mile2424

Talk to me about the pros and cons of each? I always thought LED were a must to keep the car looking more modern but I’m always surprised to see how many cars out there don’t have them. Am I missing something? I’m sure the Xenon are great for lighting up the road and visibility, but anything else I’m missing or forgetting?

Bob Z.

A quick search of this forum and I found this, and there are many more: https://rennlist.com/forums/991/9715...ghts-pdls.html

And went with the + to get the Black band around the edge (did not like the sticker option).

luv2sleep

I prefer LEDs but I stayed with Xenons on my 911 because I didn't want to pay over $2k for LEDs. Xenons look good and work just fine but the LEDs are slightly brighter no doubt. I know I know...what's another 2 grand on a 6 figure car, right? I'd gladly pay >$5k for the Burm system and the Xenon works for me. As with anything in life, it's about priorities and willingness to fork out. I think Porsche needs to get with the times and just slap on LEDs on all their cars without charging extra. To each his own.

Sidvicious7

Nick covered it well on YouTube:

Paliknight

Very good video. It also shows how obsolete halogens are and how US regulation doesn’t ban them even though it should.

You could also also see a significant difference in the video between the LEDs and the Xenons

PJ Cayenne

I noticed that while a bit brighter, the LEDs had a somewhat narrower band of light. Re-watch the video, and you will see the LEDs go a bit darker from top to bottom, while the Xenons stay more consistently bright in the up/down direction. I had them on the '14 Mercedes, they were ok, but I noticed that same issue of a narrow beam. The Porsche Xenons are the best lights I've ever seen.

jnolan

why would you ban halogen headlights? They work fine and are affordable while bi-xenon and LED are expensive additions to the bill of material. Regulators need to pause on making cars more expensive through regulatory requirements.

Paliknight

I’ve driven plenty of times at night with no ambient light (pitch black) through the backwoods of Georgia and the Halogens were very dangerous. The amount of light they provide is the bare minimum in certain situations. There isn’t such a large delta between Halogens and Xenons. Just look at the cost of conversion kits. Under 300 dollars.

I agree reed we do not need more regulations, however, regulators in the US are focusing on the wrong things.

911mhawk

The PDLS on my .1s is great, speed sensitive auto adjust and turn feature are neat and make it safer at night as a dd.
The modified rx350's in my 996 turbo help keep pace too, and the BMW lighting package in my wife's x5 is light years ahead of the older x5's setup.
IMO, whatever the manufacturer offers for lighting, get it if you drive at night or in a dark state often

Guards_Red_991

Because they are unsafe. Airbags were expensive, seat belts were expensive.

jnolan

I was not aware we were experiencing a spike in accidents because of lighting deficiency. Can you point me to some data to help me understand the scope of the problem?

Paliknight

Xenons and LEDs are incontrovertibly better performing lights than Halogens. Better performing by providing more light and more visibility while driving. How many times have you squinted while driving in pitch black with Halogens? I have plenty of times and almost everyone I know has too. Just like backup cameras were never needed the past 100 years or so until now, I believe a similar concept applies in this situation. If you could improve safety while driving, even if just a little bit, why not?

Bxstr

Driving with halogen lights is so difficult. That is not an opinion, that is a fact. Even the best Halogen lights in a BMW or other car are just not good when compared with xenons. I don't see a huge difference between xenon and led though in my experience, so I would be fine with either.

Dennis C

I’ve owned two Porsches with HIDs, and one with LEDs. The lighting in the 991 is better than it was in the 997, and the lighting in the 997 was better than the lighting in the 996. Technology keeps getting better, and I’m sure that trend will continue as new Porsches are launched. I wish somebody would figure out how to code the PDLS+ system on US spec cars to operate the way that it does in Europe. Our lighting could be better than it is now with that update/upgrade.

Guards_Red_991

I'm an Engineer, I design roads for a living. One of the things we are required to do is to check for the ten controlling criteria per AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials). One of the controlling criteria is Headlight Sight Distance. For years my field has been complaining about the need to update the criteria and to require better headlight designs. There's so much we can do to bring a facility to safety standards.

Do your research, I'm sure you'll find plenty of info out there.