HiD Light Conversion Kit or Phillips Extreme Vision Bulbs ??
 

Next job on the agenda...Lights upgrade....

So i am steering towards the HiD conversion kits on the market, and have been advised
10,000k is ideal. Like the look too of the Bluey White lights too..


Handy with the tools so this doesnt phase me..

Or should i just opt for the Bulb upgrade... There are 2 x H7 sets on the Boxster so 4 bulbs in all

Just wondered if you have fitted them and what your thoughts are. Maybe what kit you have used.
There are plenty available on Ebay...but range from £30 upto £200..

I would keep away from HID conversions in the UK, unless you fit headlamp leveling and headlamp washers, it will fail the MOT.

I have some 5500k Philips bulbs, had them about 3 years. Look like HID's and are brighter than the standard bulbs. I also added Cree 501 LED sidelights to match.

10,000k is just blue - chavs fit them to their cars. Not remotely cool, not bright enough and definitely illegal.

10k is way too blue. Not to mention you won't see anything.

5k is the norm. 6k is if you want a blue tint. Anything above that is just trash.

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...52181454_n.jpg

I have 6k projectors and fogs.

Pete,

Is someone spiking your tea and crumpets over there ? Who's giving you all of this crazy advice ? We're going to have to drag you across the "pond" and put some sense into you ! If you're intent on doing an HID conversion kit, stick with either 5000k or 6000k. Not even Elton John in his younger years would approve of flashy bobo 10000k HID'S.

I want bulbs from an LMP 1 Audi in my Litronics. :)
I saw a Singer 911 with that upgrade. But then again those guys spend $30K on wiring harnesses.

Please no blue/purple/etc. 4.5-6k is good range.

If i go down the HiD route..5-6k sounds the option then. Guess will need 2 sets for the high beams and dipped as well,,

Would i need sets with the can bus ?

These look ok and not expensive

XENON HID CONVERSION KIT H7 6000K | eBay

I would suggest you might want to consider a projector conversion kit. No one will know they aren't Litronics.

Either way, get the best HID kit available. Lots of problems with the cheap kits on eBay.

I agree with the rest of the crowd. 10,000K are too blue, don't look correct and you get less light. I mistakenly bought a 10,000K set and once I installed them I realized my mistake. Of course being blue/purple color blind doesn't help. Things just blended together. After the test drive, I removed them and ordered the correct set of 6000K lights. Much happier now.

I'm running Litronics (from the factory - very happy:D

Those lights are sweeeeeeet!!!!

theretrofitsource.com

Plenty of correct information here on converting halogen reflector lights to projector HID, in addition to general xenon knowledge.

You may be able to retrofit a bi-xenon projector kit which would eliminate the need for two separate kits for low and high beams. That is, if doing such an install won't fail your MOT. :D

Great...good information there...

Going to give the HiD kit a go, and see the results..

Will i need the canbus version for a 2001 Boxster...is it worth doing both the high and low beam, guess that would be 2 sets wired seperately ?

If they pick up on the mot..can just pop the original bulbs back and re connect the wiring..simple

High beams are always halogen because you need the fast response. Xenon high beams would take too long to warm up and wouldn't serve the correct purpose.

Also, if you're going to do the HID conversion for your regular headlights, I suggest you eventually upgrade to projectors. It would be slightly irresponsible not to :)

I have to say that you're missing the point of any they're illegal in the UK Pete. You have headlights designed specifically to work with halogen bulbs and when you retrofit HIDs to these lights you will give off terrible glare to other road users. If, like some on here, you can utilise a projector unit then that is better in terms of beam pattern etc but still technically illegal for MOT purposes.
May I suggest you start looking out for cars with halogen beam pattern lights and retrofit HID kits out on the road at night. I am convinced when you see how bad they look and how blinding they can be you'll either go the upgraded halogen route or buy proper litronic headlights.
Anything less is rather selfish to other road users in my opinion. Apologies if this grates with anyone but HID kits with halogen headlight units are a big problem over here in the UK.

