable for a 4runner that spends the vast majority of its time on pavement. I mentioned in another comment that I live several miles from paved roads. Many of our roads are unmaintained. I exchanged the spacers for a lifted suspension kit.
If the lights are mounted in an area that the light reflects into your eyes, e.g. mounted on the hood, above the windshield (reflecting off the hood), they are hurting your night vision, not helping.
All that was somewhat of an interesting soft-core rant. And I agree with all of it. But most of it is personal preference or at worst an expensive learning experience. I' older so I have many personal and expensive learning experience. One yo left out if used as a daily driver is a dash cam. Yeah I know, yada yada. but I got a cheap one because I like gadgets. And it saved me $25,000. No joke. At least it made the whole totaling of my last truck so much easier (not my fault BTW). Now for those projected headlights. (no capper for me though,, I'll stick with my tonneau cover, which I cheaped out on but works fine)
Yup! No huge issues if you have one of these, though the spacer lift can cause a lot of problems, and I view smoked headlight lenses as a safety concern. Ya! Dashcams! In the back of my head I know I need to get one haha
Awesome video man. Well said across the board. Maybe just defending ditch lights because I have them, but being offroad when it's dark in Alaska, they have been helpful to me. Roof lights that point sideways could fill a similar role, just more annoying to wire. The one thing I don't understand are "Ditch lights" that are pointed forward or in any direction that isn't down and out. And like you said, huge ditch lights. You don't need a massive light if it's pointed at the ground 6 ft away from you.
Thanks! Ya dude, super easy to wire when they’re right by the engine bay! I’m not a massive fan of the aesthetics and if at all possible would mount the same light, pointing in a similar direction, on the front bumper.
@208Tyler that's understandable. I like being able to look 90 degrees to my left and right when going through rusted areas, water crossings, and the like in the dark. Just depends on your use ultimately.
bed racks seem like a bad idea. all of your gear is exposed to prying eyes and the elements. all of your gear will get dusty, wet, etc. not a good idea. spend more on the camper shell!
camper shells are ugly, if you sleep in there you have to remove gear, you can make your gear inaccessible to thieves perfectly fine with a bed rack, they are lightweight, my rooftop tent is also only 76 pounds.
@@208Tyler WAY too heavy for what I do with my truck, also cant carry all my gear in a drawer system. Compressor, and recovery gear, tools, drawers can only fit some typical camping stuff
@@Skate2rev I fit all of that in a rifle case under one drawer. It certainly weighs less than 76 lbs. Here’s an overview of my setup: m.ruclips.net/video/Y0d3gxaGLzo/видео.html
@@Skate2rev sure. I misread that. However, I am skeptical know that the difference between your 76 lb roof top tent (+ bed rack weight) and my camper shell is appreciable. My camper shell is probably in the 120-180 range. And for relatively small weight differences, I feel like there’s a huge pro to the security and dust/water resistance a shell provides. Then put in a small wooden floor raised on one side (not exactly a drawer setup, that’s what the video I linked shows) and you don’t have to move gear around to sleep.
I disagree about the LED headlights. A pack of good halogens is $30 or higher, at my local auto parts. In my small shop, I install maybe 50 $40 LED Hikari lights a year for an awesome upgraded night driving experience. LED vs halogen is 3 times brighter and lasts 3 times as long. a projector headlight assembly doesn't save as much money over time. But it is even better when you pair LED's with the housings.
I’m dying to see the cutoff line on these LED’s in a reflector housing… anything I’ve seen of those style LED’s, they do not have good cutoff lines. Which means you are annoying and blinding other drivers
@@208Tyler you can adjust the LED's focal pattern. No one gets flashed according to my customers. if you align the headlights properly you are golden. I wouldn't recommenced projector headlights assemblies unless you were upgrading from a sealed headlight bulb assembly on an old toyota pickup to an open housing that takes a 9003 h4 led bulb. just unnecessary.
