I own an '02 4Runner and was wondering how to hook up some floorboard lighting for my driver and passenger sides.

1. Do I need to wire LED bars up to my dome lighting?
2. And will the additional lighting pull too much power on the dome light wiring?
3. Anybody have any ideas or better alternatives?

Any help will be much appreciated!

 

i would suggest get some LED bars and wiring a relay to the dome which will not cause any problems with power... it is much better than trying to tap directly into the dome lighting though i dont think that LEDs would draw that much power from it.

 

yea, i've been thinking about grabbing that light strip from walmart... but i'm afraid to discover the outcome... i dont have alot of money and it's hard for me to drive at night and not be able to read lips. - i'm hard of hearing, i read lips.

i hate having buyers remorse, knowing that you bought something, which you coulda got something with higher quality.

 

SkyDivingDude - I was thinking about a relay switch and youve got a point about the LEDS not pulling too much, but a relay would be good just for guaranteed protection.

bvet - I would get them from www.superbrightleds.com . I seriouly bought about 15 LED lights at a time for my interior and got them 2 days after i ordered them. And they are high quality too. I definitely wouldnt go to Walmart for my lighting but doing things on the internet are easier especially when your hearing impaired.

 

I hooked up two neon light bars with zip ties under my dash and love the results. I got my power from the bulb that illuminates the change drawer/ashtray. The bulb was burnt out so i just cut the connector off and wired it directly, they come on when you turn on the parking lamps or headlights. Also wired a switch in to turn them off when I don't want em on. This set-up has been working great for me for over a year. Good luck

 

Thanks man. So wait, you got your power from your ashtray light? So if I used that as a power source and then grounded my ground to the black button on my door, would they illuminate every time I opened the doors and turn off when the doors shut?

 

spence1016 is thinking outside the box on this one and i gotta give him props for that but id suggest getting cold cathode lights instead of neon lights if u dont get ur LED bars. The cold cathode lights will be much more efficient on power and they will not heat up the foot area. My friend has a pair and left them on all night and day to test to see how much power drain there was and when he got back into the car he was still able to start it up.

 

AutoZone has LED strips now as well. They are flexible and could be attached just under the base of the dash, wired into your dome light circuit or to the light control circuit used in the dash/radio/ashtray. The overall draw is going to be very minimal. Adding in a relay is not really necessary considering the small amount of amperage you are going to draw using LEDs, either in a strip or singles. Gr8 sounding idea. Need to make some notes on this interior upgrade project.

 

cathodes for the win.. I believe they are cheaper anyways. If I were to do something like this I would want the lights to come on when I open the door. I know the key-ring light comes on when you open the door but I don't know if it draws enough power to be able to light up a couple of cathodes/LED strips. If that route doesnt work I really think the dome light is your best bet. If you're looking for just style with on/off capability then wire up a 12V AC plug that has an on/off switch to your led strip or cathode and use it like that. Most those neon tubes or LED strips you get from a local auto store already have built in AC plugs or some sort of relays. Good luck with this, I'll be looking forward to the outcome.