Taco Tuesday side shot using Samsung S8+ and Adobe Photoshop Elements

My recently acquired Samsung S8 plus has a 'pro' mode where you can save pics in in RAW form. For all the non-photographers out there it is an uncompressed picture file. What that does is not to shrink the shot into a jpeg with some algorithms to make the pic look nice. RAW sounds what it means. It's literally a raw file for someone to tweak the way they want. A typical jpeg file size on this phone is around 2-3 megabytes. A RAW file is around 24 megabytes so you can tell there's a lot more info to work with.

So yesterday I took a few shots and I used a sideshot which came out decent. I wanted to remove a few things to reduce clutter and distractions.

If you look at my before and after you can see the trailer on the right is gone and so is the light post. A few other things were removed too. I'm pretty slow at it so this took me an hour and while I could have done more I didn't since it's not going to be for distribution.

Check it out and let me know what you think.

after and before pics. Oh what an hour makes!

same pic as above but I wanted to go big

Picked up some Kbros I mean KO2

Today I found a deal on a set of TRD Pro wheels from a 17 Tacoma with BFG KO2s. The price was too good to avoid. The current wheel tire set up has some sort of vibration coming on and off at around 65-70 mph so I thought I may as well try another set of wheels just to make sure it's not something on the truck. I mean make an excuse to get more wheels and tires that is. haha.

The Goodyear Duratrac tires do look really good and aggressive but there's a hum that unless you turn up the music it's there and you can feel the tires wind down to a stop.

No freeway tests on the Kbro yet but I'll post some youtube feedback on it soon.

Kbros

duratracs

got dark quick so the pick isn't that clear but you get the jist.

gansta lean using a slider adapter

So since I was getting my sliders put on the Taco, I asked Ryan from Shmellfab to hook up his Hi-Lift jack using this custom adapter to lift up the side of my truck. Everybody who sells sliders like to do this to show how strong their sliders are and how it can support the weight of the truck so why not me, right?

Check out the video...the slider didn't budge

Sliders and Tacos do mix!!!

I recently decided in case my mall crawler ever hits dirt I should have protection. After doing research and seeing the costs of shipping a set to me I decided to see if there were any local fabricators.

I found one on the forum I've frequented a lot Tacoma World in the 2nd gen forums. Ryan of Shmellfab only has 1 thread posting about his work. The good thing is the mounting points of a 3rd (2016-2017) gen Tacoma are exactly the same as a 2nd generation (2005-2015) Tacoma. He does have to make an adjustment to the front of the slider when he builds it but that's about it. Another reason I wanted to go local is that he would install it. I'm a DIY guy as you know but certain things I leave it to the professionals especially when it comes to something heavy above my head.

I stopped by his home where he builds the sliders and we did a video to showcase his work and install.

I have to say his work is clean and they are solid on the Taco.

If you're local I'd recommend buying his products.

Video and pics of his work.

mall crawling door ding protector

custom removable step

My son Jesse supervising Ryan's install

Spend $2 and avoid an accident - cheapest Tacoma mod to date

Well not technically the cheapest as removing the emblems and bed stickers cost me zero dollars but dollar for dollar and time wise it is the cheapest mod to date.

I'm talking about blind spot mirrors.

I got them from ebay for $2 shipped and for the driver's side it was totally worth it. I've missed some cars even with doing a 2nd take. Maybe because I'm distracted, getting older, or just too into the music while driving this little device will save me time and money as well as sadness hurting my baby taco.

Take a look at my youtube video to explain it further.

As always, stay tuned...

My 2 cars are manuals and boxy

I guess I like straight lines a lot.

They're exactly 30 years apart but both have a straight hood and 'trunk.'

The Bimmer has "massive" 15 inch wheels and the Taco has "tiny" 16s.

Both are stick shift but the E30 has a aftermarket short shifter while the Taco has a somewhat longer throw but it's actually smoother.

E30 clutch is like doing a leg press. I actually got foot pain (plantar faciitis) from driving it straight for 2 months. I do have to admit wearing slip on shoes didn't help. The Taco clutch is light as a feather.

Bimmer has a single piston front brake while the Taco has 4 of them instead like you see in Brembos.

All in all they're different and I wouldn't have it any other way. I may need an automatic in my life though. lol

At the end of the day I'm a car guy. It will never end until the day I die but I think my kids will continue the legacy.

E30 is back and I cleaned her up!

After 2 months of letting it sit due to stalling issues, she's back home and running.

This pic is when the flatbed took her home. I didn't have time to sit in 2 hours of traffic to pick it up. AAA is my best buddy. haha

I washed her up before the sunset! My new Samsung S8+ really picks up low light well.

So I came home today and rushed to polish the hazy hood, roof and trunk. Took me 30 minutes to handle this. I think it did a good job.

Tell me your thoughts.

Immirsed in Virtual Reality with the Samsung VR Experience for my S8+

I paid $99 + tax extra for Samsung's VR promo which not only included the VR goggles and remote I got their 256GB micro sd car as well as AKG bluetooth over the ear headphones.

These alone sell closer to $500 so it was a good deal. They actually sold out within days after the preorders of the S8 and S8+ started arriving to homes.

I have to say I'm digging it even though it gave me a little vertigo.

I'm loving the S8+ phone as well. Glad I upgraded.

My unboxing video is here! Watch it for some unpacking tips. 

New car seat for my princess in the Taco

My 6 month old daughter outgrew her infant seat so quickly so I had to find something that was not only safe but not so bulky since the Taco doesn't have the largest cabin. My 2015 Golf R was the roomiest vehicle I've owned in the past few years but that's another story (see past posts).

I went with the Diono Radian RXT.

One of the biggest benefits to this seat is that it fits kids from 5 pounds all the way to 120 pounds. So it's her last seat.

I'm 6' 1" and was able to get this seat in the middle spot which usually doesn't happen especially since this is longer than several other brands. The secret is the width. It's 17 inches wide. With a mid-sized vehicle you can actually line up 3 of these seats which is amazing. They usually can only accommodate 2 and squeeze in a think adult or child.


If you want to buy one check it out on Amazon  click here

Out with the old (LG V20) and in with the new! (Samsung S8+)

I finally swapped out my LG V20 for a Samsung S8+ and I'm really happy so far. I haven't done a review on the S8+ yet but I can tell you it's MUCH better than the V20 except for the microphone pickup quality.

I did an unboxing and Ringke case review. full review coming on my Youtube channel.