Do you want to enhance the physical appearance of your Ford F150? The best way to do that is by upgrading ford f150 lights. Many aftermarket options can help you to get the desired lighting upgrade for your F150. Light upgrades not only increase the performance of your truck but also gives it a classic look. Moreover, these upgrades are available for most models of Ford f 150. So if you got a new truck or your truck has been lying in your garage for years, it does not matter. You can upgrade them all. Let’s talk about light upgrades for F150 in detail.
Headlights
Ford your Ford F150 truck, many aftermarket assemblies are available. Upgrading the factory-made headlights with aftermarket LEDs gives you better nighttime visibility and also changes the appearance of your f 150.
HID vs LED Headlights ?
LED headlights are the best option by far. They are far cheaper, brighter and more reliable that HIDs and Halogens lights. While you can still get HID kits, at this point HIDs are bit of a thing of the past. For more info check out our full breakdown of F150 LEDs for all your benefits and options
Led Headlights with Projectors
| HID vs LED | HID | LED |
|---|---|---|
| Durability | Average Filaments are the week link | High, No Moving parts |
| Energy Efficency | Average (30 lumens per watt) | High (100 lumens per watt) |
| Installation Time | More complex – Bulb & Ballast | Simple – Bulb only |
| Head Emission | ||
| Lifespan | 5000 hours – estimated | 25,000 – 50,000 – estimated |
The aftermarket headlight assemblies mostly have projector-style lenses. It is a great option to replace the old, less efficient reflector with a projector assembly.
Let’s say you already have a projector-style lens, but it is not providing enough illumination. In these cases, you may upgrade to a LED bulb or full led headlight system, but stay away from the HID kits.
What kind of headlights does a Ford F150 have?
The F150 models in between the years 1999 to 2003 used bulb 9007 for high beam headlights and also low beam headlights. The headlight bulb number is H13 for models of f150 between 2004 to 2012.
The models from 2013 to 2014 use H13 for both high beam and low beam halogen headlights. For both high beam and low beam HID headlights, the D3S bulb is used.
For models between 2005 to 2020, the headlight bulb high beam with LED headlights uses LED lights. On the other hand, the high beam (With halogen headlights) uses 9005/H11 headlight bulbs.
An additional feature of the f150 is automatic headlights. Unfortunately, this feature is only available with the 13th generation of F-150 (2015 – 2020).
The old generation before this might have this feature as a piece of optional equipment. However, you must keep in mind that they do not come standard with all trim levels.
These auto lights work when you put the light control switch to auto position. The automatic headlight will light up whenever the switch is set to “auto” also, and it has to be dark enough for them to activate.
The auto headlights will not switch on automatically when it’s relatively bright. Still, your lights need to be on (like when it’s raining). So at times like this, you have to switch it on manually.
What model does the F-150 come with LED headlights?
In the year 2015, when the 2015 model of F150s was launched, it became the first half-ton truck in the United States of America to have high-tech LED headlights installed. The launches of the 2015 f150 attached with LED technology brought better lighting while driving. These LED headlights were more heavy-duty compared to traditional filament-based headlight bulbs. Therefore the 2015 model of ford f150 was the first to rely on LED lights.
The all-new 2021 f150 is equipped with LED Projector Headlamps. This dual-beam-styled headlight is named “LED Projector with Dynamic Bending Headlamps” by FORD. The LED Projector headlamps are equipped with the Lariat 502A High package and the higher trim levels.
Tail Lights
Tail lights, sometimes referred to as brake lights are a pair of red lights used to signal to other drivers that you’re braking or turning. Ford f150 comes factory-installed like all cars but these lights are not the best. Most come with halogen bulbs that take up to a second to light up. The aftermarket Led brake lights are available in various brightness levels. You can get them for all F150 models from 1997 to 2021 in styles like white LED cargo lights, red brake lights, and smoked or clear lenses.
Are LED Tail Lights Safer?
Yes, led tail lights are safer and reduce the chance of being rear-ended. Led tail light Leds can light up 2x the speed of halogen giving the person behind you reaction time to stop equalling also 20 extra feet of stopping distance at 60mph. This peer review article estimates 74% of rear end accidents could be avoided with the use of LED brake lights. These problems can be solved with aftermarket brake lights which provide quick signaling as they light up instantly. Quick signaling can save you from mishaps.
Which F150s come with LED tail lights?
From 2015 to 2020, Any f150 trim with the BLIS (Blind Spot Information System) had LED tail lights. This is the 501a as well as 302a with the BLIS. in the 2021 model year they switch to halogens for all trims (Both the 501A and 501B come ) with the BLIS upgrade. You get LED tail lights if you have a raptor or get the co-pilot with the 360 Camera upgrade
What are the Best F150 Tail Lights?
The best f150 aftermarket tail light upgrade is the RECON Ford F150 & RAPTOR OLED TAIL LIGHTS. We reviewed these in our recent article, Best F150 Tail Lights upgrades on market. A favorite runner up for us is also the AlphaRex Pro LED tail light which we also reviewed.
Third Brake light
Third brake lights are essential for an F150 truck during the nighttime. Third brake lights are used as a redundancy to the tail lights to warn the nearby drivers on the road when you are braking. They are mounted high on the truck at the back of the cab. All ford trucks are equipped with these lights from the factory, but just like tail lights they might not be very bright or have LEDs that quickly activate. There are many aftermarket tail lights available that will provide a much brighter light than the factory’s ones. Aftermarket lens options you can choose various options like dark red smoked lenses, smoked black lenses, classic clear lenses, or a vibrant red lens according to the look you want.
Which F150s come with LED third brake lights?
Only the Ford Raptors come with leds in the third brake light housing. However most aftermarket F150 third brake light options come standard with LEDs.
Bed Lighting
Most Ford F150s do not come with pre-installed Bed lights, so you have to install them when you need one. Bed lights come in handy if you go on adventures and use your truck for work purposes. If you are looking to install bed lighting, we would suggest going for LED Bed-lights.
These lights last longer and do not drain a lot of power from your pickup truck’s battery. So you can use your bed lights even when your car engine is off. In addition, these lights offer the brightest illumination so you can find whatever you need during the nighttime.
LED Tailgate lighting
Tailgate lights serve the purpose of safety and also improve the look of your truck. The LED tailgate lights are available in various styles. The interesting fact is that a tailgate light serves various purposes like reverse lights, turn signals, running lights, and brake lights.
The tailgate bars available recently can glow white as a backing up light and glow red as driving and stopping signals. They can also provide turn left and turn light signals in bright red.
Lightbars and Off-road Lighting
Off-road lights are helpful when you require extra lighting during off road trips. Lightbars are a type of off-roading light that makes the surrounding area more visible. The light bars are mostly mounted on your roof, bumper, or grill as they are designed to provide far-reaching lights.
We would suggest installing LED Lightbars. They consume a minimal amount of energy from the car’s battery and last a lot longer than halogen light bars. Along with longevity, LED light bars also improve the appearance of your f150 truck by making it look classier.
Conclusion
There are numerous aftermarket lighting upgrades available with the facility of free shipping. You can upgrade your f150 lights as per your requirements and save some money on free delivery. Lighting upgrades not only allow better visibility and performance but also improve the appearance of your truck. If you go on adventures, you will need some external and internal lighting upgrades. To know more about LED lighting upgrades for your f150, you can check out “F150 LEDs – All Your Options Explained“.
