High Beam Bulbs

[17RubyExp]

Hey, so my high beams appear to be a standard halogen bulb (that faint yellow beam color). I have to bright white, clear low beam lights, and when switching to high beam, just a dull yellow light is all I get. They both work and are certainly the high beams, but is this just a cheap replacement bulb that was installed? Or is this from Ford? Also, can I replace it with an HID replacement to get a clean, white high beam to match the low beam?

 

[peterk9]

Welcome to the Forum.
What you have are the OEM headlights. That is the same way my previous 2017 Platinum came. To do a proper HID conversion you have to change the headlight housing as they were manufactured for the type of bulb that is in there now. Many are now just changing the bulbs to LED.

LED Headlight Conversions

Has anyone done a conversion to LED headlights on a 2011-15 Explorer? If so, what kit? I have a 2014 Limited and was considering HID conversion, but would rather go LED if they are as good as HID. Also, how does the LED work in the halogen projectors?

www.explorerforum.com

There are several threads on conversions/upgrades that you can find using the forum's 'Search' feature (upper right).

Peter

 

[stuarto]

IMHO, go LED all the time. Do your research as some can have a poor beam pattern. My recommendation is go for at least 3-sided to avoid this issue. Go for at least 8k lumens/bulb if you really want to see an improvement...

I have had LED's in the headlamps and fogs for ~3yrs now and they are amazing. Also wired the highbeams to the fogs to they all come on at once

 

[Magana]

That’s how they come from factory low LED, High Halogen. Recommend just putting an LED bulb. If you want something to match the low beam I’d assume somewhere around 6k-8k. But if you want just better visibility then stick to around 43k-55k anything higher on the kelvin scale and it’s pretty much just for looks. Try Morimoto,Auxbeam, Lasfit. Some good companies an good beam pattern for both reflectors and projector housings.

 

[n4aof]

It's been four to eight years since this topic was discussed here. Seems time to get some fresh ideas for fixing the nonsense that Ford committed on these vehicles.

My 2017 XLT has OEM LED low beam headlights, OEM LED Fog Lights, OEM LED DRLs, but it has OEM 9005 halogen high beams that look dim and noticeably yellow. While the high beam headlights are aimed higher than the low beam LEDs they just don't compare with the high beams of any of my previous cars (most recently a 2010 CVPI).

My first thought was replacing the OEM halogen bulbs with brighter and whiter halogens like the Sylvania Silverstar Ultra, but I remember the Ultra having a shorter lifespan and at today's prices there ought to be better alternatives (good quality LEDs are about the same price as the Sylvania Silverstar Ultras). Looking through this thread and a couple of other threads about this same problem the suggestions I have seen have included

• 9005 Sylvania Silverstar Ultras
• 9011 bulbs modified to fit the housing
• LEDs

Most of my night driving is urban where the only issue is cosmetic, but my daughter lives about 17 miles away in the middle of nowhere on the far end of 15 miles of twisty hilly 2-lane blacktop with no lights, little traffic, and occasional wildlife. That drive needs high beam headlights worthy of the name.

One alternative I've been considering is going to more powerful LEDs such as the Sealight S7 or S2 series. The reviews of those bulbs are generally very good, although some users have expressed concern about heat. The Sealight bulbs are designed with a fan that doesn't take up and more space than the 9005 and are supposed to be a direct fit, but I notice that the Ex has the bulb housing enclosed which I suspect might result in increased heat accumulation.

I'd like to hear from people who have upgraded the high beams on a 5th generation Ex, especially anyone who is using (or has used) higher power LEDs.

 

[syncceduppp]

As with the previous posters in this thread, I was not thrilled with the halogen high beams on my 2018 FPIU - especially up against the great factory low beam LEDs.
I ended up getting some no-name 4-sided 9005 LED bulbs on eBay, at just over $10 for the pair. They're the ones with the red metal body. I'm very happy with the upgrade: the light pattern and brightness is just about perfect.

 

[javaleo]

Our 2018 Palatium has OE LEDs for both low and High beams. My 2019 SHO has HIDs.

Converting from halogen to LED is MUCH easier that going to HIDs. Just a thought. I converted my 2016 Taurus Limited and 2007 Mustang from factory halogens to factor HIDs. Had to add two circuits to the headlights on Taurus and rewire with diodes for the high beams on the Mustang. They were fun projects.