The Ultimate LED Switchbacks VLED V3 Tritons Unboxing Install Review & Coupon

[Yruyur]

Wanted to do a full write up on these as I install them this weekend. If they work as amazing as they are constructed then I think I will finally be happy and done wth my lighting.

Let me start off by saying im not the first to run these but hoped to only provide install, review and tons of photos for others to be able to make a choice in the lighting they use.




Build quality:
Amazing. The housing is made of machined aluminum to help dissipate heat. The heat sink/mount is actually threaded on to be able to adjust how far the bulb projects into the housing to get the perfect amount of light that you want.
All the connections and wires look durable and exceed the quality of the Morimoto HID retrofit I have.

You will need to order the 7443 adapter which plugs into the existing turn signal plug to tell the unit when to be running lights and when to flash.
I also purchased these because they reduce themselves to 50% brightness when the headlights are on. This is optional or you can have them full power 100% of the time.

I have owned other switchbacks and was not happy with the build quality or brightness. These are advertised as 600 lumen which is pretty damn impressive. The other brand I had literally had to be glued once I took them out of the packaging because the led array came seperated from the plastic plug portion. That vendor said I was out of luck and should glue them.

Price:

$135 plus $5 or so for the 7443 adapters as well as whatever shipping you choose.

Coupon code:

I found and used V3-PR236-15 which gives you 15% off. You have to have your account created when checking out and it worked for me.


Website:

http://www.vleds.com/v3-triton.html

DETAILS from their site:

Meet the next generation in LED lighting technology - the V3 Triton. With its 6 Philips Rebel 3W LEDs, the V3 may well be the most advanced LED bulb of all time. Thanks to our exclusive design, your vehicle will have the look and safety of a high end exotic. Boasting a maximum output of 430 lm of blazing amber (turn) and a powerful 600 lm of white (parking) light the V3 SwitchBack is unmatched in the industry. The universal interface system ensure ease of installation and can be used in a broad range of vehicles and applications. The V3 reaches outputs that will get your vehicle noticed in any condition. This iconic design will change the way we look at automotive LED bulbs forever.

Features:
NEW! Smaller Control Module with built in Resistor. No Hyperflash! The load can easily be removed if desired.
NEW! Automotive Weatherproof Connectors
DRL Smart Control. Automatically switches high input DRL signal to white LEDs
Type 2 Switching Circuitry (white shuts off when amber is on)
Optically engineered lens that maximizes viewing range.
6 Philips Rebel 3W LEDs.
All aluminum construction
Adjustable positioning in housing for a more precise focal point in the reflector.
50% dim parking (white) mode when headlights are on.
Universal design for easy installation
50,000 hour lifespan
Lifetime warranty
Patent Pending 2012

Sent from a Motorola DynaTAC 8000X

[Yruyur]

Unboxing

Good packaging but the product speaks for itself. Here are the pics.



























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[Yruyur]

Install is complete. Took a few hours longer than expected but had 4 other 86's there working on other projects at the same time. I would put the install at 3 hours even shorter if you had a friend helping out.

1. Mounting the power modules

You will see I have the Morimoto HID retrofit ballasts mounted so dont worry when you dont see those on your car. Since that area is taken I found the next best spot which is on the back of the bumper. I would recommend mounting them exactly where I did as there is enough slack in all the wires and worked perfectly.

I used a 7/32 drill bit to drill a hole through the front and rear. If you have a right angle drill you can probably just drill from the rear through just the back sheet of metal.





I used a small tapered head screw as the hole on the power module is pretty close to the power module itself. This made any other type of bolt pretty difficult to fit without hitting it.





I used a zip tie to help support the module to the bumper. I would recommend a stainless steel zip tie if you can since the instructions say they can get hot when using the built in resistor function in full time use. I removed the two fuses as I have a after market turn signal relay to stop any hyperflash.







The zip tie passed through the little slit in the top and bottom of the bumper. This way it did not interfere with the styrofoam front bumper when you put it back on.

This shows the both modules mounted with the wiring hanging down.



The two fuses I removed from the power module wiring.




2. Wiring

I wanted true DRL so they running white would be on whenever the car was on. The switchbacks function great. They will turn yellow as needed as well.

To do this I modified the stock turn signal group of wires that are in the red sleeves. The green wire in each of these will need to be cut. You will basically be providing ACC power from a source into the green wire going to the bulb. This way they turn on when the car is on.



Make sure to put some heat shrink on the unused side of the green coming from the original power to prevent any shorting.

I started at the passenger side. Soldered a new wire with heat shrink. Ran it over the bumper over to the driver side where I soldered it to the green wire on the driver side. I added a third wire which runs back into the cabin through the firewall into the fuse panel under the driver side dash. I tapped into a unused socket in the fuse panel. I used a volt meter to find the one that had ACC power and was not used. Ill provide a picture when I get one.

