headlight upgrade

ninefourfour · ninefourfour's Garage

what do you guys think about the "Xenon(H4)" headlight upgrade kits for the 944? I'm thinking of getting it but I don't know...

stray15 · stray15's Garage

How much does it cost?

species · 05-06-2001, 05:58 PM

Upgrades for headlights are a good thing if a person does driving at night. With the so called Xenon or whatever can get expensive depending where you purchase the bulbs from. I just like the stronger H4 bulb, ie: the 100/80 watt that the authories do not like, but generally are ignorant to the fact. I can purchase these at the local bulk fuel dealer for @ $5 - $10.

The local bulk fuel dealer / truck stop usually sells this type of stuff for less than automotive shops and often have other bulbs available. I have no info on the Xenon bulbs as per say but anything other than the standard 65\55 watt is better.

oliver2 · 05-06-2001, 11:10 PM

Can you just change the bulbs, or do you have to buy a whole new assembly? My headlights suck so I'm asking.

Ehab · 05-07-2001, 09:08 PM

The stock headlights are one piece (the bulb is a part of the whole thing inside the glass piece), I think you have to get the glass part upgraded to be able to put the H4 bulb in it ... does anyone sell the H4 bulbs already built into the glass piece?

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Lock Stock '84 944 and two smokin' tires ...

todd951 · 05-07-2001, 11:07 PM

The stock headlights are sealed beams, so you'll have to get new lens/reflector assemblies to use the H4 bulbs. After that, if a bulb burns out you can just replace the bulb. I've seen the Xenon H4 complete kits on ebay for $40, so maybe you can grab one of those if you're looking to get it cheap. I don't know what the quality is like, though. If you want to be sure you get good quality lens/reflectors, then you could pay around $100 for some Hella or Cibie H4's. I have the Hellas in my car and think they're just fine, but I've heard that the Cibies have a slightly better beam pattern. Performance Products sells the Hellas for $50 each, and the Cibies are $56 each at http://lighting.mbz.org/

ccus944 · ccus944's Garage

Here's the scoop on headlight upgrades...Don't get just any xenon conversion...Most of them are designed to give you a "look"....like the Civic's have with the blue tinted light and very little improvement of performance...For real performance lighting that is similar in brightness to that in the 996's...First get a set of Hella H4 conversions..about $40 a piece.....Pelican, Vertex, Performance..they all have them...Then purchase a set of PIAA SUPER WHITE bulbs for the H4 assemblies(about $70)...The H4's are excellent at directing the light where you need it, and the SUPER WHITE bulbs give superb bright light...Don't purchase the PIAA Super PLasmas either...they just give you the "look", but not the performance...I tried them all...and the set up I have in my car is as close to a 996 as I could get...For $150.00 you're there!...go for it!...Cus
...and get a set of super whites for your H3 fog lights($45) while you're at it..

Dave's 944 · 05-09-2001, 12:49 AM

Just remember if you upgrade the brightness of your headlights

GET THEM ALIGNED!!!!!!!

There is nothing worse than driving down a curvy highway at night, and some idiot with HELA THERMONUCLEAR HEADLIGHTS(offroad use only) come around the corner and your completely blinded until the car passes. Trust me this is a very scary thing to have happen and it could end up with you in a head on collision. and it will be YOUR FAULT.

Of course that probably wont matter cause you'll all be dead...

Just a thought

ccus944 · ccus944's Garage

...another advantage of the H4's...Their special fluted lense directs the light to the road, and reduces unnecessary light into the eyes of oncoming drivers...This IS, of course, assuming that your headlights ARE aimed correctly....The new Audi's are HORRIBLE about blinding light!

porscheboi928s/c944t/n · 05-09-2001, 05:05 AM

i'm using H-4 and the hella lens...cost me 130.00 dollars....i prefer the PIAA bulbs(plasma)...clear white...like the ones from the new mercedes and lexus's......

ckrough · 05-09-2001, 05:54 AM

I would highly recommend reading the FAQs at http://lighting.mbz.org , that guy really knows what he's talking about. He actually recommends against most of the bulbs that are being recommended here, and he gives the reasons.

I plan on getting the H4 Cibies for my main beams and I want to get the European dual reflectors for my driving lights (turbo/s2), then I will get Narva H3's at 55watt and 100 watt for the driving lights... I should be able to see into the next time zone at that point.

