How to Find the Correct LED Headlights and Fog Lights Bulbs?
When you drive in darkness, rainy, snowy or foggy days and found your vehicle’s lighting is quite dark, then you want to upgrade the LEDs by yourself, what you need to do firstly to make sure you buy the correct LED or HID headlights or fog lights bulbs?
Yes, locating the OEM headlights or fog lights lamp’s part number and search it online, then you will be able to purchase the correct LED headlights or fog lights replacement bulbs, saving time and costs for you.
Many websites of the auto LED lighting have bulb finder as below video shown as example, which just requires you to input your vehicle’s Make, Year, Model, etc to find related products and parts numbers, yet it is not 100% accurate for any website bulb size guide, for it may vary depending on the vehicle’s trims, aftermarket modifications. If it is convenient for you, we recommend you to check OEM lamps by yourself for double confirmation.
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How to Fast Find Correct LED Headlights, Fog Lights for My Vehicle?
Bulbs are confusing. Completely different series of numbers are used to identify them and change depending on who is manufacturing the bulb and where it is going to be used (low beam, high beam, fog light. etc.). Ironically, as different as these series of numbers are they tend to relate back to the same handful of bulbs.Â
What is a cross reference number/part number of a headlight, fog bulb?
Normally when you remove out of the OEM lamps, the part number will be shown on the headlight or fog light’s bulb’s body, for headlights and fog lights, normally at the bottom base, yet if you are not sure or can’t tell what exact item you need, please shoot us email service@allalighting.com of the pictures and providing your vehicles’ Make, Year, Model and application type, let us verify you and help you find the correct bulbs.
Some vehicles, for example, use an H11 for the low beam, H9 for the high beam, and H16 for the fog lights. In OEM specifications these bulbs are designed differently with different voltages or color temperature and are not interchangeable, however they have nearly the exact same plug as well as tabs meaning you can actually put the low beam or high beam bulb into your fog light and vice versa with little modification to the tabs/connector, and it will connect as long as you are interchanging the bulbs within the H11, H8 , H9 or H16 size. When it comes to aftermarket bulbs, the naming and manufacturing is simplified for some bulb groups as the H11, H8, H9, and H16 bulb family is simply referenced as the H11 size as only 1 bulb is manufactured that is compatible with all of the H11 sizes. Â
What happens if I install a headlight bulb into a fog light?
You might blow a fuse when switching halogen bulbs around depending on how much current the halogen bulb is demanding and where you are placing the bulb (fog light/DRL/Low beam, etc) as forwarding lights are going to draw more current than fog lights or your forwarding lights will be as bright as fog lights if a fog light model is used(not recommended).Â
Because LED bulbs are more efficient and require much less current, you can use a forwarding LED bulb model into a fog light as long as they are the same size with no damage occurring to fuses or the electrical circuit. The outcome will be a fog light that is as bright as your LED forwarding lights without modifications or a new light housing required. We also do not suggest using an LED bulb into your fog light as the spread may not be directional.Â
*This also applies to turn signals, brake lights, and basically any other halogen bulb in your vehicle, if your red brake light bulb is the same size as your amber/yellow turn signal or your dome light is the same bulb size as your license plate light, you can put an aftermarket bulb the same base as the original with the color of your choosing (*check local state laws).Â
How to tell high beam and low beam headlights bulbs?
Certain bulbs are unique in the sense that they do not have other cross reference numbers and/or have both the high and low beam built into 1 bulb. We call these Dual Filament bulbs(H4, H13, 9003, 9007). Unless your vehicle was designed for a dual filament bulb you can not use a dual filament bulb into a vehicle designed for single filament bulbs as the electrical connections to trigger the second filament will not be there as well as the retention tabs will be designed differently and will not fit into the housing. Â
What if my vehicle has factory HID?
Depending on trim model, some vehicles were offered with either halogen or HID lighting options. If your vehicle has HID forward lighting IT IS possible to upgrade your forwarding bulbs however your options are limited as well as it is more involved and you will have to bypass the ballast and wire in a plug for the LED bulb. The bulb will fit and lock into the housing. Because of the low draw of the LED bulbs, they are able to work with the same 12 Volts that your vehicle has running through it and does not need a High Intensity Discharge ballast. Â
I have factory LED’s
Unfortunately OEM LED’s are non serviceable as you can not replace LED’s individually and must purchase a new housing.Â
This guide will cover part numbers as well as match them with images in hopes that this post will help when upgrading your halogen or HID bulbs to better, safer, brighter LED bulbs.Â
Headlights, fog lights bulb size and cross reference numbers
Headlights, fog lights bulbs recommendation based on part number
H8 – H8 / H9 / H11 / H16 sockets will all fit one another
H9 – H8 / H9 / H11 / H16 sockets will all fit one another
H10 – 9140 / 9145Â (9005 will fit with tab modification suggested with LED only)
H11 – H8 / H9 / H11 / H16 sockets will all fit one another
H11B – same tabs as H11 but different plug
880 – H27W/1 Same tabs as 881 (straight bulb)
881- H27W/2 same tabs as 880 however in an L-shape
PSX26W – 5202 / 5201 / H16 type2 / H16 EU
If you are looking for how to find the brightest LED headlights bulbs, please click here for more details.
Need help in locating the correct LED headlights or fog lights bulb?
Please feel free to reach out directly via phone at 1(909) 606-2935 Monday-Friday 9AM-5:30PM PST or email as well as you can chat with us on our website. You are more than welcome to send in images of the bulb you want to upgrade so that we can assist with locating a compatible bulb as well as bulb suggestions. Please send the images to service@allalighting.com. Make sure to send a clear image of the part number on the bulb as well as an image of the base of the bulb to that we can best accurately assist.Â
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