ledyard

I have an 88 911 cab and am interested in upgrading the headlights. Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Lew

Bill Gregory

Lew,

Typical upgrade is to H4's. You can put in semi-sealed beams that take an H4 bulb ($40-$50 each) or you can put in the Bosch H4's ($125 each), which really have a much better light pattern than H5's or even the semi-sealed beams. You can get them with chrome rims or primed rims you can paint to match your paint. Some come with bulbs, some don't. If you want to also increase the candlepower of the bulbs, you should add a relay, so the increased amperage doesn't fry your turn signal switch, where the high beam switch is.

JonT.

I'm intersted in this too--is there a way to update to the newer cool "bluish white" lights that the new cars have? Thanks

nate

<a href="http://forums.rennlist.com/cgi-bin/rennforums/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=001599&p=" target="_blank">Check out this thread for more in HID conversions.</a>

steve911

check out these threads, both for HID as well as relay information:

<a href="http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=67412" target="_blank">http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=67412</a>

<a href="http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=64212" target="_blank">http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=64212</a>

JBrown

just buy the upgrade non-sealed h-4 houseings and you can go to any performance store and get h-4 bulbs in the super white. they are the H.I.D look alikes.

Ed Bighi

Do not just get PIAA super whites. I used to have them. Those are at 3800K range on the kelvin scale. The higher the number, the bluer it is. Still somewhat yellow. Higher up are the extreme whites at 4000K. Then come the super plasmas at 5000K. I have a set of those and they are very bright. You can get them from <a href="http://www.autobulbdepot.com." target="_blank">www.autobulbdepot.com.</a> They come in 60/55w but have a performance rated at 110/100. For higher wattage super plasma bulbs, you have to go to a different website <a href="http://www.hitechimportlighting.com" target="_blank">www.hitechimportlighting.com</a> where they have the super plasmas in 80/80w. I have those and they are like daylight. But the 60/55 are sufficiently bright and will not put as much strain on wiring.

I also thought about going with a hid conversion a while back, but decided against it since the technology is still at its infancy in my opinion. Until the ballasts can be reduced in size or integrated into the bulb itself like the latest fluorescent light bulbs for the home, I'll wait. If they don't ever come, good enough for me. Besides, those super plasmas are pretty close to hid's and very bright and effective. Just make sure you stick with PIAA. Everything else is junk. You can check out their website at <a href="http://www.piaa.com." target="_blank">www.piaa.com.</a>

richard glickel

Bill & Ed,

Is the H-4 really an upgrade over the stock H-5's on the '87 Carrera. I want (need) more light than my (original) headlights are providing. I know AJ/USA sells the conversion (with the necessary relay). Will this help, or will I also need the bulb Ed is using (I don't care what color the light is, I just really require better lighting, as I'm not seeing as well at night as I did 15 years ago).

Driving home from Lime Rock in the rain last thursday evening was rough stuff. The lights on my '01 Jetta seem to do a pretty good job.

Thanks.

Richard
'87 Carrera-3.6L

Soon I'll need dark glasses and a white cane!

Bill Gregory

The HID conversions I've seen have only been one beam choice, no high beam and low beam, just the HID beam.

Rich, the true Bosch H4's have a very different cutoff from the H5's and other US-spec lamps. It puts the light in a straight horizontal line below oncoming drivers eyes and then has a sharp roughly 45 degree up to the right band that allows the side of the road to be lit up. If that doesn't work with stock bulbs, you can go to something like a 50/100 bulb, which is normal low beams and high power high beam. That you'd want to put a relay on. You might ask around to see if someone has Bosch H4's so you can see how they are at night. I thought they were an improvement over stock US lamps. Not huge, mind you, but noticeable, and I had stock 45/65 or the like bulbs that came with the Bosch H4's. There are several websites around that discuss the differences between US scatter-beam headlights and the European focused ones. If you get H4's, I recommend Armourfend or similar plastic coating that Performance and others also sell, as the glass on the H4's doesn't seem as thick as the US spec glass. As I recall, I got my H4's from Foreign Intrigue in Maine.

I also have an '01 Jetta, and I think those lights, which are US spec, aren't as good as H4's. Sadly, almost anything is better than H5's.

AD7TCAR

Hi, Bill. I have an 87 Carrera, with I believe, H-5's. The bulb has a black plastic seat with the reddish brown "O" ring. The Bently manual says they are H-4's, but I believe that's a misprint.
Is their a bright white bulb that will fit my H-5's? On a couple of websites for these bulbs, they refer to having replacements for H-3's 4's and 7's, but no mention of H-5's. Does the H-5 go by another number? Also, does the bulb itself come out of the seat, or is it all one assembly?
Thanks for your expertise.
Regards,
Tim

Ted Ritter

Bill,
Thanks for H4 tips. I just had H4s installed on 86 Carrea. Haven't used high beams much as my mechanic did not install a relay (55/100 bulbs) even though I asked him to. His quickie solution, which I don't think he did, was a bigger fuse. The same shop also said that he could not paint the primered rings ...he claims the paint would not stick. He said I need to get "paintable" rings?? He is a certified Porsche Tech but pulling my chain I think.
Ted
86 Carrea Blk/Blk

Bill Gregory

[quote]<strong>His quickie solution, which I don't think he did, was a bigger fuse. The same shop also said that he could not paint the primered rings ...he claims the paint would not stick. </strong><hr></blockquote>

The issue when running higher wattage bulbs is not blowing fuses, it's that the high beam switch itself isn't up to handling the higher amps that the larger bulbs draw. So, higher wattage bulbs cause them to fail. A new turn signal/high beam switch goes for around $80 vs $10 for a relay.

On painting the rims, below is a picture of my 911SC, with H4's I installed. They came with the black primed rims which, to ensure paint sticking I reprimed with a Rustoleum spray primer, wet sanded, then painted with Wurth black. I didn't have any knowledge of paint not sticking, I was just making sure the top coat had a known base to adhere to. After 3-4 years, no problems with paint coming off, just rock chips from track usage. On my C2, I use Armourfend to prevent rock chips on the lamp rings, front bumpers, front hood, and other areas.

Bill Gregory

[quote]<strong>I have an 87 Carrera, with I believe, H-5's. The bulb has a black plastic seat with the reddish brown "O" ring.

Is their a bright white bulb that will fit my H-5's? </strong><hr></blockquote>

Tim,

Sounds like you have H5's. There are alternative bulbs. I just looked at the Performance Products catalog (who, btw, has 15% off thru 5/15; no affiliation, etc), and they list for H5 and 9004, 50/100 watt and 80/100 watt bulbs. They also list "super white bulbs" for H5's at 45/65 and 80/100 watt bulbs. There's a footnote that running on high beams for over an hour may damage the H5's due to excessive heat. If you decide you want higher wattage bulbs, like a 50/100 for example, wire in the $10 relay (catalog says instructions are included with the relay).

AD7TCAR

Thanks, Bill. Will check out PP.
Regards,
Tim

Blade-MD

Cross bar you mean like those in the touareq? My friend has that on his car and it makes noise.

Here is the bars I alluded to:
http://www.clairparts.com/accessories4.asp?product_id=2416&PDID=199446