This is my buying guide on the best and brightest 9145 LED headlight bulbs in 2023. Below is a quick summary of my top recommendations. Scroll further down to read my in depth, hands on reviews, for each 9145 bulb. Photos and real world tests are further below.
Alla Lighting 9145 LED
Light Bulbs
- Plug and play
- 2,800 lumens/set
- 6,000K Cool White
- +200% brighter than halogens
- Best budget 9145 LEDs
- 30,000-hour lifespan
- 17W per set
- All-in-one
- IP65 Water resistant
- 1-year warranty
Firehawk New 9145
LED Bulbs
- Plug and play
- 20,000 lumens/set
- 6,000K Xenon White
- +500% brighter than halogens (advertised)
- Best overall 9145 LEDs
- 50,000-hour lifespan
- 62W per set
- All-in-one unit
- Built-in 12,000 RPM turbo cooling fan
- IP68 Waterproof
- 2-year warranty
Fahren Termitor 9145 LED Headlight bulbs
- Plug and play
- 6,000 lumens/set
- 6,500K Cool White
- +350% brighter than halogens (advertised)
- Brightest overall 9145 LEDs
- 50,000-hour lifespan
- 80W per set
- All-in-one unit
- IP68 Waterproof
- 1-year warranty
Fog light bulbs come in various types, and the 9145 is an excellent replacement.
While the factory-installed halogens may have done an ok job, I highly recommend you upgrade to LEDs; they’re better for so many reasons.
Find out more in my FAQs below.
But with so many choices, the challenge is knowing which ones are best. I’ve been testing headlight bulbs for over a decade, and I’ve done the hard work for you.
After testing fifteen different 9145 bulbs, I’ve narrowed them down to three. The Firehawk 2023 9145 LED bulbs are my pick for best overall.
I’ve then listed the best budget option and the overall brightest. There’s a bulb for everyone.
Get ready to find out the best and the brightest 9145 LED bulbs.
Firehawk New 9145 LED Bulbs
OVERALL BEST
Best Overall
The Firehawk 2023 9145 LED bulbs are my pick for best, as they’re more than twice as bright as halogens and have excellent heat retention.
Advertised Specifications
Firehawk makes great headlight bulbs, although their marketing department seems to like big statistics. These 9145 LED bulbs are advertised at 20,000 lumens and 500% brighter than halogens.
That’s a big claim. Is it true? Check my test results below.
Why I love LEDs as fog light replacement is for the Kelvin color. Factory halogens are usually around 3,000 amber/yellow, but these are a crisp clear 6000K Xenon White. The beauty of this color is that objects in front of the car are much easier to see.
The unit is an all-in-one with a built-in CAN bus Driver. It’s made of 2mm thickened red copper and has 40 pieces of aviation aluminum for the heat sink. There’s also a 12,000 RPM silent turbofan.
The wattage is oddly specific at 62 watts per set. With that advanced cooling system and the low watts, the bulbs should keep cool. I’m not sure they’ll last the 50,000 hours advertised, but they come with a 2-year warranty.
Firehawk 9145 LED bulbs are rated IP68 waterproof. So I could take these out in all kinds of weather, from heavy rain to snow, and they’ll perform.
My Observations
You can spot a Firehawk bulb in an instant. They have a neat red finish, which is not a commonly used color, so they stand out.
Within the box there’s a detailed manual with many pictures. Most units are plug-and-play, so this seems unnecessary.
Upon inspection of these bulbs, the materials appear standard; everything is sufficiently advanced and upgraded.
These 9145s are all-in-one items and have an adjustable collar. The relatively small fan area slightly concerns me, and I wonder if it keeps everything cool. My test results were surprising.
These are compact 9145 bulbs, supposedly 1:1 with halogens, so they should fit most vehicles without too much hassle. They fit my Tundra perfectly.
My Tests
I conduct all my headlight tests the same. I position the bulb 20 feet away from my lux meter and compare them to factory halogens. I usually get 725 lux for the projector test and 910 lux for the reflector test.
So how do the Firehawk 9145 LED bulbs perform?
I got an initial rating in the projector test of 1,332 lux, 607 higher than the halogens. This is almost double the brightness.
The real test is with heat retention. So after 27 minutes — the average commute time in the US — they dropped to only 1,172. 88% heat retention is awesome, and the standard is 77%, so these are considerably better.
The reflector test’s initial output was 2,280 lux. That’s almost 250% brighter than halogens. Half of the advertised claim, but still, a vast upgrade.
