CK / STANDARD

CK Socket vs. Standard Socket

If you are looking to upgrade your vehicle's 3157 or 7443 parking light, turn signal, or brake light bulbs with VLEDS, you NEED to identify what TYPE of socket your car has. There are two socket types, Standard and CK.

What is the difference between the Standard and CK-style sockets? The position of the ground contacts in the socket is the only difference. Externally they LOOK identical. What will happen if you use the wrong type of LED, i.e., A standard LED in a CK socket? The LEDs will not work properly; worse, they will blow your fuses that protect that specific lighting circuit. Follow the steps below to determine which car your socket has.

Step by Step Socket Identification

Step 1 - Search Google or YouTube to see what other owners of your vehicle are using

There is a vast amount of information on forums and other websites when it comes to which parts or LEDs to use on specific vehicles. Sometimes the fastest thing to do is search the year, make, and model of your car with the phrase "CK or standard socket." An example search is "2004 Subaru WRX CK or standard socket."

Step 2 - Visually inspect the socket on your vehicle

If you cannot find the information using search engines, the next step should be to inspect the socket on your car visually. Remove the taillight socket and take a look at the inside. Orient the socket so that it matches the image below. Standard sockets have both grounds on the left side and the high and low circuits on the right. CK sockets have the ground on the top and the high and low circuits below. Click on the image below to see it in full size.

Step 3 - Use a test light to verify the positions of the grounds

If you cannot find definitive information online about the socket style on your car or it's difficult to tell by looking at it, there is a way to TEST it. We put together a short video that will guide you through the steps involved with testing your sockets.