How to choose the best headlights for Subaru WRX?

The Subaru WRX is an icon by now. What started as an economy vehicle, today is recognized as an ultimate driving machine that can tackle almost any type of surface. Think of it as a rally car for the road. With all that performance and excellent driving dynamics, you will surely need good lighting to make the most out of the driving experience.

The Subaru WRX is not a champion in the headlight department, but luckily, they can be improved with a new set of bulbs, completely new headlights, or even rally-style lights in the front. Here we’re going to talk about all the lighting options for the WRX available, starting from the bulbs themselves, and onto more expensive options.

Headlight Bulbs By Year

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Headlight Bulb High Beam - 9005 Fahren 9005/HB3 LED Headlight Bulbs, 60W 12000 Lumens Super Bright LED Headlights Conversion Kit 6500K Cool White IP68 Waterproof, Pack of 2 Looking for a brighter, longer-lasting headlight bulb? Fahren's 9005 LED headlight bulbs are the perfect upgrade for your car. These bulbs provide 3 times the light of a standard halogen bulb. The whole aviation aluminum body and unique hollow-carved heat sink design keep your bulbs cool even under extended use, while the 12,000RPM turbo cool fan ensures a long lifespan of up to 50,000 hours. Key Features: Top Automotive-Grade LED chip inside Power - 60 W. Light Output - 12,000 Lm Color Temperature - 6500K Check On Amazon Nilight 9005 LED Headlight Bulbs, 350% Brighter Why we picked it:  【350% Brighter Than Halogens】 Equipped with high luminous efficacy CSP chips and 6000K cool white, E1 9005 LED headlight bulbs output 350% more brightness, providing further and wider visibility for you to see the deer, wild animals, falling rocks or other obstacles in advance to ensure safer driving at night 【Ideal Beam Pattern】 Nilight HB3 LED headlight bulb enhances super focused beam pattern for optimal light shape to improve light concentration and clear visibility. 【10 Mins Easy Installation】 All-in-one compact design, the built-in driver for taking up less space in housing, 1:1 mini size as original halogen bulbs for greater compatibility, real plug and play, quickly install in 10 mins. 【50,000 Hours Lifespan】 65% energy saving, brighter light output with much less power consumption. Check On Amazon AUXITO Upgraded 9005 HB3 LED Headlight Bulbs 6000K White, 100W 20000 Lumens 600% Brighter 【300% Brighter Than Halogen】- Top Automotive-Grade LED chips with 60W, 12,000LM per pair, 6500K cool white. Super focused beam pattern design provides a wider and farther lighting range which is 3 times brighter than your original halogen bulb. 【Over 5,0000 Hours Lifespan】 - Whole aviation aluminum body, unique hollow-carved heat sink design, and 1,2000RPM turbo cool fan provide super cooling ability, which ensures a longer lifespan up to 5,0000 hours. 【10 Minutes Easy Installation】- Almost 1:1 mini design same as halogen, perfectly fit into your housing and factory sockets without any modification, just plug and play. Check On Amazon

Subaru WRX Headlight Bulb Size Chart

How to find the right headlight bulbs for Subaru WRX?

If you’re only shopping for new bulbs for your headlights, like for example yours are broken, then you should look for H11 bulbs for the low beam and 9005 bulbs for the high beam. That said, it is recommended that you check in your owner’s manual before buying a new set of bulbs so you can be sure that they fit your WRX headlights. Changing the headlights is a very easy task (and can even be done by almost anyone) but if you’re planning to replace your lighting system then there are some basic things that you need to know.

The headlight assembly on the Subaru WRX sits behind the hood of the car and it makes use of reflectors so light rays would spread evenly across the lens, giving rise to a clear beam. Its design was intended for night driving so you could see clearly ahead of you so as not to endanger yourself or other drivers on the road. Headlights work together with your indicator lights and they must be in good working order for them to function properly. When one goes out, chances are that several others will also go off, which can be very inconvenient and dangerous. All in all, it’s best to replace your headlights if any of them stop working properly or else you’ll feel like you’re driving in the dark.

You can do this on your own but for some automobiles, it would be better and more convenient to seek professional help. If you don’t feel confident enough that you could change bulbs without trouble then perhaps you should take it up with an auto repair shop near your vicinity instead. Either way, there are a couple of ways to replace Subaru WRX headlights depending on what model year your car is in. The first type made use of H4 halogen bulbs for its low beam headlight while the second model used 9005 bulbs and these two types can be replaced with that of H11 and 9005XS.

