H11 vs. H11/12362? Also, thoughts on Nissan Maxima bulb choices.

Hello CPF,
Brand new member after spending a few days roaming around your forum. Amazing information, and honestly I had no idea automotive lighting was so complicated, even from a consumer's standpoint.
First, a thanks for saving me from putting in an 'LED Retrofit' kit that I had ordered as I started down the path of upgrading my headlights. Obviously that's a non-starter after all the discussion and expertise captured in this forum.
That being said, I am still wanting to upgrade headlights in my Nissan Maxima (2011 SV w/Sport Package + Xenon HID lows). The bulbs have never been changed and I'm about to hit 90k miles. With winter coming and earlier dark, I am dialing up as much as I can on the safety front.
1. Fog Lights: My owner's manual says "H11". I go to Amazon (looking at the Phillips X-treme vision per numerous mentions on CPF) and it says the H11/12362 is the proper fitment.This is probably an easy one, but I did not see an easy answer: what's the difference between H11 and H11/12362?
2. High Beam: 9005 (HB3). I have seen the discussion about fitting in a higher output bulb, but I rarely use high beams so I am leaning toward X-treme vision here, same part.
3. Low beam, D2S (35W) Xenon HID. Any recommendation for bulbs here?

Disappointingly the owner's manual basically says to take the car to dealership to replace any headlights; it offers no true information on how to safely switch out the HID. I am reading about the HID 'high voltage' risk. Can anyone expand on the risks/safety precautions around changing an HID bulb above/beyond a halogen?

Thanks for reading and thanks for everyone contributing this knowledge base on CPF -- I have only begun to scratch the surface here and looking forward to learning a ton here.
Brian

Welcome to the board!

12362 is just Philips' number for their H11 bulbs. There are extra characters on the end of 12362 for different variants of the bulb (long life, blue glass, high output, etc). The best H11 bulbs (from any maker) are these. Not really worth putting them in, though, because even with halogen low beams and especially with HID low beams, fog lamps are somewhere between "completely superfluous/useless" and "detrimental" to your ability to see at night. There's a good writeup on the how and why here; whatever bulbs are in them, the fog lamps should basically never be turned on.

No point in putting Xtreme Vision bulbs in the high beams; use these trimmed like this. You might not use your high beams often, but on the occasion you do, it's best to have the maximum possible amount of useful light.

The best D2S bulb is this.

The reason it says to go to the dealer is due to physical difficulty changing the bulb, not due to a high-voltage hazard (which doesn't exist if the headlamps are turned off, and "extra" doesn't exist if the battery is disconnected). There is no residual or stored voltage waiting to zap you.

Make sure the headlamps are in perfect condition, without any lens degradation. And make sure the lamps are aimed correctly.

FWIW, I had Philips H11 on my Altima and they seemed to outlast other brands I used prior. From strictly a longevity standpoint the Philips were great.

@Virgil, @PartyPete
Thank you for the fast feedback and the specific product recommendations & links.

The information and facts on foreground lighting and fog lights is fascinating. Thanks again for sharing the knowledge. I was definitely in the mindset of 'fog lights fill in the near-field darkness left by low beams' and use(d) them regularly :-X

Cheers,
drbooshkit