Wr00m

iTrader: (1)

3 weeks ago I've successfully installed a pair of 1157 LED Switchbacks purchased from iJDMToy (LINK HERE).

HERE IS WHAT THE BULB LOOKS LIKE:


Thanks to Big mo and his step by step installation guide (HERE) I did it in about an hour or so.

I was happy with the switchbacks but noticed that the light they produced had a little hint of green in it and was especially noticeably after i installed a 4500k HID kit in my fogs.

HERE IS WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE:




I've contacted iJDMToy to see if I got a defective set but they stated that all sets are like that. Due to the bulb using 57 SMDs for both, white and amber, the two colors mix and produce a white with a hint of green. Their customer service was pretty fair and I ended up purchasing a second set of LED Switchbacks from them. A "Hight Power 1157 LED Switchback" that looked and worked like a mini projector and produced a pure white light according to iJDMToy(HERE IS THE LINK TO THE BULB)

HERE IS A PICTURE OF IT:


I have installed this set today and would like to share my experience with you guys as I'm sure there are a few people out there looking to get those LED Switchbacks installed.

First I've tested the bulb just to see the output color and power and I gotta tell you the bulb is hella bright. The color is pure white to white with a little hint of blue, depending on the angle of view.

HERE ARE A COUPLE OF PICTURES:




Unfortunately the way the bulb is designed, it produces(projects) a bright hot spot and does not reflect much light off the reflectors inside the housing. So the light appears to be uneven and concentrated in the middle.

HERE IS WHAT I MEAN:





I liked the color output of the new bulb set better than the old one so I had to make it work for me. I had to get rig of that hot spot and make the light reflect evenly off the reflector in the housing. I noticed that there is a plastic diffuser inside the housing, right in front of the bulb. So I took a piece of tin foil and wrapped it around the diffuser.



HERE IS THE DIFFERENCE IT MADE. BOTH NEW BULBS, DIFFUSER COVERED ON THE RIGHT:



HERE IS THE NEW(RIGHT) BULB WITH DIFFUSER COVERED AND THE OLD(LEFT) BULB



I then, after, found some left over chrome vinyl and used that on both diffusers instead of the tin foil. It almost made no difference, tin foil was as good.

HERE IS THE FINISHED PRODUCT. NEW SET OF HIGH POWER LED SWITCHBACKS FROM iJDMToy WITH COVERED DIFFUSERS:












Sorry for the long post and many pictures.

Hope this will help some of you guys to purchase the right bulb for your setup without wasting extra time and money.

23109VC

Wow! Great post! I am about to buy these and have been unsure which to get... I don't care for the greenish tint of the first set, but the hot spot on the second set is a problem too

The color looks good on second set though. Didn't someone else post about switchbacks that got a smd bulb but in a different style that was more pure white??? Ill look for it

Thx for info and great pics!

potmilkz

two things..

1st.. that color match is good.

2nd.. what happen do your bumper?

btw the switchbacks that i got from ijdmtoy was the same as your first set.. mine matched perfectly with the 6000k drl's that i have.. which is the same as yours.. dunno why yours came out greenish..

Wr00m

iTrader: (1)

Some A**h*le drove into the car on the parking lot. I was petty pissed as the car is like new, it's spotless, well with the exception of the bumper now.

Big mo has the same DRLs and switchbacks(first set) and was saying that his match as well. I dunno, maybe my DRLs are not the same or I got a bad set of switchbacks OR I'm just being to picky. In any case I'm more happy with my second set, now that I was able to modify the diffuser and eliminate that hot spot. Plus I still have the old set as a backup.

KarKraze

Very nice write up and experiment,i have the same set up as your first set and have the same colour match issue.
Looks very good!!

deuce415

iTrader: (1)

This is a great post. I was undecided about the bulbs to get and this post helped quite a bit. I like the color of your DRL, what bulbs did you end up putting in for your DRL?