@@PseudonymAliase since halogen headlights are a point light source, and LED’s are not (the chips take up more space, and are less of a “point”) it’s really difficult if not impossible to avoid scatter on the LEDs. Even my LED mini projectors, which I liked a lot, were not terrific. If you haven’t yet done so, please go compare cutoff lines between halogen, plug n play LED’s, and factory or aftermarket retrofits. To test your lights on oncoming traffic and settle for “not getting flashed” results instead of just doing side by side comparisons (which I have been able to do over the years) seems insufficient. You yourself literally do not know what the cutoff line looks like, you’re just guessing.
@@208Tyler The cost of $100-$500 materials and $70-$210 in labor to install projector housings for certain models, could never compete to throwing in $40 LED's for what you get out of it. And my customers vote with their wallet on that one. Your idea might be "Cleaner light" but the quest to perfection costs lots more money. I don't sell any projection housings to people because they don't care to pay that much. Another thing I like doing is replacing backup and dome lights with LED for way better visibility.
@PseudonymAliase In the US, it is illegal to use aftermarket LEDs in headlights. With a projector retrofit, it can still be argued they are not allowed, but in a halogen housing, it's definitely illegal.
If you’re listening on headphones, yes. Recording in the garage occasionally catches my furnace and freezer running. Is that what you’re referring too?
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
Love your point about spacer lifts. I thought about a spacer lift but after watching your video about 1st gen tundra lifts, I opted for OME 2885 springs paired with 5100s front and rear. Can't believe how smooth it rides even after a 2 inch lift.
Also, thanks for the 20percent off code for OnX😉
Got the premium membership just in time for my trip to Palo Duro Canyon this week
Awesome man! That’s a great setup. Mines still working fine after all these miles
And sweet! Glad I could hook you up with it.
If I were to do it again I definitely wouldn’t black out the reflector. I did mine years ago and it was just “what you do”. It looks goofy to me now
Yup. There was a time where that was the go to aesthetic, but anymore I think the chrome is a lot better look!
Love my ditch lights. I kwwp them pointed in a way that does not reduce my night vision and helps my passenger and I see wildlife off to the sides.
Nice! Glad they work well for you
Same here!
Nothing beats a camper shell for ease to live with, cost, mpg, functionality.
Totally! I love mine
@@208Tyler Every truck that I have owned, (40+ years now) has had a camper shell of some type. If you have a bed rack and you are out in the dirt when it rains you'll find out.
I agree with over spacing the parameters of our vehicles. I did put a leveler kit on mine before I learned that spacers put more stress on our ball joints. (Live and learn)
I guess the bed racks are a "look at what I have" thing. Lol.
On the lights,
I find it irritating a lot of people don't set their after markets right. Oh sure, you can see the world, I can't see a thing!
I saw from the video your truck is also a tight fit in the garage😂✌️
Yes! Aim your lights, and only use lights that provide a good cutoff line.
Yup! I’ve got about 1’ max of room
Haha. But it was a good find!
1st gen Tundras do have a stock, OEM ball joint issue. If that lower ball joint fails...you are going to have a very bad day,
I point my ditch lights diagonally off to the sides. I also have lights mounted to the sides from my shell mounted roof rack. I love them for driving off-road at night.
I bought my 04 Toyota Tundra SR5 back in
April 2004. First add was a cab high, Snugtop shell. Racks on top.
Good for 19 years, Last year I got a GFC. New bumpers, Rebuilt the whole suspension
first owner.
A truck built to keep.
That sounds like a terrific build! I’d love to have a GFC someday
@@208Tyler GFC was the only camper that would build an old school Tundra shell.
Sick scout putting in some work
Oh ya, terrific vehicle and build!
Thanks for the commentary on the bed racks and camper shells. I'm struggling with deciding which way to go on that right now - for all the reasons you outline.
You bet! It’s a toughie.
But if you don’t use your truck for frequent hauling, I’d pick the shell
@@208Tyler yeah, I’m leaning that direction
Well said, OEM geometries were carefully designed. I bought a bedrack, the one I have mounts via clamps to the rails. These rails are not rated for much load, especially that load being pinpointed to 4 points. Even unloaded with additional weight, over a couple years of washboards every day, my bedrails began to crack. I removed it and will never go back to a rack. I will be building it into a utility trailer though for mounting kayaks and canoes to!
