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Old 03-18-2008, 04:41 PM   #1
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Adding Litronics...

hello all,

total newbie to the whole Boxster modding scene but I have been doing research into the HID conversion kits. These however do not seem like a good idea due to 1) possible burn in lens and 2) the amount of glare they create. Does anyone have any experience with these that could sway me otherwise or a good HID kit they could recommend? The only other option is to add Litronics... but there doesn't seem to be that much info out there about how/possibility of doing this. I have a 2000 Boxster 2.7 and would appreciate any help...

thanks in advance

J

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Old 03-18-2008, 04:49 PM   #2
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Adding Litronics only requires buying them and swapping the lights. I havent added the HID conversion, but many guys here have with no problems. The only lenses that get burned are the people who are just using one of the fake xenon type bulbs you see on ebay. They run too hot, and burn the lense. The conversion kits actually use a real balast and xenon bulb, which actually burns cooler than a stock halogen bulb.
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Old 03-18-2008, 05:17 PM   #3
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I swapped my hologens for the Litronics a year ago. No problems to date.

The Litronics will not adjust up/down when driving, but will move up 5 degrees when you switch to high beams.

It is not plug & play. You have to do some wiring, but it's very simple.

Suncoast Porsche had the best price for the lights.

http://e-partssales.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?

Here's the web site with installation instructions.

http://www.realtime.net/~rentner/Porsche/Litronics/InstallingLights_Starting.html

Good Luck.
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Old 03-18-2008, 05:26 PM   #4
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Mine were plug and play - no wiring to do and the ballast box was mounted to the back of the light. A ten-minute job, tops.

As for price, I got mine from design911.co.uk. They are still on the website for $1,300 or so for a pair. Shipping is about $150 to the US but it's still the best price I could find.
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Old 03-18-2008, 05:32 PM   #5
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IMHO, Litronics are not plug & play at all. It took me the better part of four weeks to dial in the aim points for both units.
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Old 03-18-2008, 06:10 PM   #6
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You absolutely want real Litronics over an eBay special "HID kit." Install is very straightforward, and I would install the control unit so that the lows tilt up the 5 degrees with the highs on. I haven't shopped price in a while, but I paid $1300 for mine.

Patrick
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Old 03-18-2008, 06:31 PM   #7
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I agree with ee3racing. I took a whole afternoon for the install. There is drilling and soldering. You need to take your front trunk apart (the various panels and cd changer). The first time you do it you want to be very careful because although the factory instructions are simple and accurate, you don't really know whats going on when they say to connect this wire to that. Get some zip ties and heat shrink tubing. After all that, my units refused to lock in place, although my old units would go in and out with ease.

The previuos owner of my car installed one of those hid kits, and might be one of those who would say hey, 10 minute job. But if you looked at his work, well, it looked like a 10 minute job, and was about 10 minutes from an electrical meltdown.
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Old 03-18-2008, 06:50 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EE3racing
IMHO, Litronics are not plug & play at all. It took me the better part of four weeks to dial in the aim points for both units.
Litronics originally installed on the cars were only available with Automatic Dynamic Headlight Beam Adjustment (AHBA) and included the washers. These corrected the beams to compensate for the uneven road conditions and the dynamic pitching motion of the car. The system required a stepper motor, wheel speed sensor units, and front and rear suspension level sensors.

The retro-fit units offered by Porsche are the same headlights as on the original, but without the AHBA and cannot be diagnosed with PST2. I had the originals on a 2001 911 and have the reto-fit kit on my Boxster. I can't tell any difference between the two. The ones being offered by most US vendors for ~$2,400 are the reto-fit kits.
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Old 03-19-2008, 03:54 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ofishbein
Litronics originally installed on the cars were only available with Automatic Dynamic Headlight Beam Adjustment (AHBA) and included the washers. These corrected the beams to compensate for the uneven road conditions and the dynamic pitching motion of the car. The system required a stepper motor, wheel speed sensor units, and front and rear suspension level sensors.

