Review: Morimoto X-VF Switchback Front Turn Signal Bulbs
 

I'm a bit of a lighting nut, always searching for the best and brightest for my FR-S. I've tried quite a few switchback bulbs, and have yet to find the "perfect" one for the FR-S' difficult to fill front turn signal housings. My problem could just be that I have yet to spring for the current "best of the best" V3 Triton series from VLED. Wanting to get something close to what I'm told is the ultimate switchback output currently available, but at a price which would cause less injury to my wallet, I was excited to see some months back that Morimoto would be releasing a new line of LED bulbs with a similar looking optic design. Well, the release has happened and I've had a chance to see just how well Morimoto's new design works in our front turn signal housings . . .


Morimoto X-VF Switchback (7443 / White-Amber) Front Turn Signal Bulbs


Design
The "VF" in "X-VF" is shorthand for "Virtual Filament." With this new line of bulbs, Morimoto has attempted to mimic the light transmission properties of a traditional filament based 7443 bulb. To do so, the X-VF is equipped with multiple CREE XB-D emitters mounted inside the lens/virtual filament enclosure. This enclosure, with its conical inner molding and light transmission/reflection properties, aids in helping the X-VF's attempt to mimic the full 360 degree light transmission found in traditional filament bulbs. By firing their LED emitters onto the inner molding, the clear enclosure illuminates while reflecting/transmitting light away from itself and out into the turn signal housing. In addition, an opening at the top of the bulb cap/heat sink projects light forward for additional forward facing illumination.




Fit and Finish
Construction on the X-VF is best described as sturdy, with a fair amount of weight on the upper two-thirds of the bulb. Ribbed, textured aluminum heat sink end pieces sandwich the nicely shaped clear enclosure in place, with the aforementioned lens piece positioned atop. This upper portion of the bulb lends the X-VF a premium feel in hand, and a premium look when hard parked with your lights off at your favorite hangout spot.

The base of the bulb unit is constructed of decidedly less premium, standard fare plastic with metal contacts. Although the contacts appear to be a bit on the thin side, they are decidedly wider than those usually found on your typical 744x LED bulbs; allowing the X-VF better overall contact with our turn signal connectors. While it definitely would have been nice to have these connectors better integrated into the base (in a fashion similar to the Philips X-treme Ultinon 7440 Amber LED Front Turn Signal Bulbs (my review here) or Philips X-treme Ultinon 7443 Red LED Rear Brake Bulbs (my review pending!)) these do the job without the increased cost a Philips like solution would likely have incurred.

While these connectors provide a solid power/signal connection, some may experience issues with the fairly standard (for aftermarket 744x LED bulbs) plastic base size. In my car and some others, this size base does not plug snugly into our 7443 connectors. For those who have issues with LED bulbs loosely fitting (or simply falling out) in their front turn signal connectors, I would suggest:

1. Hold your turn signal connector vertically (bulb side up,) and insert the X-VF bulb.

2. With the bulb inserted, begin to wrap the black plastic base of the X-VF in electrical tape (I recommend Super 88 Vinyl Electrical tape from 3M.)

3. Continue to wrap downwards past the bulb base onto the connector base, applying a slight amount of tension as you wrap.

4. Stop wrapping just before you reach the 4 (or so) plastic tabs protruding outwards from the connector prior to reaching the black rubber grommet.

This should keep the X-VF bulb (as well as most other loose bulbs with a similar plastic base) secure in the housing. I would recommend checking on it occasionally to ensure it stays securely placed and properly aligned (Just as with your headlights, improper bulb alignment here can create inconsistencies in light output from the turn signal reflectors.)



Output
This, of course, is what matters most. And for the X-VF switchbacks, this could stand to be improved upon. When compared to the previous generation Morimoto XB line (the X-VF has been referenced by TRS/Morimoto as the next generation of this line, and is even packaged in a carded blister which reads "XB LED Bulbs") the improvement in brightness is quite obvious. During low light operation, the white parking/running mode is nice, clean, and bright; looking to my eyes to be in the 5000k-ish color range, and fills the reflector well. In turn signal mode, the amber is on the deeper shade of orange color spectrum, definitely visible, but would be quite nice if it were brighter overall.