Indeed!
Nice, that sounds fun
I have an 04 Tundra. Last year I upgraded from a Snugtop to a GFC after owining it for 20 years. The GFC pre install prep instructions thst I recieved. For an 04 Tundra? Not much. For newer Tacomas? You need to do some prep work to beef up the bed rails. Not the weight of the shell. But when you set it up and sleep in it.
I agree with all you say about not needing all the gear, but there are some areas more remote I’ve been to like the dollhouse in canyon lands that are closer to overlanding based off time, not mileage. Also 100% agree about doing suspension modifications for performance, not for lift.
Absolutely. There are some 40 mile stretches of road that can be done in minutes. I’ve also seen it take 3-4 hours just because of how narrow and bumpy a forest service road is. That’s a big difference if there’s an emergency or a miscue during your trip.
Simple, good, well thought out advice!
Thank you sir
Could not agree more! Good stuff Tyler!
Thank you Ken!
Added ditch lights to my 4runner because of where we live.
We live in rural AZ, several miles off of paved roads. There are no street lights so cross roads can be hard to see. It's also open range so going around these dark corners can be a surprise of cattle or burros.
I actually use them as the name implies. Seems like most aim them as driving lights.
Makes sense to me! Glad you have something that works
Excellent advice as always. Thank you.
Thank you, I appreciate it. Thanks for watching and commenting!
I bought my 4runner, used, from a Toyota dealer. It had a spacer lift, I'm assuming to clear the oversized tires.
I think this is acceptable for a 4runner that spends the vast majority of its time on pavement.
I mentioned in another comment that I live several miles from paved roads. Many of our roads are unmaintained.
I exchanged the spacers for a lifted suspension kit.
I think retrofitted projectors in chrome or black and chrome housing is pretty dope. But I may be biased lol
If the lights are mounted in an area that the light reflects into your eyes, e.g. mounted on the hood, above the windshield (reflecting off the hood), they are hurting your night vision, not helping.
Yup! The ones I used to have in my roof were pointed out 45* and didn’t catch the hood. They worked great
But how will I pull all of the mud bugs out on the trail?
All that was somewhat of an interesting soft-core rant. And I agree with all of it. But most of it is personal preference or at worst an expensive learning experience. I' older so I have many personal and expensive learning experience. One yo left out if used as a daily driver is a dash cam. Yeah I know, yada yada. but I got a cheap one because I like gadgets. And it saved me $25,000. No joke. At least it made the whole totaling of my last truck so much easier (not my fault BTW). Now for those projected headlights. (no capper for me though,, I'll stick with my tonneau cover, which I cheaped out on but works fine)
Yup! No huge issues if you have one of these, though the spacer lift can cause a lot of problems, and I view smoked headlight lenses as a safety concern.
Ya! Dashcams! In the back of my head I know I need to get one haha
Awesome video man. Well said across the board. Maybe just defending ditch lights because I have them, but being offroad when it's dark in Alaska, they have been helpful to me. Roof lights that point sideways could fill a similar role, just more annoying to wire.
The one thing I don't understand are "Ditch lights" that are pointed forward or in any direction that isn't down and out. And like you said, huge ditch lights. You don't need a massive light if it's pointed at the ground 6 ft away from you.
Thanks!
Ya dude, super easy to wire when they’re right by the engine bay!
I’m not a massive fan of the aesthetics and if at all possible would mount the same light, pointing in a similar direction, on the front bumper.
@208Tyler that's understandable. I like being able to look 90 degrees to my left and right when going through rusted areas, water crossings, and the like in the dark. Just depends on your use ultimately.
Yup that’s fun. I had roof lights that pointed out at 90* and I did like them
Any thoughts on vavle adjustments on these engines I have a 2004 and am having a hard time finding reliable sources?
Are you supposed to do it? Yes.
Do I know anyone who has? No
Do a lot of these trucks hit 300k anyhow? Yes
Do with that what you will.
I agree on the ditch lights😂
Finally a fellow ditch-light ditcher
Yes you are right about spacer lift, has all looks and no function
Yup. I was never quite happy with the 1 spacer lift I had and swapped it out pretty quickly
PS which headlight do you have now? the same ones as listed in the "show more"?
