Need new head lights

[swede_matt]

Need some help with what head lights to buy!

Short intro
Long time member and reader/contributor but have been dormant/silent for a while.

I picked up my 1986 911 along time ago from a Pelican parts ad. Since then I got another 911....a 997.2 GTS.

Last weekend of my headlights decided to explode. No love lost though, they pretty much resembled a candle light in the dark.



I still have the sugar scoops and I'm frankly impartial to Euro look vs Sugar scoops. What head lights do you all recommend? I need some solid advice on headlight replacement with a slight preference for keeping the sugar scoops for the sake of simplicity.

[ccallana]

I recommend checking out Daniel Stern lightning... He has an awesome setup for sugar scoops... I updated to the Kioto 7" and bulbs and they are so much better than the stock Sylvania sealed beams.... And they keep the stock look...

[TwoBluPorsches]

If you are sticking with sugar scoops, AKA sealed beam 7” and the drop in replacement for 7” sealed beam you have many choices. Many are better than the stock sealed beam lights.

A common upgrade back in the day was a non-sealed 7” that used an H4 dual filament lamp from Cibie or Hella.

Currently Hella sells them as “vision plus conversion”.

There are also koito assemblies available from Toyota dealers and on eBay that are made for the early trucks and original FJ.
Very similar to Hella, lower price but still good quality.
These H4 lamps work better when relays are used to give a better/shorter/lower resistance connection to the battery/alternator. It will also save your dimmer switch.

Generally a LED lamp in a reflector/lens assembly designed for H4 will not give acceptable results.

So the LED choices are limited to complete units that replace the whole 7” assembly.

I’m not a fan of the look of a LED aftermarket solution for 7” and most of them are really crappy quality.
However the USA company JW Speaker is the exception when it comes to performance of their LED lights.

Unfortunately, from my perspective, they don’t match the aesthetic of a classic 911.

You might check out website Audette Collection for more info on most all your choices.



If someone knows of a high quality LED assembly that looks like a classic 7” sealed beam, please chime in…


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[911obgyn]

You can replace with h4 7” as above for less than a 100$ relays are a necessity they fit in the sugar scoops. I have them and aimed properly work great. I am still waiting for a stockish looking LED replacement.

[Schulisco]

+1 on Twoblue.
I had to replace the sealed beam headlights when I purchased and registered the car here in Germany by H4's. Here's mostly no other chance as original equipment. I added also the two relays fpr high&low beam. The voltage drop over few feet/meters cable on 12v is huge! In the end there's less than 12 volts at the bulbs (engine running!) without relays...this reduces their brightness quite much. We're talking about 10-20% at least...with the relays you get the full 13V to the bulbs due to short (and thicker!) cables. Two H4 HL will cost 5-600 bucks, relays and some cables and a saturday afternoon in the garage...
Best outcome IMO is original H4 with relays, looks original, best bang for the buck, almost as bright as my daily car with H7 ... You can add Osram or Philips H4 LED bulbs legally here bringing much more brightness too, even without relays, as LEDs are semiconductors and they will work with less than 12V with pretty much the same brightness. But in that case stay away from china crap, buy high quality LED bulbs from Osram, Philips or similar.

[darrin]

+2 on Twoblue's and cclana's suggestions -- FWIW, looks like the Toyota kit uses the same Japanese Koito assemblies that Daniel Stern recommends - this google search (for the Toyota kit's part #) brings up some surprisingly cheap opportunities. https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=81110-60p70&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

[shoooo32]

Sugar scoops: H4 conversion, relays, 80w Hella halogen bulbs

Euro appearance: euro H4 housings, relays, 80w Hella halogen bulbs

LEDs may be "plug and play" (meaning no relay required), but I've yet to see evidence they outperform the halogen setups identified above on vintage 911s. See https://911bestinclass.com/pages/beta-test-1-of-osram-night-breaker-h4-led-bulb

[Schulisco]

Originally Posted by shoooo32

LEDs may be "plug and play" (meaning no relay required), but I've yet to see evidence they outperform the halogen setups identified above on vintage 911s. See https://911bestinclass.com/pages/beta-test-1-of-osram-night-breaker-h4-led-bulb

Feedback of some they have them are diverse...overall most of them love them as they much more brighter, even more light. But: almost no more scattered light anymore which it makes harder to recognize objects outside of the direct light beam. On heavy rain much more glare which it also makes harder to see sth.
Only reports for the Osram and Philips LEDs as these the only legal ones here.

