I love my truck. Its a 2WD '96 Silverado. Its dependable, strong and a real joy to drive. I’ll never get rid of it. As my daily driver I look for upgrades to keep up with the modern comforts. LEDs are easy to swap out and are getting cheaper as time passes. Headlights and interior lights are the first upgrades people look at. Parking lights LEDs are also pretty common but often forgotten. Amber LED turn signals are brighter and longer lasting than stock halogens. As you will see in the pictures, one halogen bulb was already blown out. The newest cars and trucks however have “switchbacks”, white led DRLs/parking lights that turn amber whenever a turn signal is activated then turn back to white after its no longer needed.
I never thought I’d be able to get that on my truck but thanks to JDM ASTER I’ve managed to find some great quality switchbacks, along with an LED flasher relay AND inexpensive resistors so I don't have "hyperflash". Even though they're still a pretty small company everything is of great quality and at an accessible price. These guys are OG when it comes to build quality. I’m pretty happy with my selection and I want to give you guys some pictures.
The bulbs pop into place and there are no issues with fitment whatsoever. They're made of some pretty hefty aluminum and feature a fanless heatsink for higher dependability in my opinion, don't have to worry about the fan motor burning up or getting clogged. They have three models to choose from and all are super bright and priced competitively I think.
In order from them to work you will need two things. The first is a flasher relay that is compatible with LEDs. Swapping it out is as easy as changing out a fuse in these 90’s trucks. It is located on the drivers side firewall, piece of cake. The other thing needed are resistors. You need to get 50W 6 Ohm resistors. Both the flasher and the resistors are available on JDM ASTER’s website or amazon store. You need one resistor PER BULB. With resistors you've got two options: the plug and play harness that has everything set up for you in a neatly soldered piece OR universal resistors you can splice into the needed wires.
I opted for the universal set in this application and all I needed to do was tap into the ground and signal wire. Since each parking light has three wires, you need to make sure which wire is which. In my case I need to black and blue wires. The brown wire I left alone because that is the power wire. It is also important to secure the resistor to a metal surface out of the way of any other wires and plastic components. They function as load equalizers and get warm during use so its best to keep that in mind and not use zip-ties or tape. Just screw them to the radiator support tucked away.
After everything is plugged in and set up I took it out for a test drive at dusk and the difference is really noticeable. The 4 parking lights in white act as additional lighting and switch right over to an amber flash whenever I indicate a turn(or when I turn on my hazards). I am really happy with my upgrade and I want to share it with the GM community. These older trucks have a lot of life left in them and with LED upgrades you can look just as great on the road as the new model trucks.
Pictures!
https://imgur.com/a/zmNPO
Parts I used:
1175 Switchbacks from JDMASTER. They have several different models for whatever type of bulb you need
http://www.jdmastar.com/product/109/3030-SMD-1157-White-Yellow-Switchback-LED-Bulbs-Set-of-2.html
Flasher relay. Need to swap out the OEM one for one compatible with LEDs. They also have different flasher relays for different vehicles if youre thinking of adding switchbacks to another car
http://www.jdmastar.com/product/218/EP29-4-Pin-LED-Turn-Signal-Flasher-Relay.html
50W6Ohm resistors. I got the universal ones you tap into the wires you need but they also sell the plug and play harnesses if you prefer that method
https://www.amazon.com/JDM-ASTAR-Resistors-License-Cancellor/dp/B00F2ZKHFQ
Hit me up with any questions and post your pics to the sub! Lets see all switchbacks and general upgrades!
I never thought I’d be able to get that on my truck but thanks to JDM ASTER I’ve managed to find some great quality switchbacks, along with an LED flasher relay AND inexpensive resistors so I don't have "hyperflash". Even though they're still a pretty small company everything is of great quality and at an accessible price. These guys are OG when it comes to build quality. I’m pretty happy with my selection and I want to give you guys some pictures.
The bulbs pop into place and there are no issues with fitment whatsoever. They're made of some pretty hefty aluminum and feature a fanless heatsink for higher dependability in my opinion, don't have to worry about the fan motor burning up or getting clogged. They have three models to choose from and all are super bright and priced competitively I think.
In order from them to work you will need two things. The first is a flasher relay that is compatible with LEDs. Swapping it out is as easy as changing out a fuse in these 90’s trucks. It is located on the drivers side firewall, piece of cake. The other thing needed are resistors. You need to get 50W 6 Ohm resistors. Both the flasher and the resistors are available on JDM ASTER’s website or amazon store. You need one resistor PER BULB. With resistors you've got two options: the plug and play harness that has everything set up for you in a neatly soldered piece OR universal resistors you can splice into the needed wires.
I opted for the universal set in this application and all I needed to do was tap into the ground and signal wire. Since each parking light has three wires, you need to make sure which wire is which. In my case I need to black and blue wires. The brown wire I left alone because that is the power wire. It is also important to secure the resistor to a metal surface out of the way of any other wires and plastic components. They function as load equalizers and get warm during use so its best to keep that in mind and not use zip-ties or tape. Just screw them to the radiator support tucked away.
After everything is plugged in and set up I took it out for a test drive at dusk and the difference is really noticeable. The 4 parking lights in white act as additional lighting and switch right over to an amber flash whenever I indicate a turn(or when I turn on my hazards). I am really happy with my upgrade and I want to share it with the GM community. These older trucks have a lot of life left in them and with LED upgrades you can look just as great on the road as the new model trucks.
Pictures!
https://imgur.com/a/zmNPO
Parts I used:
1175 Switchbacks from JDMASTER. They have several different models for whatever type of bulb you need
http://www.jdmastar.com/product/109/3030-SMD-1157-White-Yellow-Switchback-LED-Bulbs-Set-of-2.html
Flasher relay. Need to swap out the OEM one for one compatible with LEDs. They also have different flasher relays for different vehicles if youre thinking of adding switchbacks to another car
http://www.jdmastar.com/product/218/EP29-4-Pin-LED-Turn-Signal-Flasher-Relay.html
50W6Ohm resistors. I got the universal ones you tap into the wires you need but they also sell the plug and play harnesses if you prefer that method
https://www.amazon.com/JDM-ASTAR-Resistors-License-Cancellor/dp/B00F2ZKHFQ
Hit me up with any questions and post your pics to the sub! Lets see all switchbacks and general upgrades!