Marc Shaw

IIRC, standard bulbs are 55w so 80/100's seem high and might tax your wiring if it has not been upgraded with heavier duty wiring and a relay (draw too much current and wire that is too small get hot and can catch fire). Look for relays in the front hood area.

Marc

LouZ

I've been using 80/100 in my CLK for years. The CLK has the monitor that alerts for burned out lights, and the forum indicates that this could set off the monitor.

For me - No wiring mods, and no trouble.

Bill Gregory

Catching fire isn't typically the problem with 911's. Rather, since the current for the lights flows through the turn signal assembly, increased current can cause the early failure of the turn signal assembly. So the consideration is adding a $10 relay versus replacing the more expensive turn signal assembly sooner than expected.

C4porsche964

I'm confused. I have read the posts about H4 vs H5, and I'm pretty sure mine are H4 (painted trim ring). But the bulb is HB1/9004. Does the lens dictate the type of bulb that you can use??

Also, looking at the Silverstar bulbs in the store, the 9004 silverstar is 65/45W, the same as my current bulb. However, there is a 9007 bulb that is 65/55, but almost twice the lumens by the Sylvania chart. The 9007 looks like it should fit and provide a brighter light than the 9004. The package says "Not interchangable with 9004", but it shure looks like it should work to me. Anyone think of why it shouldn't work?

Jerry

garrett376

I've had mine working for just about two years as well...

C4porsche964

Ok, I re-read the H4/H5 posts, and I have H5's.

So now my only question is whether to put in Silverstar 9004's or 9007's. Has anyone tried the 9007's?

Jerry

DarrylH

The base is a little different, I think, so if you decide to try the 9007s, make sure you can return 'em if they don't quite fit. FWIW, I find the 9004s to be a significant improvement over stock bulbs, and darn close to the "off-road-legal-only" 80/100 bulbs the PO had put in . Oh, and the 80/100s draw enough current to badly discolour (read scorch ) some of the wiring and connectors in the headlight housing, at least in my case. I'd stick with standard current draws unless you're going to upgrade the wiring too. Just my two Canadian cents.

C4porsche964

OK, I did some Googling on SilverStar and answered my question: 9004 and 9007 are wired differently, even though the connectors look the same. Also the 9004 filaments run in a different direction than the 9007.

I also came across a web site that seems to challenge the claim that the SilverStars are actually brighter. Interesting reading: http://www.danielsternlighting.com/t...good/good.html

Marc Shaw

I have discussed this issue at length via e-mail with the lighting expert Daniel Stern (www.danielsternlighting.com, no affiliation to me) and he is admant that a fire in the bonnet is a real possibility if you run high watt bulbs through the standard Porsche wiring -- relays are a must.

Marc

DarrylH

Judging by my "cooked" wires and connectors, I'd second this. I only changed the bulbs because I wanted to try Silverstars - now I'm glad I did.