Alan

H4s definitely come with and without the tell tale nipples. I know most H5s have them - not sure if there are examples of H5s without these. I'm not sure if there is way to tell if you will have them or not based on order code/manufacturer (Roger?)

Although they serve a purpose - I think you'd have to be a bit dense not to realize you have a headlight out from the illumination & pattern on the road when driving anywhere but in a very well lit city...

My old H5s had them - my H4s don't - I don't really miss them.

Alan

Alan

Yes they are a significant step up from the sealed beams because those are the worst lighting ever installed on any 928. They were (reluctantly I'm sure) factory installed on all USA models before S4s.

I can only imagine the Porsche lighting engineer shaking his head while looking at the crap that was being installed - and all because these daft americans think that some of the functionally best lighting in the world is just unacceptable for use in their country.

Alan

James Bailey

Probably he had coffee and laughs with the 1980 85 MPH speedometer designer and wondered how anyone could consider a national speed limit of 55 MPH to be a good idea....which also meant you did not really NEED good headlights.

Randy V

Better to hold out for 8" H4s.

8" units really upgrade the look of the car.

Those chrome trim rings are a travesty.

Alan

Or a 150+ MPH 928...?

Alan

James Bailey

Those were dark times

Alan

Yes - especially with those headlights...

Still - I'm sure the 'Prince of Darkness' did worse still...

Alan

ramcram

I recently change my stock 8" H4 to HID, mostly to reduce the current, as I've been doing all over the car. I'm very happy with them.
Although I live in the burbs, we have a few km of unlit bush to drive through, coming home from the city and they light up the road ahead extremely well. especially the side of the road. This good because this stretch of road often has roos and koalas on it.

LT Texan

The pun of puns.

Imo000

Drop in HIDs?

Bjbpe

Mr. Jpitman2 gave a description of the 8" headlights which he referred to an ebay site. Those are the headlights that I have on my '87 S4. The lights have gotten a little dim in recent years and I read somewhere that the bulbs do deteriorate with time. I don't doubt that statement as my bulbs have to be at least 15 years old. I would like to replace them and possibly upgrade without breaking my minimal bank account. Would someone please recommend the bulbs to buy? Thanks!

Alan

Are you sure you have 8" H4s? if they have 3 raised aiming nubs on the glass face they are H5s if not and they say H4 on the face - they are indeed H4s.

You need 9003 bulbs - whatever you can find at the best price will work - stock was 55W/60W - you can go higher (labelled 'off road use only') - but these will be more expensive and have a shorter life...

Alan

Imo000

When you are replacing the old bulb, park the car against a wall or a garage door, replace only one and then turn them on to see the difference. The old one will be yellow. Ofcourse you need to do this at night. You'll be amazed how much they dim over time.

jheis

I've got two sets of 8" H4s. One set has the nipples and the other doesn't. Both are Bosch and both have exactly the same number codes on the face of the lenses.

The invoice for the first set (w/o nipples) bought from Zims about 11 years ago has the part number 928.631.921.00. Both lenses say BOSCH in the lower front center.

The invoice for the second set (w nipples) bought from Roger about 2 years ago has the part number 928.631.101.03. One lens says BOSCH and the other has a stylized AL in the lower front center.

James

FiveElements

The invention of 3000 lumen LED bulbs are pretty much here. After you find the best 7" or 8" headlight, I would forget HID and just go with 2500 to 3000 lumen LED system. It's instant on, super bright and pretty much lifetime without burnout. The Porsche 918 uses 4 LED headlights with low and high settings at only about 25 watts.

Here is an example for my 89 car with the 9004 bulb:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271399708879?_trksid=p2055120.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT