Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi All,

I would like to replace the headlights in my 03 Tacoma and wonder if anyone can suggest which lights to buy. Brand/type/wattage etc.

Also, I was thinking of putting some fog/flood type lamps on a push bar. Any suggestions there?

Looking forward for a great herp year!
Cheers,
Curt

I like white fog lights, mounted low, for road cruising. PIAA makes a great set.
1. they give great added visibility, especially for picking out small snakes on the road if your truck is even stock height.
2. they don't interfere with oncoming traffic so you can leave them on when other cars pass
3. they light up the shoulders and the roadcuts as well

I have used driving lights and some of the super 100watt halogen off road lights, but I prefer a good set of simple 55watt white fog lights any day.

Check your local laws regarding how many lights you can have on, how high/low they can be off the ground, and what types of lights are legal on the highway.
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Chris Harrison

you may have to mount them yourself as to a lot of laws don't allow the off road or axillary lights to perform on your high beams. A toggle or rocker switch is preferably for the use of and a in-line fuse always hooked straight to your battery to keep your other hot fuses from blowing ( at least this is how I've always done it ). But i had many a rocker switch go out while using. I have thought that the unlighted toggle switch is best. Of course i guess this is depending how many amps and watts you are pushing. Generally I have burned anywheres from 150 watts to the 55 watts now on all of my vehicles and on the 55 watts have only had to change bulbs very few times. Right, there are laws in place where you COULD be pulled over and ticketed but doesn't happen very often. One of my friends while in Texas was pulled over and told to turn off his axillary lights and stop using them on high beams. Of course he had some mighty BIG watts of lighting installed. Anybody remember old Bob Macken and his aircraft lights on what I recall was a Datsun or something like that ? We were calling his vehicle the white BB and when he was driving up like the Big Hill on River Road, it looked like either the Aliens craft was landing or a plane was touching ground . LOL !

Welp, Applegate usta use aircraft landing lights on his vehicle back when..usta light half the desert up..and then turned off - folks from a distance saw the off-on lights and phoned in UFO's Now Hollister still usues stick-matches..and when not burning his finger uses to light one of his 400 cigs per night!
All the best,
Bill
Link

in the Langtry area. Man that must be showing our ages on here ! The white BB did the same with Bob coming up the Big Hill and with the speed he traveled either the snake were blinded or they were burnt rather crispy by his lights system . LOL ! I don't know if Bob and Bob was a believer of the dark lunar cycle of hunting because with the lighting they had, I might be inclined to say it didn't matter ! Another LOL ! Heck, I don't know if John H. even needed lights with him being SOUP- UP on nicotine and caffeine. He probably could see herps without having lights.

McChambers;
Don't know if you've heard the rumor: Hollister's work'n on signing a deal w/MJ to make the movie: "Mama Jama." He wants to be the Dr.

Bill
BTW: Next ya chat w/Apllegate ask him bout when he went herp'n the Northwest, Oregon, in '99...and what he may(?) have uncovered
Link

Thanks all,

I've got a lead on some slightly used PIAA 525's but these have white high beams, and yellow low beams. Very leary of the yellow, damn, wish they were white.

Thanks!

I just had Cartoys install a pair of PIAA platinums on my honda crv. They are angled down but really help to light up the road.
For head lights I have the slyvania hyper whites or super whites which also light it up. You probably can use as many lights as you want with one thing in mind... If they cause a disturbance to the on coming traffic, you probably wil be pulled over. Turn off most of your lights or dim your brights and you should be fine. I had Cartoys wire my lights so they can be on at any time (including brights). I also have my car rigged so that I can have my brights on at the same time I have my regular lights. So that is pretty nifty...

Anyway, good look with the lights. The more lights you have the better. Those folks with HID/XENON are lucky. I drove a new mazda "3" hatchback and the lights in it put mine to shame... NO b.s. Wish I could invest in a new vehicle. Like a WRX wagon with Cobb turbo upgrade and HID's in the front.
(as my wife slaps me and says WAKE UP!!!).

Well take care,

Steven Owens

I've purchased 9003ST Sylvania SilverStar Xenon Headlight Bulbs for the headlights, and super bright white 7500K GP Thunder H4 Xenon/Plasma Quartz Bulbs 100W/90W. Both from Ebay, can't wait to try them out! Happy Herping!

You probably can use as many lights as you want with one thing in mind

Steve,

You can only have 4 bulbs lit at any one time on the front of a vehicle in Texas. The laws seem confusing, but I have had them "explained" to me twice by TDPS officers.

In Texas, you also cannot have fog lights on at the same time as your brights, although I don't know how they would notice this (how could they tell they weren't driving lights?). I have an extra pair of fog lights that I use with my brights.

May see you out in W TX this May/June. I'll be the one with only 4 lights burning and fog lights on under my brights LOL.

Chris
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Chris Harrison

Curt,

Not sure if this helps...in Australia our laws are probably different..anyway:

The Front sets of spot lights are a pair of "Light force stalkers (170mm round) with a diffuser protectors...(This spreads the beam further and protects the lights) and a pair of Cibie Oscar SC 's....these are basically a set of rally corning lights that light the road and surrounding scrub up like daylight for about 200 metres. They are all wired through relays and then thru the headlight/high beam switch as well as direct thru a series of toggle switches.

The rear has a set of halogen driving lights (Narva brand) mounted under the ute body.....these come on when reversing or when the overide is flicked.....these are great...when you overshoot the herp on the road flick on these and then run back with your torch I am yet to lose a critter since I have mounted these.

Regards,

Scott Eipper