80W H4 bulbs???? Really??? Here 55W/60W is the absolute maximum per headlight to prevent glaring the oncoming traffic...

Also we have reports that people went back to the common H4 bulbs again as they were annoyed that the police have been attracted due to the much whiter and brighter light on a vintage 911 for traffic control and - when they do not have the legal Osram/Philips LEDs on the correct headlights, the police shuts down the car for a complete technical inspection...

[ccallana]

Here is Daniel Stern's Kioto installed on my 86... with his recommended OSRam +250 60/55w bulbs

The lens is flatter than the Sealed beams that came out.. but the light is *so* much better.

[Stutzdriver]

I have the HELLA 7" replacements (for about 10 years) installed with 55w/100watt (high beams are 100w). Installed relays and heavier wiring from the relays to the battery and the relays to the headlight sockets. The headlight sockets are ceramic replacements to handle the heat. This setup has been termed "Jay's Flame Thrower headlights" lol.

This has worked well and others have asked about what I'm running in my lights as they have a great beam pattern but look period correct.

[shoooo32]

Originally Posted by Schulisco

80W H4 bulbs???? Really??? Here 55W/60W is the absolute maximum per headlight to prevent glaring the oncoming traffic...

Also we have reports that people went back to the common H4 bulbs again as they were annoyed that the police have been attracted due to the much whiter and brighter light on a vintage 911 for traffic control and - when they do not have the legal Osram/Philips LEDs on the correct headlights, the police shuts down the car for a complete technical inspection...

In the USA we have a lot of wide open spaces and very little enforcement. The mods I suggested are very popular here and I don't know of one person who's been pulled over because of it.

[proporsche]

one of mine 3 set i have, are these Euro sugar scoops with H 4 Hella lens..i also use H5..
Ivan

[creaturecat]

lose the sugar scoops (aka foreskins). use proper euro set-up. install relays.
start with 55/60 bulbs. increase wattage if deemed necessary.

[PeteKz]

There's another thread here about LED headlights that I'm not finding at the moment. One of the posters is using the Holley/Morimoto "Retrobright" LED sealed beam. I have seen them on other cars and like them a lot, but I have not put them in my 911 yet, so can't personally attest to the fit and function. They look identical to classic sealed beams, so if you want that original look with your sugar scoops, with better light output and pattern they are a great option.

Here's an online test of the Retrobright by Headlight Revolution.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwRnvv57b9s

[HarryD]

I decided on these when one of my Hella H4 glass lenses cracked.

https://a.co/d/dl6SKeR

Moved my lighting to the 21st Century.

[proporsche]

Originally Posted by HarryD

I decided on these when one of my Hella H4 glass lenses cracked.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CFZSHDFJ?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_ti tle_3&th=1

Moved my lighting to the 21st Century.

Harry ,the link is inop..;-(

Ivan

[Johnr352]

You might look at https://9elevenheadlights.com/product/raven-ss-silver-satin/. Expensive. Beautifully made. They have a fluted lens for a (bit) more original look.

[HarryD]

Originally Posted by proporsche

Harry ,the link is inop..;-(

Ivan

Try this.

https://a.co/d/dl6SKeR

[Oldbrowntarga]

Originally Posted by PeteKz

There's another thread here about LED headlights that I'm not finding at the moment. One of the posters is using the Holley/Morimoto "Retrobright" LED sealed beam. I have seen them on other cars and like them a lot, but I have not put them in my 911 yet, so can't personally attest to the fit and function. They look identical to classic sealed beams, so if you want that original look with your sugar scoops, with better light output and pattern they are a great option.

Here's an online test of the Retrobright by Headlight Revolution.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwRnvv57b9s

Installed Holley/ Morimoto vintage white into sugar scoops two years ago and am very satisfied with output and beam pattern. They replaced Hella H-4s. A bit pricy compared to other options but fitment was spot on and plastic lens look appropriate for an SC. Added bonus is reduced current draw. Relays installed. Would purchase again.

[76FJ55]

One option would be to go with a set of E-code H4s and LED bulbs. you need to be very selective on the LEDs though. I would look at Philips Ultinon if you were to consider going this route. Porsche Classic is selling road approved LED for the older H4s installed for the European market. The Porsche branded bulbs appear to be repackaged Philips Ultinon LEDs, so that is where I'd start. For them to get street approval in Europe, I can only assume that they have the lighting elements in the correct placement to produce a good lighting pattern.