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Chris

90 944 S2 Cabriolet
http://nbc.vet.upenn.edu/~ckrough/auto.php3

ccus944 · ccus944's Garage

ck, I read through much of his info...I didn't find any recommendations against, but rather positive suggestions about changing to E-code lighting(H4)...It also states, that E-code lighting responds much better to bulb upgrades than other types...the only disadvantage noted was that of more cost than a sealed beam, however, he indicated it is worth the expenditure....did I miss something?...Thank you for the link...his site is informative...and confirmed my personal experiences....I was enjoying the brightness of my super whites just moments ago!...The difference is amazing...Cus

ccus944 · ccus944's Garage

Porscheboi, if you like the plasmas, you will freak if you try the Platinums!!!...Cus

ccus944 · ccus944's Garage

..I found his article about how he accuses PIAA of misrepresenting the brightness of their bulbs...I don't know if their wattage numbers are correct...nor do I care....I can tell you from personal experience what they do...I can drive my car...and drive my buddies 996...and the lighting is very similar...I can also ride in my roommate's 911 with H4s and regular bulbs...and be surprised at how dim his lights appear..Being a marketing specialist...and in sales...It seems to me he is using all of this fluff to direct you to purchase HIS products...I don't gain anything by pimping PIAA's bulbs....but I do wish to contribute my positive experiences with them to this forum, so that others can benefit...I hope someone does...later..Cus

todd951 · 05-09-2001, 08:39 PM

I think what ckrough meant was that E-code H4 headlamps are great, but stay away from the plasma bulbs that some people put in them. Overboost.com did an article a while back where they compared the stock bulbs on a BMW I think to several varieties of super-white etc. bulbs and found that for the most part the stock bulbs were better.
So to sum it up: H4's good, plasma bulbs bad.

TheStig · 05-09-2001, 09:57 PM

HEH HEH NICE HEADLIGHTS

muhahahaha

Gorgo · 05-09-2001, 10:20 PM

When you put a higher wattage H4 setup in Porsches you need to upgrade the wire harness for the lights too. All the current for the headlights goes through the switch on the dash board in the stock configuration. This is bad. What you need to do is wire it up so that the power going through the switch turns on a power relay which then switches the power on to the lights. Basically the relay is a low current device that is used to switch on high current devices such as headlights. This will also help in getting the most out of good lights. When you put relays in be sure to use ones from a reputable manufacturer such as Bosch or Hella as generic relays are generally junk.

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Gorgo, '84 944, '82 Volvo 242 ClubRally

marksportcts · marksportcts's Garage

I've got the H4 Xenon, and they are amazingly bright, lights up the road with Bosch e-code H4 Lenses. I looked into doing a full HID conversion couple of months ago and it turns out that the xenon gases condense and coat the filament when the headlights are retracted and kills the life of the bulbs, so a delay relay is required. It needs to keep the headlamp horizontal for at least 20 minutes after shutting off the lights before you retract the lamps. I will be installing a Catz Zeta HID Conversion and see how they work. And I am also using 10 Gauge for all my headlamp wiring.

todd951 · 05-10-2001, 06:53 AM

If you're going with a true HID conversion, you don't really need to upgrade your wiring. While HID lights may be brighter than regular bulbs, they draw less current because they're more efficient.
Also, are you doing some sort of custom conversion, or is it an H4 replacement? The H4 HID lamps are low beam only, so it wouldn't be street legal.

ckrough · 05-10-2001, 12:18 PM

Sorry, I was referring more to HID when I said he recomments against:

http://lighting.mbz.org/tech/info/bulbs/HID/disadvantages/

He does say this about "superwhite" bulbs:

http://lighting.mbz.org/tech/info/bulbs/superwhites/

What I gather from that article is that the superwhite (not PIAA specifically) lights _appear_ brighter but are actually doing a worse job of lighting. I think he is saying that the glare and color of the light on superwhites makes them look bright but they aren't lighting as well as a quality H4. This is the part I am referring to in particular:

Quote:

It is a mistaken notion that "whiter" and "yellower" qualities in the white light of a headlamp have any direct link to the amount or usability of the light. PIAA capitalizes on that mistaken notion to sell their bulbs. The "higher light color temperature" trumpeted by PIAA is created by a purplish-tinted glass bulb globe. It's not a dichroic coating like the "diamond blue" junk, but it is a tint, and as such physically must subtract from the available light. Remember, color temperature is independent of the amount of light, and there is absolutely *zero* evidence that light of a higher color temperature is better than light of a lower color temperature for driver performance at night. A 4-watt flashlight bulb dipped in the purple coating applied to Piaa "Superwhite" bulbs would look "whiter", but produce less light. And so it is with these headlamp bulbs.

People seem to have the notion that the eye is more sensitive to light of higher color temperature. This is probably as a result of claims made by car salesmen trying to sell HID headlamps more than anything else; it's false. The eye is not more sensitive to the blue cast created by the subject bulbs. There have been several studies done showing improved driver performance (due to improved vision at night) with headlamps of LOWER color temperature (less blue, more yellow). Color perception is much better under lower color temperatures (within the IEC "white" boundaries, of course), and the acuity of the human eye is really quite lousy under light colors that even begin to approach "blue".

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Chris

90 944 S2 Cabriolet
http://nbc.vet.upenn.edu/~ckrough/auto.php3