During daylight operation; if used as a running light, the white is a bit washed out under bright sunny conditions; while the amber turn signal is visible, but dimmer than I prefer in this application. The turn signal brightness during the day reminds me of the intensity/color of most chrome colored filament bulbs.


Taking a look at the wall shot intensity during turn signal operation shows a large overall spread, but less intense hotspot to the aforementioned (non-switchback) Philips Ultinon's. An example; on road at night and from the driver's seat, the Philips Ultinon's will reflect off most signage from around 25-50ft away, across three or four lanes. With the X-VF's however you will be hard pressed to see any reflection off signs; even those directly in front of you at less than 25ft. I've been told by TRS that the single color bulbs (amber, red, and white) would be noticeably brighter, as they would utilize a full complement of like colored XB-D emitters; unlike the switchbacks which must make do with the same number of emitters as their single colored counterparts, but split in half (half amber / half white,) assumedly to fit within the limits of the X-VF's design.

As a bonus, the X-VF's feature a unique "fade on" effect not seen on other LED turn signal bulbs of this type. When switching from amber turn signal back to white running light, the X-VF's slowly fade back up to full intensity, instead of simply popping back on at full brightness like most other LED switchbacks bulbs. Some find this to be gimmicky, while others like the unique look. Personally, I dig it.

While the camera fails to fully pick up the smooth "fade on" transition, here is a quick clip of the X-VF in action:


Price / Availability
Pricing on TRS' site is currently at $45; without utilizing any of the many discount codes available out there. As with most Morimoto products, the X-VF's are also available through a number of other authorized dealers and retailers. Seeing as they just launched at the end of November 2016, they will likely be available to purchase for some time to come.



So, Should You Upgrade?
Maybe.

If you are hoping for a Triton competitor at a quarter of the price, you will be disappointed. But if you just want to upgrade from a lesser switchback, you might want to give these a try; particularly if you have a TRS discount code. Chatter online has been mixed, with some claiming the ~$35 JDMAStar switchbacks and their nearly identical counterparts, the TRS "budget" brand ACME switchbacks, provide brighter output. However I have yet to see any other FR-S owners chime in with similar comparisons. Finally, if you are running imported Philips Ultinon's, I recommended against switching to the X-VF switchbacks unless you are willing to sacrifice turn signal output for switchback features.

(Note: While I find it likely the Ultinon's would still outperform them in our turn signal housings, the amber only X-VF LED bulbs may in fact give the Ultinon's a run for their money. As TRS/Morimoto has mentioned recently, the single color X-VF's should take advantage of all LED emitters within their virtual filament enclosure when in operation, effectively doubling the amount of emitters projecting light; unlike these X-VF switchbacks which are limited to firing only the emitters available in the color range needed at the time [i.e. white or amber emitters only.]
I personally have not had a chance to evaluate the single color X-VF's yet; but will post updates if/when I do.)

addendum
 

On that note, if anyone is looking to get rid of any of the following bulbs in 7443/7440, please PM me as I am currently on the hunt for well priced examples of:

VLED V3 Triton (Gen 2 or 2.5) 744x White/Amber Switchback (5k or 6k,) Amber/Amber Switchback, and Red.
VLED V3 Triton (Gen 2 or 2.5) 744x Amber/Amber Switchback
VLED V3 Triton (Gen 2 or 2.5) 744x Red.

