LED Light Options
FJ Cruisers are very well engi- neered trucks in every aspect. From the interior to mechanical components, and even the electri- cal system, the legendary Toyota quality shines through. However, once modifications begin the OEM systems can become overworked and stressed. This is quickly evi- dent in the electrical system once aftermarket accessories such as radios, lights, winches, amps, and other devices are installed.
Looking at the numbers, the FJ electrical system can be- come overloaded if you’re not careful. The OEM alternator pro- duces 90Amps, and although there are higher-capacity aftermarket options, they can be expensive and
you never know how long they’ll hold up. Much of the available 90Amps can quickly be eaten up by the many devices we add to the system:
4X 100W Halogen Lights: 35.2 Amps 2X 100W Bumper Lights: 17.6 Amps CB Radio: 4 Amps Ham Radio: 8.3 Amps Audio Amp: 6 Amps Total: 67 Amps
When you add that to-
tal to the current your FJ needs to operate, the options start to dwindle quickly. The standard fix is to install a second battery, and that’s a very good option regard- less of how many electronic de- vices you’re running. Even with that backup, you can quickly drain your batteries if you’re using mul- tiple devices at the same time.
Left: A 3” LED flood from JW Speaker may be a solution for the rear bumper
Right: The Putco third brake light LED
This is the primary reason we’ve been working on transitioning as much of our lighting as possible to LED. LED lights draw less current (amperage) than traditional incan- descent lights, and they also last longer. The light most LEDs emit is ‘whiter’ than standard lights, which give a more natural illumi- nation and (in our opinion) make object easier to see in the dark.
Our transition really began
when we replaced our 4 100W hal- ogen lights with a 20” LED Lightbar from Rigid Industries. That change saved us over 30 Amps and is prob- ably the most drastic change we could have done. The JW Speaker TS 3000 LED lights we just installed (Page 22) brought our bumper lights from 17.6 Amps down to about 6 Amps, so that helps out as well.
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