Some new regulations are out for the MOT road worthiness test here in the UK, looks like aftermarket HiDs will definitely result in a failure without headlamp washing and leveling:

VOSA CHANGES TO THE MOT TEST EFFECTIVE FROM 20 MARCH 2013
What are the new elements to the MOT rest?
For Class 4, 5 and 7 vehicles:

Headlamp levelling and cleaning devices when fitted for HID or LED headlamps
Main beam ‘tell-tale’ warning
Battery (including batteries for electric or hybrid vehicles)
Electrical wiring and connectors
Trailer electrical socket security and damage
Operation of 13-pin trailer electrical sockets using an approved trailer socket tester
Operation of the steering lock (where fitted) including a malfunction warning in
respect of an electronic steering lock
Electronic power steering malfunction indicator lamp
Electronic parking brake control and malfunction indicator lamp
Electronic Stability Control (ESC) components, including the switch (if fitted) and
malfunction warning
Brake fluid warning lamp illuminated or inoperative
Tyre Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS)
SRS components including airbags, seat belt pre-tensioners, seat belt load limiters
and SRS malfunction warning lamp
Engine mountings
Speedometer
Indirect vision devices (where they replace obligatory mirrors)

Hmmm think will give this some more thought then
May stick with just the bulb upgrades...and save myself a headache !!

Shame, I wanted to change mine until I read this a couple of months ago. I also have a 2011 Civic Type R with OEM HiDs and they are so much brighter.

I assume the cost of the MOT will increase when these changes come into force later this month to cover the extra work.

Stick a set of of Philips Extreme 100% bulbs in as they are an excellent solution.

Been running Philips Extremes now for over two years with NO issues. Casts light down the road where it belongs ... not glaring onto oncoming drivers.

Jaak,
I was hoping for a member to give these a thumbs-up.
Where are these available for purchase in Ontario?
CTC hopefully, as I have a rather large stack of CTC "money" I've been saving up for just such a purchase.

Osram H9s
 

An option that has not been mentioned is to fit the Osram 65w H9 on an H7 base bulbs. The additional amperage and heat is reputed to be not a problem, and they are WAY better than any H7 bulb. I fitted these to the wife's Passat a few years ago and have had zero problems. The Passat's projectors with standard H7 bulbs were an inexplicable sick joke. The Osrams actually allow me to drive the car at night.

My Boxster has factory-fitted Litronics with the leveling function, and they are the best headlights I have ever experienced.

Steve ... I ordered it from the UK and it arrived 6 days later .... PORSCHE (US) BOXSTER (1997 - 2004) Car Headlight Bulbs | PowerBulbs

Here is another one from the states. I did get them from them in the past and it looks like the price has been lowered since I last ordered. Shipping may even them out ---> <b>Philips <font color="red">Xtreme Power</font></b> (TWO-PACK) Philips Xtreme Power H7 55W Halogen

I am very happy with them and I have also put them in my 2010 Ford F150 with very good results!!!

These are the only ones I would ever use.

The extra heat will burn the lens inside the headlight units as they are plastic. Mine were burnt and I found another set that was barely used ... crystal clear, that I replaced them with. You will see many out there that are burnt ....

Jaak, just to be clear...are you saying that you know for a fact that Osram Rallye 65w bulbs will burn Boxster headlamps? Or are you saying that, in general, higher-wattage bulbs will burn? I wouldn't recommend 80w or 100w bulbs--no way--but these 65w bulbs have not harmed my wife's Passat in any way, and before that, my 1999 Miata, and both have plastic headlamp housings.

+1 on that!

I run the 65w Osram bulbs as the high beams and have had no issues - maybe those of you in high temp climates suffer?

The PO of my car was running hotter bulbs that burned my lenses in spots to a faint brown color. Beware is you decide to try this that may cause more expensive issues one down the road...

I just checked, and I also have been using the Osram 65w bulbs as my hi-beams for more than a year. Now, to be fair, I don't use my hi-beams all that much--the factory Litronics are so good I hardly ever need to use the hi-beams! But I can definitely say that there are no wiring issues with using them, at least in Litronics.

Still interested to hear if anyone is using them for their non-Litronic lo-beams, though. With 50% more lumens than a 55w H7, they should be terrific lo-beams--IF they don't burn the lamps.

Check out these threads. I did a quick search ....

http://986forum.com/forums/general-discussions/24295-headlights.html

http://986forum.com/forums/performance-technical-chat/15184-nice-headlights-bulbs.html

http://986forum.com/forums/general-discussions/10795-gambling-burnt-clear-headlights.html

http://986forum.com/forums/performance-technical-chat/8124-80-watt-h7s.html

My friend has an indi P-Car shop and I see a lot of burnt headlights come in on the 996's and Boxsters. It is a comon problem. Do a search on CL or up here Kajiji sto see many of these units for sale. The lens is plastic and does not seem to take the heat too well.

Update: my Philips bulbs are now going into 4th year of service and are still running strong in both the Beepster and my F150.