You don’t really need to know these, though – let the professionals handle it for you. Take note that there are different kinds of halogen bulbs; the standard one would give off a yellowish hue while those called as xenon ones would emit light in a more crisp white color. You should also keep in mind which bulb type is required by your car so as not to buy the wrong size or else they wouldn’t fit properly. If you’re buying for aftermarket headlights then choose those that “fit and forget” rather than those that need constant replacement due to inferior quality materials on the part of the product.

As for costs, they can range anywhere from $30 to $100 or more depending on where you buy them and what brand name they are. Replacing headlights is not complicated; it’s just a matter of disconnecting the old one and plugging in the new one (so make sure that you get it right on your first try). The process may take less than an hour so if you have spare time then go right ahead and do it yourself. Otherwise, leave the job up to someone else to handle for you instead.

At any rate, having working headlights is very important especially when driving at night or during inclement weather conditions since they help increase visibility. It increases safety all-around so it’s a good thing to have working headlights for your Subaru WRX regardless of the model year.

How to upgrade the headlights on the Subaru WRX?

The easiest thing to do is to buy more powerful halogen bulbs and call it a day. Just be sure that you buy them from reputable manufacturers, as most cheap bulbs don’t produce enough light and won’t last as long. That said, the improvements made by new halogen bulbs will be minimal at best and the difference will not be immediately obvious.

In order to have more powerful front lights, our recommendation is HID bulbs, or better known as Xenon bulbs. These bulbs are more powerful than their halogen counterparts and last for longer. However, they are also more expensive and are only available as HID headlight kits, with different wiring, connectors etc.

LED bulbs are also an option in the last few years. In our opinion, they do have more powerful light, consume less energy and are not very expensive, but most of them don’t work very well with the existing headlight design and the light doesn’t reach as far. The best thing about these bulbs is that they can produce a variety of colors, with models with full RGB spectrum available. If you want cool headlights, this is the best option.

HID technology is very popular today, with companies like Xenarc and Diode Dynamics offering it. Other options are HID kits you can buy online at eBay or Amazon, but in my opinion these aren’t the best quality. If you want to go through them I advise caution, because some of them may cause damage to your headlights!

Things that affect headlight performance:

– Headlights (obviously) – they need to be in good condition for optimal performance

– Bulbs – HID bulbs will improve the output dramatically over halogen ones, however LED bulbs can also produce more light

– Lenses – choosing better lenses for the headlight helps aiming the light better on road

– Angle of installation – makes a difference how much light points on the road

– HID ballasts – Will help you get more power from your HID kit and can be easily adjusted for different conditions

– Improvements to headlights, such as projector kits or angel eyes might also help. But this is going deeper in customizations and has mainly aesthetics effect.v

Happily, there are full aftermarket headlights for the WRX available – both bi-Xenon (low and high beam) and full-LED headlights. These illuminate the road much better than OEM headlights and most of them look much better, giving your WRX even sportier appearance.

Another great option that’s available specifically for the WRX are rally headlights. These are powerful headlights that are installed in the middle of the grill and which give additional lighting that works great in very dark conditions.

Subaru WRX light bulbs replacement guide

Removing the headlight bulbs on the Subaru WRX is a very easy task and you should do it in no time. However, you first need to make sure which bulbs are out before replacing them – put on the low beam lights first, and then the high beam lights. In case of full headlight replacement, we recommend going to a mechanic, as not only the removal of the headlights is a bit more technical, but most of them require new wiring and some additional electronic parts to be used.

If you only replace your bulbs, the 9005 is the easier part of the replacement. Just follow these steps:

• Remove the rubber cover by twisting counterclockwise
• Unplug the wiring assembly by squeezing from the sides
• Remove the bulb by twisting

As for the H11 bulbs, follow these steps:

• Twist the ribs of the cup with channel lock pliers
• Remove the red wire which is connected to the bulb
• Press down the keeper spring with a flat screwdriver
• Grab the bulb by the spade terminal on the back

See More

Subaru WRX headlight bulb    Subaru WRX hid headlights    Subaru WRX led headlights    Subaru WRX bulb size chart

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