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Ford F-150 Headlights

Headlights are one of the single most important external safety and aesthetic features on your truck. They illuminate dark roads and improve poor visibility. The following answers address four common questions about Ford F-150 truck headlights.

Can you upgrade just the bulbs?

It depends on the type of headlight assembly you have or the kind you want. There are two types: sealed beam and composite. Sealed beam assemblies are essentially once piece, replete with bulb, lens, reflector, and housing that is airtight and watertight. You must replace the entire sealed beam assembly if something fails.

On the other hand, composite headlights consist of separate pieces, letting you change just the bulbs as needed. Luckily, the Ford F-150 accepts either sealed beam or composite assemblies, which greatly expands your choices.

What are halo LED headlights?

Halo headlights contain a circle-shaped array of lights. When observed head-on, halo headlights look like illuminated eyes or glowing hoops. A halo LED indicates that the headlights are LED lights. LED bulbs emit protons, or light energy, when electricity meets semiconductors, and electrons interact with electron holes. The result is a brilliant, energy-efficient source of illumination.

Should you get reflector or projector for your truck?

Both types work equally well as aftermarket upgrades to your F-150, including the Raptor. Surprisingly, theyre quite similar. A reflector headlight contains a bulb sitting in front of a reflector shaped like a parabola, which is V-shaped though its a little wider and rounder. This reflector shape results in light emitted over a wide hemispherical area in front of your truck.

A projector headlight is also a reflector headlight, except the reflectors shape is elliptical, like a U-shape or a very narrow oval. This shape reflects and focuses the light to a single point in front of the bulb, where an upper and a lower shutter enhance directionality.

What other bulbs can you use in a Ford pickup?

Ford F-150 pickup trucks, like the Raptor, are compatible with all available bulbs on the market. This includes

  • Halogen: Lighting that contains a tungsten filament and a halogen gas. The tungsten emits illumination when heated with electricity, and the halogen extends the filaments life and prevents bulb darkening.
  • Xenon: Headlight bulbs containing gas and two electrodes between which electricity arcs, or jumps, emitting light.
  • HID: High-Intensity Discharge headlights work like xenon, except the electrodes are closer together and internal gas may be mercury vapors.
  • CCFL: Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lights produce smooth, consistent illumination when ionized mercury vapors emit UV photons made visible by a phosphor coating inside the bulb.