The retro-fit units offered by Porsche are the same headlights as on the original, but without the AHBA and cannot be diagnosed with PST2. I had the originals on a 2001 911 and have the reto-fit kit on my Boxster. I can't tell any difference between the two. The ones being offered by most US vendors for ~$2,400 are the reto-fit kits.

I'm sure the headlight shift provided by the control unit is nice, as you pointed out the retrofits are simply replacement headlamps. When I finally finished aiming them, (covered in a insert to the factory manual), I was very pleased. However, when first installed, they were no where near the proper alignment and provided far less viability than the stock units.
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Old 03-19-2008, 04:42 AM   #10
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thank you for all your help guys. looks like litronics are certainly the way to go. Just to check, these WILL be compatible with a 2000 Boxster 2,7? Don't want to try and put something in the car that consequently could damage it.

On design911.co.uk(thanks Ofishbein) they have a set of litronics and also rear light and side repeaters for the 986 coming to a total of £842.41 is that a fair deal?

Cheers

J

Last edited by jwl21; 03-19-2008 at 05:02 AM.
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Old 03-19-2008, 06:25 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jwl21
thank you for all your help guys. looks like litronics are certainly the way to go. Just to check, these WILL be compatible with a 2000 Boxster 2,7? Don't want to try and put something in the car that consequently could damage it.

On design911.co.uk(thanks Ofishbein) they have a set of litronics and also rear light and side repeaters for the 986 coming to a total of £842.41 is that a fair deal?

Cheers

J
The price is probably about right, considering an exchange rate of ~$2.05 to the pound (I haven't checked lately). I know you can get the rear lights in the US for about $250 for the pair, but it's probably easier getting everything from one place. I live in CA and shipping for the headlights was about $150. I don't know how much extra the tail lights might add to the cost.

I can't speak for the fitment, but I think all 97-04s are the same. You may want to check part numbers with a dealer.

If ordering the Litronics from Design911, be sure you get the "euro" version. The beam has a definite "Z" pattern and you don't want to inadvertently order the UK version lest you blind oncoming traffic. Also, be sure to click on the set instead of the separate right and left units. The price is better plus they come with the clear corner pieces.

Good luck.
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Old 03-19-2008, 06:28 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jwl21
thank you for all your help guys. looks like litronics are certainly the way to go. Just to check, these WILL be compatible with a 2000 Boxster 2,7? Don't want to try and put something in the car that consequently could damage it.

On design911.co.uk(thanks Ofishbein) they have a set of litronics and also rear light and side repeaters for the 986 coming to a total of £842.41 is that a fair deal?

Cheers

J
Whoops, sorry!

Didn't notice you are in the UK before I hit send (typical American arrogance). PLease ignore my last bit about getting the euor version. You will probably do much better with shipping so they look like an especially good deal for you.
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Old 03-19-2008, 08:35 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ofishbein
I know you can get the rear lights in the US for about $250 for the pair
Suncoast has the tailights for about $165 plus shipping.
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Old 03-20-2008, 04:11 PM   #14
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so finally made the payment. are these lights easy enough to fit myself? i will definitely be taking them to a garage to get the angles of the lights right but the actual fitting... can I do that easily?

Thanks

J
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Old 03-20-2008, 04:18 PM   #15
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If you are referring to the headlights, they are very simple once you know how to use the tool. You may have to wiggle them around a bit so they slide in the rail right when setting them in the opening. Once you get it down, you can change both lights in 2-3 minutes. I'd practice with your old lights so you get used to how the tool snaps them in place. You want to make sure you get a good solid "click".

I believe that the tail lights have four (10mm?) nuts each holding on the assemblies. Figure about a half hour for those.
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Old 03-21-2008, 02:17 PM   #16
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thank you. Hopefully that'll save me a trip to the garage... and some cash

J

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