3. Installing the bulb

This setup of the bulb worked for me. I still have not determined via night testing yet if bulb in in the housing is too far back or needs to be brought forward. During the day it looks amazing. I will update once I have more testing done on it.

First you will need to rotate the heat sink closest to the bulb until it bottoms out. You can then rotate the heat sink farther away from the bulb until it butts up against the other heat sink. I snugged it down. This locks the position of the forward or backward movement of the bulb in the housing after install.

You will then need to add one of the supplied rubber gaskets to each bulb. The largest diameter one that is the thickest works absolutely perfect. Once its slipped over the bulb and bottomed out on the heat sink you can move on the next part.

You will need to install three of supplied 3mm screws into the ring near the bulb itself. These screws are used to lock into the notches into the light housing. I just put one screw in, held it into the hole of the turn signal housing to see what other screws needed to be added.

You can see in this pic the general layout of the three screws and the rubber gasket.





You can now insert the bulb as usual into the bulb housing and rotate it to lock it into place.

You should test functionality of DRL and turn signals before mounting the bumper. I of course tested multiple times at difference stages of the install.

Install bumper.

EDIT: I did not wire in the 50% power reduction circuit yet. I will in the next few weeks. To do this you just need to plug the supplied white wire into the single plug coming from the power module and to the positive of the headlights.

This way when the headlights turn on the drl will kick back to 50% brightness.



Sent from a Motorola DynaTAC 8000X

[Yruyur]

Reserved for comparisons

Sent from a Motorola DynaTAC 8000X

[Yruyur]

Added the coupon code in the first post.

Sent from a Motorola DynaTAC 8000X

[Yruyur]

Installation is complete!! Updated the post with the walk through. Install was pretty easy. Will be doing some video and picture reviews in the next week or so. As a teaser.......WOW is all I have to say.

[Yruyur]

Lights are doing great. After thinking about it while driving today I would change a few things to make the install perfect.

1. Bring a wire from the driver side to the passenger side and tap into the fuse box for acc power in the engine bay instead of going through the firewall.

2. You can use both ends of the green wire that was cut instead of one end like I did. The side that I recommended you put heat shrink on can be used to attach the supplied white wire to the module to to know when to go to 50% output.

I drew up a quick diagram. The dotted line shows the stock green wire that is cut.


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[Obsidiank]

Originally Posted by Yruyur

Installation is complete!! Updated the post with the walk through. Install was pretty easy. Will be doing some video and picture reviews in the next week or so. As a teaser.......WOW is all I have to say.

this reads like one of the most complicated installs for switchbacks I've seen. Most other installs involve pulling back the wheel well removing the old bulb and screwing in a new one.

Can you provide some insight into how to install this without drilling or pulling the bumper off?

[Yruyur]

The install is a little more complicated than just switching a bulb thats for sure. I wired them up as true drl's so when the car is on then they are on. You dint have to put the running lights on during the day to see the white.

You could technically get away with just tapping into power and using the bulb connectors and you would be set after mounting the power module. You could probably get away from removing the bumper if you did this. I have had the bumpers off these cars more 5 times now and can get it broken down in about 15 minutes. It is just easier to acces everything with the bumber off.





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[jwbrocloud]

Originally Posted by Yruyur

The install is a little more complicated than just switching a bulb thats for sure. I wired them up as true drl's so when the car is on then they are on. You dint have to put the running lights on during the day to see the white.


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No pics or results vid yet?

Also this is the switchback system for $134.99. Can't I buy just the LED switchbacks themselves they have listed for $49.99? It seems to be the same thing without the control box. I don't care for them having to adjust to 50% power when the headlights are on... is that all the control box allows them to do?

[Yruyur]

Sorry been busy. Ill try to get some video and pics soon. Ill have to take a look at the other ones they have. Most likely they will work fine just not high output but may be fine.

I like mine even though I blacked out chrome inside the turn signal housing they are bright as hell. Will need to hook up the 50% circuit soon.

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[coachzizi]

i have to agree, your install instructions are bit confusing. But i was referred here because of my topic (http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showt...=1#post1444660).

but you seem to know what you are doing and know what you are talking about, you have any idea how i can achieve my goal? i have some other cheaper flashback led that works very well, but it does not have the box. it is on at all times and turns amber when i signal. Right now im trying to use them as DRL and then when my headlights turn on, have them turn off. Thanks in advance buddy

[coachzizi]

Originally Posted by jwbrocloud

No pics or results vid yet?

Also this is the switchback system for $134.99. Can't I buy just the LED switchbacks themselves they have listed for $49.99? It seems to be the same thing without the control box. I don't care for them having to adjust to 50% power when the headlights are on... is that all the control box allows them to do?

if you are looking, i got my flashback led for under $20 a pair. i have them for over a year, runs well, no problems. all led light are all the same IMO, mass produced in china, some has nicer housing and stuff. they also sell resistors to prevent hyperflashing

http://www.ddmtuning.com/Product-Cat...Switchback-LED