Zelaya

iTrader: (1)

Thank you for write up Vroom, you did a great job showing the difference bulbs. I see you added a aluminum foil inside the housing, how is that holding up with the heat? Now I've to decide either order the 60 smd or high power projector to get the slight blue tint but I'm sure the projector bulb will be more brighter.

Any plans on the rear turn signals?

Wr00m

iTrader: (1)

Thanks man.

If you're having the same color match issue then maybe the high power switchbacks is your solution.

I went with the iJDMToy Xenon White 120-SMD 360-degree shine 9005(LINK HERE) but you gotta get the Special LED Daytime Running Light Decoder Wiring Relay Kit(LINK HERE) from iJDMToy for your high beams to work. Mind you the LED high beams are useless and therefore I've upgraded to HID fogs to compensate a little for the lack of high beams. Just check my sig for the progress thread, it's all there with plenty of pictures and links to all parts.

Thanks. I have tested the bulb without the housing for about 10 minutes and it does not heat up at all. There is only 4 SMDs in the bulb, 2 for white and 2 for amber I assume, so it does not heat up. High light output is mostly achieved through using a lens in front of the SMDs as you can see in the picture.


The foil should be just fine. As I mentioned before, though, I've later found some left over chrome vinyl and used that instead of the tin foil. Tin foil is more heat resistant though.

I have not looked into the rear turn signals yet but I will very soon.

Mr Marco

Thanks for the comp. I like those ^ the best, but if it doesn't make my car drive faster, corner better or toast a Hyundia at a green light I just don't want to spend money on it. Cuts into my beer fund.

potmilkz

^^ amen! luckly i live a few blocks from IJDMTOY store and they were looking for someone to test their new bulbs when they came out, i got a free set just for being there 10 mins while they wired it up for me

Zelaya

iTrader: (1)

^^ Just to use your vehicle for testing is great to get freebies but did you had to sign any disclaimer documents just in case they mess your electrical system?

Wr00m

iTrader: (1)

I wish I lived 10 minutes away from them, I'd be as bright as a Christmas tree.

Wr00m

iTrader: (1)

... to each his own. You choose to drink beer in your spare time and I choose to experiment with my car. Eather way, money well wasted imo.

sdelia

Looks good,I have the same as your original switchbacks and mine are greenish also, and its driving me nuts!
Just a question about how they flash though, with the lights on do they flash orange-off or orange-white when you signal? Thanks.

Wr00m

iTrader: (1)

Yeah it was bothering me as well, that's why I switched to the other bulb.
The sequence on both, old and new, bulbs is when turn signal or 4-ways are flashing it's orange-off-orange-off so it's type 2 I believe they are called.

23109VC

i bought yoru exact bulbs... i am about to try the install... do i get at the turn signal housings from the wheel wells??

you were able to remove the light housing completely to put the tinfoil into them and diffuse the light... is it hard to get the entire housing out? does it come out the back..then pull it out via the wheel well? looking at the car from the front and bottom / top... i don't see any way to get access to the bulbs or the housings from the front or bottom of the car..nor via the hood.. looks like i need to go via the wheel well...

23109VC

forget my last post... i was farting around under the car and saw the 10mm bolt..unscrwed that and the housings popped right out.

spent a couple hours and got the bulbs in.

only issue I had is the ijdmtoy bulbs did NOT fit the sockets perfectly. I noticed they wuld wiggle slightly and then that woudl cause the bulbs to either turn off or not cycle from white to amber correctly. what i did was fold a small piece of tinfoi and jammed it down the side.. not far enough to interfere with the prongs at the bottom..just enough to wedge the bulb in place so it wouldnt' wiggle..that held them in tight. otherwise the color/brightness of the bulbs is prefectly find for my wants/needs and the price was right.

i'll ost up some pics later.

thanks for these writups gys. the info sure did help espeically the info about which wires to tap into.

liquidneon

looks great - thanks for the pics and post!