cackalak han

And by "idiot", I mean you'd have to be an idiot not to do these. Only applies to 01+ 4Runners (all except 1).

1) Rear diff extention. So easy and inexpensive to do.
2) VSC/TRAC on/off switch
3) DRL disable

I just did #3 tonight. I don't know why I waited so long. It literally took me 2 minutes to do. I only snipped the wire, and taped up the ends. Did not wire up the switch, as I will never need to use DRL again. It was snowing like crazy earlier this week and I could not turn off the headlights. If some of you don't know, it sometimes helps to turn off your headlights in a snow storm, because the light will reflect off the snow and you can't even see the road. Really frustrating when you can't turn off your headlights. Anyway, just letting all you 01-02 owners know, these are a MUST mods. Get to it!

Now I've gotta do the fog light mod....

RobD

Uh, for the most part, I agree that disabling your DRLs is an idiot mod.

Daytime running lights make you stand out from the background. When you're driving in a limited visibility situation, having your lights on makes you far more visible to other road users. This makes them less likely to pull out in front of you or make a lane change without seeing you.

The small amount of light given off by the DRLs on your vehicle should not make a huge difference in reflectivity off the snow. I highly doubt that you're getting enough glare back from the snow that you can't see the road. Are you suggesting that, in daylight hours, you are blinded by them? Or are you suggesting that you run without lights at night so you can see the road better? If the visibility is that reduced, why are you even out on the roads?

And if you're going to question my background, I've taught defensive driving for nearly 18 years, from novices to experienced drivers (oilfield service company presently) and in a country where DRLs have been manditory since 1990. One of our cardinal rules, even with DRL equipped vehicles, is "lights on at all times". I drive with low beams on, in all weather conditions. They are brighter than your DRLs and I have no loss in visibility.

Your suggestion borders on dangerous and irresponsibile.

ozziesironmanoffroad

i think DRLs are retarded. i dunno, if i had an 01+ with them, id do #3 too.

cackalak han

I'm not even going to bother responding to your post. Oh, Canada!

98sr5tacoma

omg i had drl on my old geo tracker and it bugged the crap out of me especially when i was younger and more irresponsible makes cops notice you when you shouldnt be somewhere

RobD

Regardless of whether you think they're retarded, or whether you believe that it makes you more conspicuous to the cops, they do work. They cut down on your chance of collision by making other people notice you.

But hey, if you're not interested in lowering your risk, that's your right.

And I hate to point it out to you, but you did respond to my post.

CJM

DRL are dumb, they make a switch to turn on your headlights..use it in low visibility conditions in the daytime...that simple.

However making you have them on period with no off switch..wtf.. This is another thing that car makers must do b/c someone else thought it was a good idea. Just like inspecting carsfor emmissions and antilock brakes..

98sr5tacoma

they are idiot proofing, numbing and fattening are cars up just the way americans like it. ignoring the people who truly enjoy driving. there are some exceptions to that though

X-AWDriver

I think that's a bit extreme of a comment since DRLs didn't show up til '01 and I don't feel less safe driving my '99 w/o 'em.

DRLs burn out higher performance bulbs quicker but DRLs do have a safety margin built in but it's not irresponsible to not have them.

It is a waste to have them on on a sunny day but I turn on my lights in any kind of precip and visiblity conditions call for me to be more visible.

312necro213

what is the significance of the breather extension in greater depth?

sleepy970

The diff breather ext helps keep water and other crapp out of your diff when wheelin. Go through some water deep enough to cover your axle most likely get muddy water inside and can cause problems down the road. Ext to where they will be well above any water that you go through no water in your diff.

FavreRunner

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

cackalak han

Ok, I didn't want this to turn into some kind of a bash fest. I can't believe that one guy said it was sooo dangerous not to have DRL's. How about he take the lift off of his rig, because that might cause him to roll over or cause unnecessary harm or death if he were to get in an accident with a passenger car? How about he not use his pioneer deck and XM satelite radio, since it will distract him from the road when messing with it or unable to hear other cars. How about we all shut ourselves in our rooms in fear of what might happen in the scary outside world.

Mods, maybe this thread should be locked.

rearviewmirror

I like my DRLs.

I used to really like my DRLs..
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f2/i...-drl-s-127697/

AntiVenom7

only, if not everyone is using them. if everyone had their lights on during the day, you would be a lot less likely to notice them.

rearviewmirror

Now that is flawed logic....

312necro213

Thanks for telling me that... I think I should go get my diffs flushed today :X as some of you know it rained really hard lately in california oregon and washington... so I went wheeling :X no diff ext :x one more question, where can I get the parts for a diff drop?

techno

For all you anti-drl guys and girls out there, do a little research on the web and you will find that in northern countries and locations like Canada, Alaska, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Russia etc etc, DRL's have been proven many times to noticably reduce the chances of accidents occurring from visibilty issues. Northern latitude locations have lower ambient light levels during the day, especially in winter, making many vehicles more difficult to see. Countries that have made DRL's mandatory have had very good scientific and throroughly researched reason to do so, and not just because someone 'thought it might be good'. Since auto manufactures build vehicles for many countries, it makes economic sense to build certain requirements into everything, there-by eliminating model variations (and saving money). Chevrolet did this many years ago so they can sell identical vehicles in Canada and the US.
So for all you that live closer to the equator (have longer daylight hours with higher light levels) and think that your DRL's are stupid and unnessessary, then your probably right. And for you guys that live closer to the north pole and appreciate your drls, you are also right.
But wake the f&*k up everyone and remember that the world doesnt revolve around you and your little Toyota, there's much more going around the globe that you dont know about.

kcebes

Why not just turn on your headlights then?

I disabled mine for wheeling purposes. Spotters get blinded and have a hard time getting you down rocky trails when you have your DRL's on. Especially in wooded areas where it gets kind of dark.

James Dean

DRLs are just a built in safety feature. Most people are not smart enought to turn on there headlights during the day or at dusk and dawn. I read in Bodyshop News Magazine that a vehicle with DRLs is 23% less likely to be hit because of added visibilty. I don't want to get hit. That's why I use my headlights all the time. If you want to be able to turn them off, invest in a $4 switch.

BTW - DRLs usually only send 50% power to headlights.

What I hate are airbags. I know they help in really bad accidents, but I've seen more people injured from them than protected by them. Especially in minor accidents. Plus they usually add $2000-$5000 dollars to a repair if deployed. If your wearing your seat belt, airbags are rarely needed.