I have the ones from this video:
ruclips.net/video/fSn17LT_Zog/видео.html
Sorry, the video description isn’t updated
Bed rack with torneau cover helps with security
Ya… but like I said, I’m not sleeping under a tonneau cover or fitting a fridge under it.
bed racks seem like a bad idea. all of your gear is exposed to prying eyes and the elements. all of your gear will get dusty, wet, etc. not a good idea. spend more on the camper shell!
That’s what it seems like to me too!
I just keep mind simple and basic no need for who has the most Equipment 😂.
Like comment subscribe
Thanks! Haha
camper shells are ugly, if you sleep in there you have to remove gear, you can make your gear inaccessible to thieves perfectly fine with a bed rack, they are lightweight, my rooftop tent is also only 76 pounds.
No….? Maybe ugly, but just build a drawer, keep your stuff in there, and then sleep on top of the drawer.
@@208Tyler WAY too heavy for what I do with my truck, also cant carry all my gear in a drawer system. Compressor, and recovery gear, tools, drawers can only fit some typical camping stuff
@@Skate2rev I fit all of that in a rifle case under one drawer. It certainly weighs less than 76 lbs.
Here’s an overview of my setup: m.ruclips.net/video/Y0d3gxaGLzo/видео.html
@@208Tyler Your camper shell and drawers combined is what im talking about weighing more than my set up bud...........
@@Skate2rev sure. I misread that.
However, I am skeptical know that the difference between your 76 lb roof top tent (+ bed rack weight) and my camper shell is appreciable. My camper shell is probably in the 120-180 range.
And for relatively small weight differences, I feel like there’s a huge pro to the security and dust/water resistance a shell provides. Then put in a small wooden floor raised on one side (not exactly a drawer setup, that’s what the video I linked shows) and you don’t have to move gear around to sleep.
I disagree about the LED headlights. A pack of good halogens is $30 or higher, at my local auto parts. In my small shop, I install maybe 50 $40 LED Hikari lights a year for an awesome upgraded night driving experience. LED vs halogen is 3 times brighter and lasts 3 times as long. a projector headlight assembly doesn't save as much money over time. But it is even better when you pair LED's with the housings.
I’m dying to see the cutoff line on these LED’s in a reflector housing… anything I’ve seen of those style LED’s, they do not have good cutoff lines. Which means you are annoying and blinding other drivers
@@208Tyler you can adjust the LED's focal pattern. No one gets flashed according to my customers. if you align the headlights properly you are golden. I wouldn't recommenced projector headlights assemblies unless you were upgrading from a sealed headlight bulb assembly on an old toyota pickup to an open housing that takes a 9003 h4 led bulb. just unnecessary.
@@PseudonymAliase since halogen headlights are a point light source, and LED’s are not (the chips take up more space, and are less of a “point”) it’s really difficult if not impossible to avoid scatter on the LEDs.
Even my LED mini projectors, which I liked a lot, were not terrific.
If you haven’t yet done so, please go compare cutoff lines between halogen, plug n play LED’s, and factory or aftermarket retrofits.
To test your lights on oncoming traffic and settle for “not getting flashed” results instead of just doing side by side comparisons (which I have been able to do over the years) seems insufficient. You yourself literally do not know what the cutoff line looks like, you’re just guessing.
@@208Tyler The cost of $100-$500 materials and $70-$210 in labor to install projector housings for certain models, could never compete to throwing in $40 LED's for what you get out of it. And my customers vote with their wallet on that one. Your idea might be "Cleaner light" but the quest to perfection costs lots more money. I don't sell any projection housings to people because they don't care to pay that much.
Another thing I like doing is replacing backup and dome lights with LED for way better visibility.
@PseudonymAliase In the US, it is illegal to use aftermarket LEDs in headlights. With a projector retrofit, it can still be argued they are not allowed, but in a halogen housing, it's definitely illegal.
Audio terrible
If you’re listening on headphones, yes. Recording in the garage occasionally catches my furnace and freezer running. Is that what you’re referring too?
Sounds great to me!