With the beam pattern, it got a bit fuzzy at the center top. The good news is that the hot spot was low, so that’s encouraging. I also observed some scattering on the bottom left.
The published watts are 31, and I observed 29. I love it when these are close. It shows they know what they’re doing with their technology.
Remember, I had concerns about the compact fan. Well, after 27 minutes, the unit got to only 122°F, which is excellent. It’s no wonder the heat retention figures are so positive.
So, with cool temperatures and excellent heat retention, these bulbs could last a long time.
What Other Drivers Are Saying
Over 5,000 Amazon drivers rated the Firehawk 9145 LEDs, giving them an average of 4.4/5 stars.
The positive comments stated that they’re super bright and make excellent halogen replacements.
Some drivers found them a little challenging to install, and they don’t fit easily into all fittings.
Summing It Up
At 250% brighter than halogens and exceptional heat retention, the Firehawk 9145 LEDs are my pick for the best fog light replacements.
Pros
- Plug and play
- 20,000 lumens/set
- 6,000K Xenon White
- +500% brighter than halogens (advertised)
- Best overall 9145 LEDs
- 50,000-hour lifespan
- 62W per set
- All-in-one unit
- Built-in 12,000 RPM turbo cooling fan
- IP68 Waterproof
- 2-year warranty
Alla Lighting 9145 LED Light Bulbs
BEST BUDGET
Best Budget
At less than $20 a set, these Alla Lighting 9145 LED fog light bulbs are the perfect budget choice.
Advertised Specifications
One of the many things I respect about Alla Lighting is that it doesn’t over-market its products. The 9145 LED bulbs are advertised at a believable 2,800 lumens per set.
The Kelvin color is my favorite at 6,000K cool white. This color is ideal for fog lights, as the extra clarity of objects in front of you increases road safety.
Each bulb is equipped with 33 high-power 5730 Cree LED chips, which provide a 360° fully angled light output.
These are all-in-one units with built-in drivers. They’re made from an aluminum heat sink for the best heat dissipation but have no internal fan. I’m concerned about heat retention, but they may be ok at only 17 watts per set.
Alla Lighting advertises a more conservative 30,000 hours lifespan. This figure is more realistic than the 100,000 hours that others claim. It also provides a 1-year warranty.
The bulbs have an IP65 rating, which means water resistant and not waterproof. You can still drive in heavy rain and fog, but be aware that after time they may weaken.
My Observations
The consistency and reliability of Alla Lighting’s products continue to impress me.
In the box is an instruction manual, but these are true plug-and-play. So I doubt you’ll need it.
At first glance, the 9145 LED fog light bulbs are neat-looking items. I like the futuristic black look, and the 33 chips look impressive, like a beacon. They have a robust feel to them.
These are compact in size without the external driver or fan, so I think they’ll comfortably fit into most vehicle’s fog light fitting.
These are decent-looking fog light bulbs, and I was excited to test them.
My Tests
In the projector test, I got an initial lux rating of 875. That’s 150 more than the halogens, yet they look much brighter. After 27 minutes, they only dropped to 84%, so 735 lux. It appears that the cooling system works, even without a fan.
The reflector test gave an initial 1,983 lux rating, just over 200% brighter than halogens, and 1,665 lux after 27 minutes, maintaining 84% heat retention.
The whiteness stood out, and the light blue tint on top sharpened the objects in front of me a little better.
The 33 chips do their thing; these bulbs have a perfect beam pattern with no shadows or dark spots. I didn’t get as much download lighting as others due to the lower lumens, but still, they’re better than halogens.
These bulbs don’t use much power. At only 8.5 each, I observed 8.3 watts, so that’s pretty close.
I was very keen to check the temperature, and after 27 minutes, it was a respectable 135°F. Even without a fan, these units keep cool.
Alla has really impressed me with these 9145 LEDs.
What Other Drivers Are Saying
Amazon drivers are huge fans of this product. It has over 40,000 reviews, and 77% of them rate these as 5 stars.
Overall they’re easy to install, excellent value for money, and surprisingly bright for only 2,800 lumens.
Some drivers claim they don’t last much past the warranty period.
Summing It Up
For drivers on a budget, the Alla Lighting 9145 LED fog light bulbs are an excellent investment.
Pros
- Plug and play
- 2,800 lumens/set
- 6,000K Cool White
- +200% brighter than halogens
- Best budget 9145 LEDs
- 30,000-hour lifespan
- 17W per set
- All-in-one
- IP65 Water resistant
- 1-year warranty
Cons
- May not last 30,000 hours
Fahren Termitor 9145 LED Headlight bulbs
BRIGHTEST OVERALL
Brightest Overall
I’ve covered the best overall and the best budget, but the Fahren Termitor 9145 LEDs are the brightest.