AF-Spec / AF-Lighting 744x H-LED Amber LED Bulbs (considered by some to be "Ultinon Clones" due to their similar design)
AF-Spec / AF-Lighting 744x H-LED Red LED Bulbs ("Ultinon Clone" design)
(I believe these are out of production, and have thus far had zero success contacting the brand's owner)

CN360 744x Amber LED Bulbs ("Ultinon Clone" design)
CN360 7440 Red LED Bulbs ("Ultinon Clone" design)

Morimoto X-VF 744x Amber LED Bulbs
Morimoto X-VF 744x Red LED Bulbs

Probright 7443 Switchback
(Any 86 friends with access to this Russian brand - From what little I've seen, these look to be a legitimate competitor to the V3 Triton series, with both output and pricing to match.)

Part of my cyber Monday order from TRS was an Acme switchback, I can make a small review when I get them if you're interested

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

But, FR-S and BRZ already have LED brake lamps :offtopic:
I'm just kidding. I love quality LED reviews as a fellow lighting nut.

In fact, I just got a pair. Here's my comparison photo of the X-treme Ultinons (had to buy from Japan again) against the commonly available (even Walmart sells them!) Philips Red Vision LEDs on my Impreza.

https://c8.staticflickr.com/6/5615/3...f998fa4b_b.jpg

Did you know Philips 7443 LED bulbs work in both Standard and CK wired sockets? After thinking about it for a while, I believe I figured out how that works:
https://c8.staticflickr.com/1/636/31...d418c73c_b.jpg

Consider the arrows as diodes and for the orange arrows, combine their outputs and then put the LED+ on that, with the LED- going to the shared end point of the arrows.

Most 7443 LED bulbs don't work in both types of sockets. I've seen some that are made of two entirely independent polarity agnostic circuits, but I think that's wasteful engineering.

I think I'm done with LED car bulbs now. I'm totally satisfied with the Philips X-treme Ultinons (7440 Amber + 7443 Red+Red).

Kinda disappointed in the light output as the X-FV switchbacks were on my wish list in a Secret Santa gifting. But I can't expect a crazy output for $45 bucks.

:w00t: If you have the time, I'm sure I'm not the only one around here who would like to see how they perform.

I can see I'm in good company! I used to have the USDM red Visions set up as turn signals, then modified the Diode Dynamics Tail As Turn install to have them operate as secondary brake lights. After seeing how well the Amber Ultinons performed in the front turn signal I figured I would try the Red Ultinons for my "new" brake lights - The low light results are pretty close to what you've got there - i.e. An incremental boost in output. I'm VERY tempted to try some Tritons in for that position as well, although limited space in the trunk is a bit of a concern.

I would love to be done with lighting for good, but it's so addicting, I don't know that I ever will be satisfied! :lol:

I too had been hoping for a bit more output, particularly during the day; however, I think you should definitely give them a shot if you're gifted them :thumbup:

I'll definitely run them if I'm gifted them. I'll just buy just buy the flasher relay and rear turn signals from VLEDs and then all my lights will be LEDs (minus the HID headlights).

These would be for the rear:
http://www.vleds.com/shop-bulb-numbe.../7443-hva.html

I was very impressed with their 194 HVA in my side marker, so I'm sure these will be super bright.

Hopefully I'm not derailing your thread, but I'd figure you'd appreciate this since you like LEDs as well.

OEM bulb in OEM amber side marker:
https://scontent.fsnc1-5.fna.fbcdn.n...79&oe=58BB4789


VLED HVA bulb in Toyota clear side marker:
https://scontent.fsnc1-5.fna.fbcdn.n...80&oe=58E9D3A3


Crazy, right? Makes the OEM bulb look like it's not even on!

:thumbsup: Not derailing at all - Good timing in fact, as I have been looking at different options to upgrade my side markers at some point. I will now have to add this combo to my list of possibles (for both brightness and lighter coloration) :D

I highly recommend it. No condensation (unlike third party side markers), and these VLED HVA bulbs really light up the sides, so your car is clearly visible to others, which is one reason why I got them as people seem to not notice our cars. It'll also light up a wall that you're driving next to. :thumbup:

I read a whole bunch of papers about lights and safety statistics, including LED vs. incandescent, brightness, color, and other tricks. One thing that definitely stood out was that amber signal lamps are better at preventing accidents than red signal lamps.

