NEW Offering: LED Headlights for '65-'89 911's

[speednme1]

Originally Posted by jaudette3

Speedy...

The same 1:00 and 7:00 adjustment screws that we are used to are used. I don't think it will be possible to use yellow lenses as I'm not aware of any clear 7" ones available, but I'll check around.

Cheers,
John

Clear yellow lens Yellow SB Hella Script Head Light Assembly Lens Porsche 356 VW Split Oval | eBay

[xcoldricex]

i meant on a 964.

and you just linked back to this thread.

[jaudette3]

Good on road video of the JW Speaker 8700 Evolution 2 LED headlights on a Jeep Wrangler (Jeep users are crazy about LED headlights):



John

[jaudette3]

Originally Posted by xcoldricex

i meant on a 964.

and you just linked back to this thread.

I haven't tried them on the 964 yet. I'm spending most of October on the Oregon Coast at a volunteer job which is taking most of my time. Back on the ground the end of the month.

John

[jaudette3]

I managed to get some pictures tonight. My process is a little crude at this point and I need to refine my it further. I'm not totally with satisfied with the quality of my pictures and another imperfection is the headlights have not been adjusted perfectly. But I was anxious to see the three brands in action and I thought I would go ahead post and post these as I think they are good enough to make comparisons.

Here are the Truck-Lite 27270C headlights, first low beam (a little blurry but you can see the pattern OK), next high beam:





Next are the JW Speaker 8700 Evolution 2's:





I'll post the Nolden Pilots and H4's next.

Joh

[jaudette3]

First low and high beam pictures of the Pilot Nolden VP-3106B's:





And an H4 (I only had one on hand):





Thoughts...

These are early thoughts but I'm comfortable with them at this point. My early reaction is that the Truck-Lites and Speakers are very close and that we can't go wrong with either one. I give a slight subjective edge to the Speakers - their high beam is really impressive. I confess that I may be a little biased however as I've done a lot of reading and the Speakers have uniformly rave reviews.

The Speakers are more expensive than the Truck-Lites and I think it makes sense to offer both as they both performed well in my little test and they have both been well rated in the countless reviews I have read. I also tend to favor the two of them as they are made in U.S. (the Pilots are made in Taiwan and offered by a German company).

The poor H4 was at a great disadvantage as I only had one, but it's clear that the LED lamps greatly out-perform halogens as better seen in many other tests available online.

I leave for my volunteer job on the Oregon Coast tomorrow so I won't be able to do more testing for a few more days. At this point I'm comfortable enough to offer both the Truck-Lites and Speakers. I'll put pricing in the next post.

John

[jaudette3]

Here's my pricing - I'm trying to keep it as reasonable as possible.

Truck-Lite 27270C LED Headlights
- With chrome trim rings: $1,050.00
- With powder coated black trim rings: $1,150.00

The Truck-Lites have a limited factory lifetime warranty.

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JW Speaker 8700 Evolution 2 LED Headlights
- Black or Chrome LED Lamp with chrome trim rings: $1,295.00
- Black or Chrome LED lamp with powder coated black trim rings: $1,395.00

The Speakers have a limited factory lifetime warranty.

Thanks,
John

[}{arlequin]

these are great. as soon as my car gets back on the road I'm in.

[pnut_lee]

John,

The Pilots look like they had much better throw than the other options. I also prefer the look of those over the others. Is there a reason you won't be offering those as an option?

Great work by the way!

Lee

[jaudette3]

All three LED headlights have great performance. One reason I favor the TruckLites and Speakers is that they are American made. The Pilots are made in Taiwan and distributed by a German company. As I'm located in the U.S. I think that technical support and especially warranty support might be more expedient with the U.S. made lights. I have no reservations about building a set using the Pilots on request.

John

[pnut_lee]

John,

Thanks for the reply. I want a set, and do prefer US made of course, so I'll sit tight for a photo of the TruckLites or Speakers on a car. Silly as it may be, aesthetics are equally important to me.

[Craigeo]

Sent email to order a set of these..

Thanks!!

[Jim Richards]

I'm interested in if they will fit my '93 964.

[16Volt]

The 911S Reg site does not allow pics for non-members. Here are the low and high beam shots for non-members.

Low
. by Shannon, on Flickr

High
. by Shannon, on Flickr

[famoroso]

I'm looking forward to seeing the different options on the car too. Alas, I feel the Noldens will be the most aesthetically pleasing, both in design as well as the three color options. Regardless, it looks like good fun for us lighting geeks.

[michael lang]

I too like the idea of LED technology especially as I grow up my eyes need all the help they can get when I leave for the track at O dark thirty, plus deer in my area more than a problem. In trying to keep my car looking as close to the way it was new as possible, how has development come using the original style headlight lenses?

[jaudette3]

I'm back home from spending the month of October on a remote cape on the Oregon Coast (great place for LED headlights!) - little or no internet coverage. I recently received a message from a customer in Alaska who is putting LED headlights on all of his cars. Thought you might find it interesting.

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Hello John...

I've installed the TruckLites on a 356 in final stages of assembly:



Frankly they look stunning and a welcome departure from a typical Wagner or H4 bulb. I've received nothing but compliments on how they look.

As for the purist and concours side to the dilemma, I would put this upgrade in the same realm as seat belts. They are a substantial safety upgrade over H1's and H4's due to the "quality" of light. Couple the LED's with a relay and you got something special. Roads here are not lit up like the greater metropolitan areas so this is a very important aspect of the enjoyment of the car in this neck of the woods.

Finally, the problem I run into is the quality of light one becomes accustomed to. Example: You drive a newer Audi with excellent headlights.



Then you jump into your 356/911:



Glad you are offering this service now. I don't think folks realize what they're missing out on.

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I will have some pictures of the TruckLites, Pilots and Speakers mounted on a 911 in a day or two - and some shots of the light patterns against a wall.

Cheers,
John

[jaudette3]

I think I'm pretty well caught up after being away most of October and have made a couple of decisions. I gave a slight edge to the JW Speakers but there is interest in all of the LED lamps. As they all perform at a high standard I've decided to offer all three. Based on the volume of orders that I have received I've decided to keep a small inventory on hand. I have the following ready for immediate delivery:I

• Truck-Lite 27270C - $1,050.00
• Pilot Nolden VP-3106B - Chrome - $1,295.00 - SOLD (I can build a set to order in 7-10 days)
• JW Speaker 8700 Evolution 2 - Chrome - $1,295.00 - SOLD

Prices don't include shipping which is at cost as always.

PM or email ja3 at audettecollection dot com if interested.

Thanks,
John

P.S. Still working on pictures of the various one installed.

[jaudette3]

There's one important installation detail to note with these LED headlights. Many cars - I think starting with the U.S. LWB cars and continuing on with later cars - have mounting tabs (I call them ears) on the inside of the fender headlight bucket. If your car has those it most likely will be necessary to either grind down or bend back some or all of them in order to accommodate the LED headlights. I've bent them back with a couple of my cars in the past in order to mount H1's.

Also, if you have H5's, you will need a H5 to H4 adapter. The nicest ones that I have found are offered here at Pelican - Porsche 911 (1974-1989) - Lights and Lenses - Page 5
- $27.75.

Cheers,
John

[jaudette3]

Some pictures of a typical set:









Thanks,
John