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20-year old Xenon ballasts are incredibly heavy, whereas the halogen units are extremely ultra lightweight.
C. The 996 GT-1 Evo monohousing racing lights are the single greatest aesthetic draw to the 996 Carrera to this day.
What is the weight difference? Sounds like you have both sets so it would be great to know.
I actually prefer the MKI configuration too. Not sure why but I do. Anytime I see those covered up to look like something else I understand that not everyone gets it. And that's coming from an aircooled guy so go figure.
@c didy I dont know the difference ,,, this is cut and pasted from a listing on BAT (SY 996.1 already at $31k) Seller says all this and that the upgraded headlights are a $3k upgrade.... I am trying to see if anyone knows more.
@c didy I dont know the difference ,,, this is cut and pasted from a listing on BAT (SY 996.1 already at $31k) Seller says all this and that the upgraded headlights are a $3k upgrade.... I am trying to see if anyone knows more.
Oh I see. I think maybe some folks mistakenly thought you were the author of those claims.
BAT may be vulnerable to hyperbole, and this is probably a case in point.
The guys here might not have known that ad was what you were referring to.
I wonder what they weigh but I have to say I kinda like my Litronics. So again, what do I know?
1. LITRONIC HEADLIGHTS were originally specified, but I (and like minded enthusiasts) always swap them out immediately for brand new high temp halogen units. In this case I special ordered brand new Factory OEM headlamp units at great cost. Multiple reasons for this, listed in order of personal importance:
A. 20-year old Xenon ballasts are incredibly heavy, whereas the halogen units are extremely ultra lightweight. The 996 GT-1 Evo’s that won LeMans used these exact same halogen OEM units. Porsche Motorsport would never in one million years weigh the front nose of a racecar down with 50-pounds of solid cast iron that is 100% useless from a performance standpoint.
B. 20-year old Xeon technology is horribly outdated. New high temperature halogens vastly outperform two decade old Litronics. All you have to do is pop them both in and drive back to back. I have.
C. The 996 GT-1 Evo monohousing racing lights are the single greatest aesthetic draw to the 996 Carrera to this day. These are the exact same lights, exact same Factory part number, with which the Type 996 became the one and only 911 to ever win Overall at LeMans. I personally have no such affection for the MKII “Turbo” headlights because they are not the units that won LeMans. And likewise I have no use for the “Litronic” MKI headlights because they are not the units that won LeMans.
Additionally, of all 23 996 GT-1 Evo Strassenversions manufactured for street-legal use in Europe (to homologate the GT-1 Evo for Lemans). only one was fitted with Litronics. Only one. That suggests I’m not alone in this opinion
All that said, of course I always keep the original Litronics. If the winner wants them they’re yours no cost; and they are in as-new perfect condition. But if that’s the case I’ll want my $3K brand new halogens back!! These pop in and out in five seconds with the headlamp removal tool supplied with the Factory toolkit, which is complete
I'll "shed some light on it"... Total BS! Take that stuff with a grain of salt, learn how to read hyperbole with a critical eye. When you smell BS, fact check it...
@dporto agreed... BAT has been a great source of knowledge in my search for a 99 as has rennline... I was only interested in finding out what these $3k super headlights were / are. Although i see a gazillion listings for litronics on various sites... I have never seen anyone sell these unobtainum headlight sets ... maybe at the Porsche museum!?
I actually prefer the MKI configuration too. Not sure why but I do. Anytime I see those covered up to look like something else I understand that not everyone gets it. And that's coming from an aircooled guy so go figure.
I like the MK1 better myself. That being said I just got some depo LED tail lights and I love them. They are smoked so understated but they really refresh the rear. I was hoping there was something similar for the front that performed better than the stock but it doesn't sound like thre is anything ready for prime time
I like the MK1 better myself. That being said I just got some depo LED tail lights and I love them. They are smoked so understated but they really refresh the rear. I was hoping there was something similar for the front that performed better than the stock but it doesn't sound like thre is anything ready for prime time
M
Do you have more pics? I'm curious as to how "smoked" they look. Also, where did you get them? Thanks!
Do you have more pics? I'm curious as to how "smoked" they look. Also, where did you get them? Thanks!
Here are some more pics plus one showing the stock rear lights that were replaced. I don't know a ton about them as I bought them on the rennlist marketplace. They are the only ones I've seen that weren't in the 997 light pattern/style. I like the way the smoked look sort of antique modern
Here are some more pics plus one showing the stock rear lights that were replaced. I don't know a ton about them as I bought them on the rennlist marketplace. They are the only ones I've seen that weren't in the 997 light pattern/style. I like the way the smoked look sort of antique modern
Thanks for the pics. Looks good, IMO. There's a yellow aero kit car on here that I've seen posted, but other than that I don't recall seeing anyone else with these. Definitely freshens up the exterior!
What is the weight difference? Sounds like you have both sets so it would be great to know.
I actually prefer the MKI configuration too. Not sure why but I do. Anytime I see those covered up to look like something else I understand that not everyone gets it. And that's coming from an aircooled guy so go figure.
Just thought I'd share my findings I just did this morning with headlights for my endurance Boxster on this old thread..
The 996.1 Xenon's weight 7.93 lbs each. 996.1 Halogens weight 5.6lbs each. For a pair you're looking at 4.6lbs lighter for Halogens.
It's the first time that I see retrofitting halogens from Xenon like an upgrade...
I will admit I prefer the look of the Litronic "reflectors." I think they are still an "upgrade," at least aesthetically.
After competing in this years 24 hours or VIR (Champcar) with factory Litronics and some accessory lights I'm trying to up my game for next year. The factory litronics are horrible! Even on my street Boxster.
I'm going to see about using these name brand LED's in the factory Halogen housing. I was tempted to buy the Chinese units off Amazon but for not too much more I found these units from a company that might actually adhere to bulb placement etc. I have heard that the knock off branded LED's do not pay attention to the original H7 bulb design so when you put one in housing made for H7's they end up making a bunch of light, but typically blinding oncoming traffic. built in "ballast" Sylvania H7 "power sports or fog light use" Built in cooling fan, pretty neat!
It is my understanding that some people have removed the factory Litornic ballast/bulb setup and installed aftermarket 50w HID's. Depending on how my test goes with the Halogen units I might look into that.
Ideally I'd find some 996GT1 lightweight headlights but I don't think I could swing that with my budget
