Headlights and trim

89911 · 01-18-2002, 08:21 PM

On my 89 and my brothers 87 we have H5 headlights. Do the earlier headlights have different (wider) trim rings? It was suggested to go with H4's because of price, but he would like to retain the original look of his car. One of the lens is cracked and one assembly unit is damaged on the car presently.

Argo · 01-18-2002, 09:33 PM

The H4 Euro's have the same basic look as the H5's (the top of the lens protrudes from the trim ring). Actually, I think they look as good or better. You can get them with a black or chrome trim ring; the matte black trim can supposedly be painted or you can get separate trim rings (for about $90) that can be painted and installed over the chrome version. My Targa is black so I went with the matte black - it matches the black anodized trim on the car and looks good. There have been some good deals on the Euro's on e bay lately - in the last 2 weeks I've seen one pair go for $175 and 2 more go for $200 (all were new oem bosch). You'll have to get some universal plug adapters at a car parts store ($5) to plug them into the car. I can't verify that they're more effective than H5's (my cars stored) but they sure lit the living room up nicely. I also hear that they don't turn the nice milky white that your H5's have undoubtedly become.

Argo
88 Targa

89Targa · 01-18-2002, 09:43 PM

I have an '89 and recently upgraded from the H5 to the H4. Mucho brighter light. The H4's will pop right into the light bucket with no modifications. The mounting brackets look different, but don't let that throw you off. If you want the stock look, then get the trim rings. They will need to be painted to match your car color (they come primer grey). The Pelican Parts online catalog has everything under "Lights and Lenses", except for the adapter plug that Argo mentioned.

89911 · 01-19-2002, 07:01 AM

Any pictures of these lights. I guess I was confusing these with the much thicker rimmed earlier lights. Are Euro H4's different then US?

Oldporsche · 01-19-2002, 07:34 AM

The term H4's is thrown around generically by the contributors on this bulletin board.

H4 is a designation for the twin filament insertable headlight bulb. The same term is also used for a Bosch replacement headlight Assembly made for the Porsche that uses this bulb.
It is a copy/replacement of the earlier model H1, that used two single filament H1 bulbs.

Unfortuneately for the unwary, there are also generic headlight shells marketed that are referred to as H4 headlights. These utilize the standard USA delivered headlight assemblies. These headlights can deliver markedly good results also. Some of them are made by Bosch, Hella, Marchal, Cibie, Raydot, etc. These also utilize H4 insertable bulbs. (There are even generic ones available from JC Whitney)

Start looking at examples of these different headlights. You will find some very good headlights that will offer superior performance for your use.

Good luck,
David Duffield