Before I found the X-treme Ultinon amber 7440, I used to run the Red Vision 7440 as rear signals, but never really liked the idea of running red signal bulbs, even though they're allowed in the U.S unlike in almost all other countries.

I can understand the benefit of doubling up the brake lights, though. Too bad there're no red/amber switchbacks....

Oh no. I thought I was satisfied with all the bulbs, but now you're making me want these HVA side ones. I see a bunch of different versions (top firing, side firing, combination, etc.). Which one are these?

The ones I got are the 360* ones :thumbsup:

I've seen the same conclusions in debates over the effectiveness of amber/orange vs. red signaling and, personally I believe that if done properly a red signal should be just as effective. That's why I've got the rears wired in such a way - 2 brake lights per corner, and one big ole circle of LEDs blinking in your face should get your attention when you're behind me!

I've mentioned this a few times but I would like to get something that would fill the former rear turn now secondary rear brake a bit better, with a bit more brightness. I have a feeling I'm going to have to go Triton for this, but keep putting off pulling the trigger on them.

In a perfect world, there would be an Amber/Red/White switchback unit with amber Ultinon output/reflector fill attributes. Would require some thought on how to wire the interface, but I'm sure it could be done. There are a few red/white switchbacks floating around out there which I've toyed with the idea of using as brake/reverse, but I'm not sure they would fill the rear turn reflector adequately.

I'm not sure if you've seen it, but I recall there is/was a member around here that converted his rear signals to blink amber on signal, and power on white in reverse. Accomplished this via rewiring the rear turn to 7443, with Diode Dynamics XP80's or JDMAstar switchbacks if I remember correctly.
He had a couple of very detailed follow along/DIY threads on this forum, probably somewhere in this sub forum. Turned out well; look it up I think you might enjoy it :thumbup:

Is this the one you're talking about?

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IG0KXK-O-jY"]How to install switchback LED's for better reverse lights in your BRZ/FR-S/GT86! - SLOPOK - YouTube[/ame]

Using a switchback for the rear signal + backup light is pretty smart.
I think some (all?) switchbacks will only turn on the main if both are powered at the same time, but I doubt you'd need backup light and signal light together all that often. And since you can consider them to be basically two independent bulbs sharing the same ground, this mod is also pretty simple.

I love the YouTube comment about adding a physical switch to force the backup light to turn on. Tailgaters beware. Blinding light ahead. :thumbup:

Got the X-VF switchbacks from a gift exchange. Just gotta order a flasher relay and rear LED turn signals from VLED.

Just put these in my WRX as front signals. Not much brighter but they do seem to fill the reflectors a little better than the XB's (which I had one of them die on me after 3 months).

Question for those that have the X-VF's: did you notice that if you stop signaling but try to signal again during the "fade on" period, they do not start signaling until the fade is complete. Seems to be a bit of a safety issue if you have to signal twice in a row quickly.

yup that's the one. think they did a multi page thread on the steps and shortcomings as well . . .

I did not notice that but I had a different "hiccup" that caused a very short delay initially - Asked TRS about it and our best guess is it's down to the TapTurn flasher (which is the best flasher currently on the market btw; highly recommended :thumbsup:)

:thumbup: Hope ya like it! - I highly recommend TapTurn relay (despite the slight delay I mentioned above) or, wait it out as Diode Dynamics mentioned coming out with a similar "feature" flasher sometime in the future.

I wanted to run these switchbacks asap, so I decided to risk one from eBay (looks just like the VLED one I'm planning on getting). Same color of body and connector, and the speed adjustment dial is at the same place. lol

I'll wait until VLEDs has a sale so I can order their relay and their rear turn signals.

Got the flasher in the mail, so installed these switchbacks.

