Headlight bulb recommendations? 9006 vs 9012 vs LEDs vs HIDs | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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Headlight bulb recommendations? 9006 vs 9012 vs LEDs vs HIDs

SyberTiger

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May 18, 2007
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City, State
Orlando
Year, Model & Trim Level
2002 Limited 4x4 4.6L
It's been a while since I've seen any discussions on headlight bulbs and/or improvements in products. Thought I'd start a new thread to see if we have any 2019 updates or recommendations.

Part of my reason for changing out the headlight bulbs is that recently one of my fog light bulbs went out. Even though you aren't supposed to have the fog lights on unless there's a reason I keep them on all the time for safety reasons to minimize the chance that someone will pull out in front of me. I decided to go with LED fog light bulbs because I wanted something more white (less yellow). I couldn't find a 5000K color temperature at the time so I went with THESE 6000K LED bulbs. There are certainly bright and WHITE but not blue-white which is perfect. But, they sure make my old 9006 halogen headlight bulbs look yellow. So, I'd like to change out my 9006 for something that'll be whiter and of course a little brighter.

Base on what I read about HID bulbs it would seem that a lot of people complain that the bulbs don't last long...maybe a few months and perhaps this is true because they are a lot more fragile than LED and halogen bulbs. Does anyone have recommendations on a LED bulb that'll better match my fog light bulbs? Or, have a lot of you experimented and found out that LEDs aren't all that great then decided to go with 9012 bulbs. As I understand it, LEDs typically spread the light all over the place rather than focus the light like HIDs or halogens.

If I go with 9012 bulbs I'd probably go with the Sylvania 9012 SilverStar Ultra. Of course you have to do a slight modification on one of the tabs to reduce it so that it fits in a 9006 socket. A link for instructions are below. Anyhow, what did you all learn having gone through this before and which technology is really the overall best to go with?

LINK: How to modify a 9012 to fit in a 9006 socket

LINK: Interesting comparison of LED vs HID vs Halogen
 






Do everyone else a favor, especially concerning THEIR safety. STAY STOCK.

When you install aftermarket (illegal) bulbs they are brighter than they should be, unfiltered, and a harsh color temperature. All this adds up to you blinding other drivers because of the illegal lights in your vehicle.

Thanks
 












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