Lighting Up Your Challenger with Aftermarket Lights

When shopping for lighting options you’re going to need to know what you have to work with. Sure, many packages are available to provide you with everything you need to get the job done. If you’re shopping for aftermarket bulbs by themselves, you need to know the kind of bulbs you plan to replace and how many bulbs you are going to need.

Headlights

• 2009-2014: H13/9008 x 4
• 2015-Current: 9012 x 4

Taillights

• 2009-2014: 3057 x 4
• 2015-Current: LED

Fog lights

• 2009-2010: H10/9145 x 2
• 2011-2014: 2504 x 2
• 2015-2017: H11 x 2

After you establish your base line, you can start considering your options. The easiest place to start is by simply upgrading the bulbs themselves. With aftermarket bulbs, you can improve visibility and even change the color of the lights.

Other options you have are to tint the lenses or even make the upgrade to sequential tail lights. Although, headlights and fog lights on the Challenger get more attention from the aftermarket than the taillights do.

Upgrading the bulbs is one way to personalize your car, but here you also have the option to upgrade the housings. Depending on the year of your Challenger you are working with projector housings and reflective housings. Variants of these types of housings can be purchased from the aftermarket along with Halo headlights.

When you’re shopping for lights, you’ll likely find yourself sifting through a few different options. You’ll find Halogen, LED, and CCFL. As you shop around you’re going to want to know what the differences are and which lights are right for you.

CCFL: Cold cathode fluorescent lights are the original technology behind halo lighting options. The design works much like the fluorescent light bulbs you find hanging in your garage or workshop. The real attraction to these lights is the halo of the halo headlights is one continuous unbroken light.

LED: If you were to stack LEDs up against CCFL lights you would have to be talking about halo lights. With LED halo headlights, the halo would be made of a bunch of LED bulbs making for a broken circle. They may not be as aesthetically appealing, but they certainly are brighter. LED bulbs can be used in place of the standard bulbs in the housings on your Challenger.

They are obviously much brighter than stock halogen options and come stock in some housings on Challengers since 2015. Though, depending on the laws in your state, they may be illegal in certain parts of the vehicle’s lighting system.

Halogen: Halogen bulbs are used in most of the housings in most third gen Challengers. With that being said, they aren’t as flashy or as bright as LEDs or CCFL lights, but they work just fine. You can purchase halogen bulbs that are brighter than stock, which is perfect for someone interested in brightening things up without investing in pricier options.

High intensity discharge bulbs are another lighting option and are subjected to the bumping against the bounds of laws and regulations. The brightness of these bulbs is a strong point that draws many in but they can also be a decorative piece. 

Different color options are available which can greatly emphasize one’s personal touch to their vehicle. Before purchasing these bulbs in different colors it must be stressed that it may be illegal to use particular colors and brightness levels in your area. Be sure to double check before investing in a cop magnet if your car will be driven on the street. 

With headlights and fog lights, you will get to pick through different options of bulbs and housings. The taillights don’t get to be decorated with obscure colors, projector housings, or anything of the sort.

That isn’t to say you’re stuck with only swapping from halogen to LED bulbs though. There is the option of installing sequence lighting to the rear of your Challenger. Sequence lighting is used to illuminate the rear turn signals to flash inside first then outside.

The way this system works isn’t by swapping housings or even making major changes to the base car. Instead, harnesses with a control board are installed to the factory wiring. This process requires some splicing to work and should only be done by someone with enough experience to tackle it.

Challengers look most aggressive painted black. They look great in pretty much any color, but we can all agree that the soul of these cars is black. There is also plenty of black trim that comes factory to these cars. With that in mind, the red tail light housings may feel out of place with all that black trim. Many may find it more appropriate to tint out the tail lights. The process is very straightforward and self-explanatory. It’s one of those subtle touches that can make a major difference in the overall appearance of the entire car.