Turns (X-VF on the passenger side, OEM on the driver)
https://scontent.fsnc1-5.fna.fbcdn.n...3b&oe=58E1967A

Parking light mode (same set up as above):
https://scontent.fsnc1-5.fna.fbcdn.n...fe&oe=58DD6E11

Looking good :thumbsup:
I decided to pull the trigger on the all amber X-VF, which TRS tells me should produce a brighter amber output with all emitters powered when in use. Will update when I get those in and mounted.

Sweet. If I ever upgrade, I'll upgrade to the VLED Triton V3's. ;)

I don't think my Yaris hatch has any bulbs I can use switchbacks on.

Night shot of both sides installed.

https://scontent.fsnc1-5.fna.fbcdn.n...05&oe=58E0D8DD

https://scontent.fsnc1-5.fna.fbcdn.n...fd&oe=58E31CE9



Parking light mode is just the right amount of lumens (they light up a wall a lane or two away from you). However, the turn signals at night can be improved on. I couldn't even see them on the ground. I'm pretty sure I saw the OEM bulbs flashing on the ground.

Yeah a brighter turn would definitely be welcome with these. Looks like Morimoto is working on some kind of high output Triton competitor that may be what we're looking for, but I believe it'll be a bit (Q2 or later 2017) before they bring it to market.

Looking at the X-VF's, I have a feeling that if they were adjustable like the Tritons, and we could get the "filament" part of the bulb seated at the base of the reflector, that would change things for the better. I may have to test that theory out at some point . . .

BTW TRS is running a 15% discount special that's about to expire (today) just in case you were looking to try any other lights :D

If they can make a true Triton competitor at half the price, I think it'd sell like hotcakes. :lol:But for now, I'll stick with VLEDs for my major LED needs.

I think the trouble with that is the parking lights would then get thrown out even more, making the perception of its brightness more intense. So that means potentially getting pulled over. haha. The best solution is to use the same amount of the same type/kind of LEDs for both white and amber.

Oh yeah, I ordered some Morimoto Elite HIDs for the Yaris. It's the only kit I see that doesn't produce glare (at least enough to get people to high beam me). I would have tried out VLEDs LED headlights, but there is no space behind the Yaris hatch's headlights, so I would be concerned about the heat sink tails.

VLEDS IS THE SHIT

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4FwREyx9d0"]V3 Triton LED system installed FR-S walk around by VLEDS - YouTube[/ame]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4FwREyx9d0

I would love to see TRS/Morimoto bring their Triton competitor to market at a much lower price than VLED's, but they haven't really thrown out any numbers (not even a ballpark) yet. Hopefully they do come in at a really good price point, and ideally without needing the extra control boxes that the V3's need to work.

If police attention is a concern, I believe the Tritons come with an optional dimming wire to cut brightness down by ? 50% ? when the parking/headlights are on. I figure you could get crafty and slap a PWM unit from Diode Dynamics on as well to further control brightness.

Agreed on the same type/amount of LED's. I believe the Ultinon's use Philips Rebels (2 per bulb,) as do the Triton's (3 white / 3 amber on the switchbacks) each with their own unique layout which makes a huge difference, particularly with our housings. I've recently stumbled across another company from Japan (Pika-Q or something) that makes amber, red, and white units with 5!!! Philips Rebels (4 side firing, one top firing through a lens) in a configuration I haven't seen before. Something like $70-$80 per pair to import from Japan.

Yaris - I don't have experience with those lights, but have you considered doing a full projector retrofit on them? Maybe with Morimoto D2S or D4S projectors? I've tried drop in kits, bent squirrel finders, etc. but when I finally got around to retroing a D2S 3.0, the difference was night and day (pun intended :bellyroll:) Pair them with OSRAM Cool Blue Intense bulbs and you'll wonder why you didn't do it sooner! It does cost a bit more, but the results are really, really worth it.
As for the LED headlight bulbs - I don't think anything on the market currently provides enough throw/distance to be worthwhile; although the SL1 bulbs that Diode Dynamics previewed at SEMA look promising - https://www.instagram.com/p/BJLzBQ5B1k0/

I've done a retrofit in my previous Yaris (sedan). I tinkered with the headlights enough that I somehow couldn't get it to seal properly anymore, and I had condensation issues. I've also helped my friend with his retrofit when he had his Civic at the time.

