I thought I'd provide a final update on the LED upgrades on my 2020 Forte GT-line in case it helps anyone. Over the course of about a month, I ordered and tested 4 different 9005 low-beam bulbs, 3 different H7 high-beam bulbs, and 3 different 9006 fog light bulbs.
I ended up going with the following:
Low-beam (9005/HB3):
Amazon - Sealight 9005 6000K, 8000 lumens per pair
High-beam (H7):
Lasfit Pro Series H7 6000K, 7600 lumens per pair
Fog Light (9006/HB4):
Amazon - Sealight 9006 6000K, 4000 lumens per pair
I spent a bit extra on the Lasfit custom H7's because it's the only bulb on the market (afaik) which has a custom adapter to fit the Kia H7 housing AND doesn't have a power supply block. I couldn't get any adapters to work with the other H7 bulbs I tried from Amazon, and the high-beam compartment behind the dust cover isn't large enough to fit a power supply block.
I went with all 6000K bulbs because I liked the pure white light. The 6500K bulbs I tried had a slight blue-ish tint that I didn't really like. And I wasn't interested in yellow fog lights - I like to keep my fog lights on all the time, and I wanted the color to match my low beams.
The LED fan noise is only noticeable to me when the engine is off and the lights are on. Radio reception seems unaltered by the LEDs. I ended up with LEDs that weren't anywhere near the highest light output (lumens) you can find, but they are still very bright and light up the road very well - much better than the stock halogens. I don't need stadium flood lights on my car, I just wanted white light that would provide good visibility without blinding oncoming drivers.
Installation was pretty straight-forward. I was able to access the driver's side low-beam without removing any other parts. It is a very tight squeeze, and you will most likely scratch up the back of your hands in the process, but it was possible for me. I used both hands to get a fingertip or two from each hand on the bulb to twist it. I used the cord of the LED as a point of leverage for the final turn to lock into place. The high-beams are pretty easily accessible. Lasfit has youtube videos showing the process for a 2019 Forte. The dust covers on the high-beams have a filler/insert that are held in place by a small screw which you need to remove. This allows plenty of space for the fan ballast. For the fog lights, you need to remove the cover underneath the front of the car which is secured by a number of plastic push-pin fasteners and four screws.
Other bulbs that I tried and returned:
Low-beam (9005)
Amazon - Katana 9005 - Blue-ish tint
Amazon - Qcheye 9005 - Poor light pattern with dark spots
Amazon - Auxito 9005 - Too bright IMO...don't want to blind oncoming drivers and be flashed all the time
High-beam (H7)
Amazon - Katana H7 - Blue-ish tint, couldn't get adapter to work, power supply block didn't fit inside dust compartment
Amazon - Diamond Vision H7 (link goes to 9005, the H7 version must be out of stock) - Couldn't get adapter to work, power supply block didn't fit inside dust compartment
Fog light (9006)
Amazon - Katana 9006 - WAY too bright...dangerous for oncoming drivers...not meant for fog lights
Amazon - Alla Lighting 9006 - Too dim, caused error code
Hope that helps. Let me know if you have any questions.
a.aliexpress.com