Advertised Specifications
The Farhren Termitor 9145 LEDs are advertised at 6,000 lumens a set and 350% brighter than halogens. My tests did confirm this.
The Kelvin color is 6500K cool white, perfect for extra clarity when looking down the road.
Like the other two reviewed, these are all-in-one units with a built-in driver.
They’re made with an aviation aluminum body and have a unique hollow-carved heat sink design with no internal fan, which has me concerned, especially as these draw 80 watts of power per set.
Fahren claims these will last 50,000 hours but only offer a 1-year warranty. I doubt they’ll last so long.
With an IP68 waterproof rating, these bulbs will handle heavy rain, wind, snow, or fog.
My Observations
I love the Fahren packaging. It’s uniform across all its products, so I know what to expect.
The first thing you see in every box is a black bag containing zip ties, double-sided tape, and a mini wrench. I’m not sure what the tape is for, as these don’t have a driver, but I guess you can never have too much of it.
Also included is an instruction manual, but it’s not needed.
The Fahren Termitor bulbs are very similar in features and functionality to the Forsher and Krieges models.
The two copper heat pipes at the top are an interesting addition to these bulbs. They must be there to assist with cooling. But do they? See my test results below.
Holding them in my hands, the materials and quality feel sturdy; these feel like good quality 9145 bulbs overall.
My Tests
I expected these to be bright, and I wasn’t disappointed. The projector test’s initial lux rating was 2,250 lux. This is 350% higher than halogens, exactly what Fahren promotes.
Where these trip up is that after 27 minutes, they drop considerably to 1,665 lux, which is only a 74% heat retention. It’s unsurprising, though, for lights this bright.
The reflector’s initial lux rating was even better at 5,200 lux but then plummeted to 74%, or 3,848 lux.
Being so bright, I expected some issues with the beam pattern. However, I was impressed. It’s very well-controlled, wide, and deep.
The hotspot is close to the cutoff, which is good, but it’s slightly blurry, and as a result, the common weak spot (lower middle) is more pronounced.
These are advertised at 40 watts each, and I observed 34 watts, a little bit less.
I was very keen to check the temperature after 27 minutes, and they really got hot, 211°F. This is a concern, and I doubt they’ll last long.
What Other Drivers Are Saying
Amazon drivers rate the Fahren Termitor 9145 LED fog light bulbs at 4.4/5 stars.
Most reviewers love how amazingly bright they are and how easy they are to install.
As I expected, they don’t appear to last too long due to the issues with heat retention.
Summing It Up
For super-bright 9145 LEDs, the Fahren Terminators are my top pick, although they do get very hot and may need to be replaced more often than the other 9145 recommendations.
Pros
- Plug and play
- 6,000 lumens/set
- 6,500K Cool White
- +350% brighter than halogens (advertised)
- Brightest overall 9145 LEDs
- 50,000-hour lifespan
- 80W per set
- All-in-one unit
- IP68 Waterproof
- 1-year warranty
Cons
- Don’t last 50,000 hours
Frequently Asked Questions
I get asked a lot of questions about 9145 bulbs, and here are the top 3.
What are 9145 bulbs used for?
The 9145 bulb is predominantly used for fog lights. Some drivers choose to use them as daytime running lights (DLR), but they need to make minor modifications to the bulbs to fit.
Are 9145 interchangeable with other bulbs?
The 9145 LED bulbs are used in fog lights. Some drivers are choosing to replace the 9145s with 9005 as they’re considerably brighter.
Why should I upgrade my 9145s to LEDs?
The factory-installed 9145 halogens that come standard in the fog lights are ok, but 9145 LEDs are better for three reasons.
Firstly the Kelvin color. 9145 halogens are around 3,000 amber/yellow. 9145 LEDs mostly start at around 6,000K, which is white. To see objects more clearly in front of the vehicle upgrading from yellow to white is, for me, a no-brainer.
Halogens have a notoriously short lifespan as they heat up rather quickly, so they burn out. 9145 LEDs (except for a few exceptions) keep a lot cooler, so they last much longer, making them much more cost-effective.
The final reason for upgrading factory 9145s to LEDs is brightness. LEDs are from 200% to 600% brighter. Why wouldn’t you want to have more illumination in your fog lights?
