LED bulbs are much brighter and blink more sharply than the bulbs in a standard Tacoma blinker.
The video above is from the Taco Twonz YouTube channel and it showcases the remarkably simple task of upgrading the front turn signal bulbs in the current generation of the Toyota Tacoma. For modern Taco owners who want to personalize their pickups a bit, changing the amber turn signal bulbs is about as easy of a project as it gets while also making a significant difference in their basic function.
For anyone who has made this bulb swap in the past, the video might seem unnecessary, but for someone considering this upgrade, the clip shows that the project truly takes no special skills, knowledge or tools.
The Introduction
The video begins with one of the hosts of the channel explaining the project. This channel is hosted by two Toyota fans, Tuan and Toan, and together, they are the “Taco Twonz,” but we don’t know which of the hosts is appearing in this video.
In any case, he begins by explaining the project and giving us a look at the JDM AStar LED bulbs that are being installed. He explains that the swap is “super easy”, as the bulbs on the 2016 through 2019 Tacoma are conveniently located under the hood, so there is no “squeezing your hand through anything” to access the bulbs.
We also get a
look at the bulbs with their built-in resistors, which help to prevent “hyper
flash” that comes with some cheaper LED replacement bulbs.
The Swap
Once the video host has popped the hood of his Toyota Tacoma, we get a look at the location of the turn signal bulbs, both of which are easily accessible. The stock bulbs are removed by twisting the plug counter-clockwise and pulling them out of the harness plug, while the new LEDs plug right into place without any special preparation. It really is as easy as pulling the plugs out of the headlight assembly, pulling the bulbs out of the plug, inserting the new LED bulbs and replacing the plug next to the headlights.
Once the host has changed one, he shows the difference between the stock Tacoma bulb and the new LED, and that difference is remarkable. As you can see in the image below, the LED is far brighter and in the video, you can see that the LED blinks much more quickly. The standard bulb almost fades in and out while the LED blinks sharply, making the new turn signals much more noticeable.
While this is a
simple upgrade, it makes a big difference in the current Toyota Tacoma and
anyone can do it.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
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