I just don't want to spend the money on the daily driver. lol. Going from the FR-S with the CBI in the factory HID projectors to the Yaris hatch's halogen reflector bowls sucks big time, so the easiest and most efficient way for me is to just slap in Morimoto's PnP kit :lol:(which I ended up doing with the Yaris sedan after buying new headlights).



The Triton has that dimming feature, but I read that it barely makes a difference. :( lol.

Sounds like I'm preaching to the choir here as you already know the joy of CBI bulbs :cheers:
On that note, if you ever decide to get rid of your stock OEM Monogram/10/RS lights, I would love to have a crack at them. I'm running retro'ed Winjets currently but would like to upgrade to OEM Toyota units in the future.

As I mentioned earlier I haven't done much research on Yaris headlights, but if they are one of the newer ones with projectors, I've noticed Toyota has been using some nice projectors with crappy halogen bulbs recently. I.e. the last generation Sienna has a nice wide beam pattern, defined cutoff line (with just a hint of color!), all hobbled by dull h11 halogens :(

The monogram lights are great. I haven't found a headlight design that makes me want to part ways with them. Haha.

The Yaris I have are just your old school reflector bowl with H4 bulbs. The new Yaris SE have projectors, haven't had much seat time in them to see if putting HIDs in them would be good. I put HIDs in my bros Prius c, and they're pretty good. Didn't adjust them, and I don't get blinded driving in front of it.

Yeah, the Monogram head lights are one of those things that I really would have liked to have seen Scion offer as a pre-installed option on something other than the special editions. I also haven't come across any other style that really does it for me, with the exception of these JDM Valenti's:

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTSb7KE2zA8"]Valenti headlight demo - YouTube[/ame]

I wonder if your yaris could fit something like these mini projectors, without any significant modifications?

https://www.theretrofitsource.com/cl...rojectors.html

Those Valenti's remind me of the '17 86 headlights (which I'm sure will soon start popping up in the for sale section soon http://www.8thcivic.com/forums/images/smilies/rotfl.gif)

I know I can install the mini h1 projectors with a little trimming of the housing for the Yaris. But I just don't want to open up the headlights, and I already ordered the PnP kit. hehehe

Yup the Valenti's share some similarities, although I much prefer the design of them vs the 17 86 headlights. Although if people start dumping the 17's at fire sale prices, I might have to pick up a pair :D

Looks like that link I posted was dead, but here's a link to an el cheapo amazon version:

https://www.amazon.com/Rover-Project...ini-projectors

basically a super mini projector that slides into an h4 (and possibly the ?9003? that the yaris uses) housing like a regular bulb; no opening of the housing required. I think this amazon one has the bulb built in, so you should be able to plug it right up to your morimoto amp ballasts.

Wa about to pull the trigger on those until I saw that the bulbs were built into the projectors. I don't want 6000k, and I'd question the quality of those bulbs. Lol. I'd have to cut off the bulb shield some how as well.

Oh yea, definitely don't think those bulbs would be good for very long. I'm pretty sure the ones TRS had on closeout were projectors only without bulbs stuck to the housing - I figure there should be some bulb-less solutions on amazon or something . . .

Or grab a set of these and leave your headlights off lol:

https://www.amazon.com/iJDMTOY-Direc...+lights+subaru

These surprised me at just how good they are; paired with 4500k CNLights and 35w Hylux (Diode standard kit) - great output, throw, beam pattern, cutoff, etc. Throw in the bi-xenon feature and for the price, it's hard to go wrong.
( review coming soon...ish :bonk: )