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Old 06-24-2010, 09:19 AM   #1
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HID conversion

Has anyone done and HID conversion on there Boxster? Not with litronics? Just an after market HID upgrade?

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Old 06-24-2010, 09:48 AM   #2
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JUpbk8jaqc

40 minute job, went with a 5K 'white' light, very easy to do
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Old 06-25-2010, 12:25 PM   #3
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ok so its possible then there is no reason to go with litronics , except if you want everything porsche. Good to know
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Old 06-25-2010, 12:52 PM   #4
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Actually, there are a couple of good reasons to go the lits, providing you can get them at a reasonable price:
  • Non lit lights do not have the focusing lens lits have, resulting in diffuse and glaring light output. Some states will not allow this to pass inspection.

    We regularly get cars in the shop with cheap HID kit in them with various electical issues such has multiple warning lights lit up on the dash. Not all of these could be corrected and we sometimes have to pull the HID kit out so the car can pass state inspection (no MIL's are allowed at inspection here)
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Old 06-26-2010, 08:50 PM   #5
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The biggest thing that I have read about HID kits is that if it doesn't come with a new housing then it isn't true HID. From what I understand with the way the bulbs are with the HID lights you need a housing that will reflect the light properly and just throw it out like halogens do. If all you buy is a simple bulb and balast kit, you should rethink your ink and look into a true HID kit. Also, the other really cool thing that I have read about the Litronics is that they calculate the angle of the car while you are driving with accelerometers to better keep the beam on the road (under hard acceleration for instance).
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Old 06-27-2010, 06:13 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by boxster_s_boy_34
The biggest thing that I have read about HID kits is that if it doesn't come with a new housing then it isn't true HID. From what I understand with the way the bulbs are with the HID lights you need a housing that will reflect the light properly and just throw it out like halogens do. If all you buy is a simple bulb and balast kit, you should rethink your ink and look into a true HID kit. Also, the other really cool thing that I have read about the Litronics is that they calculate the angle of the car while you are driving with accelerometers to better keep the beam on the road (under hard acceleration for instance).
Factory lits use simple mechanical angle sensors mounted on the suspension to keep the projectors level with the road while going over uneven surfaces in order to prevent blinding other drivers (required by law in some countries); no "calculation", simple geometry. Lits installed post delivery do not have this feature and it cannot be retrofitted; but post delivery lits do use the motorized projectors to swing the low beams up and fill in the high beams, which significantly lights up a dark road...............
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Old 06-27-2010, 06:27 AM   #7
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Plus, the Lits have the cool projector beam eyeball!
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Old 09-11-2010, 04:45 PM   #8
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HID...2001 porsche boxster s tiptronic

Quote:
Originally Posted by livin_in_a_boxster
Has anyone done and HID conversion on there Boxster? Not with litronics? Just an after market HID upgrade?

i have used HID kit with 35w slim ballasts and a 8000k with no problem or any signs of problems...after over a year, the driver's side wont turned on...ihave to turn it off then turn it back on...sometimes both wont turn on...then it got worst that it wont turn on often, but it would still work after a few tries...so i bought a new HID KIt with a 5000K and a 35w regular ballasts...it both turned on...sometimes, driver's side wont turn on just like before...also sometimes both wont turn on just like before...when it's on, the driver's side is flickering continously...sometime, i would hear "tak, tak, tak, tak, tak" noise from the engine compartment, i guess and it wont stop after i turned off the switch...so i had to turned off the engine also...i dont know if it's damaging the electrical system.
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Old 09-11-2010, 05:02 PM   #9
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I went with the 40 dollar cheapo HID Kit from China. Works perfectly and lasted 5 months so far , 5000k bulbs with the standard china ballast for me. very easy to install ... less than 20 minutes - no drilling required
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Old 09-11-2010, 11:53 PM   #10
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I got my kit from Vertex and it's been the best money i've spent on my car. HID's without projector lenses are STILL HID's. The projector lenses just allow for better aiming and less diffusion. It focuses the light better. But still, without the lenses, you still have true HID.
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Old 09-12-2010, 04:52 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by livin_in_a_boxster
Has anyone done and HID conversion on there Boxster? Not with litronics? Just an after market HID upgrade?
If you can't use proper 3rd grade grammar, that's just sad.

Furthermore, this topic has been discussed ad nauseam on this forum. Put simply, retrofitted HIDs do not come close to factory Litronics, nor are they legal or safe for other drivers you are sharing the road with.
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Old 09-12-2010, 05:37 PM   #12
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I did!

It will require for you to drill a small hole on the light housing lid to route the cables inside (better than cutting an splicing the harness). I used silicon sealant around the hole to prevent moisture from seeping in. Finally I screwed the HID box on to the headlight housing lid itself. The good thing is that;

a) no major mods are needed (other than a small hole on the lid),
b) no splicing at all!!!!,
c) the HID box mounts in the stock location on the lid.

Since Boxster uses H7 bulbs and my HID kit was a single bulb unit, I was only able to have HID on the either high or low beam though. I chose low since that's the one I use most of the time. To match the color better, I did replace the high beams and the fog lights with hyper-white (bluish) color bulbs.

Maybe there are kits that provide multiple bulb with a single HID ballast in order to have both high and low beam with a simple setup. Since my setup is a transition until I get a OEM Litronic setup, I have not looked further into it.

The 'El Chino Cheapo' single H7 bulb kit cost me only $40 (hell, Silverstars cost more than that!) and does light up very, very bright and bluish. Definetely way better than stock but not quite as good looking as the real thing due to the missing focussing lens of course. In regards to durability, I've had this mod for over a year now with maybe 3-4 hours of night driving a week on average, plenty of road vibrations. Moisture has not been an issue either. Trust me, rains plenty in the Caribbean.

Let me know if you would like to see some pictures.

I'm still in the market for a good used pair of litronics though....

Regards,
Fred

Last edited by ALarracuente; 09-12-2010 at 06:07 PM.
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Old 09-12-2010, 08:55 PM   #13
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I did too, about a year ago
check out this thread:
http://986forum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21859&page=2&pp=20&highlight=hid

Works great so far, only complait is an ocasional battery light when you switch them on, which goes away after pushing a spoiler button (dont ask me how its related). Im sure it can be fixed with a cheap relay kit but im too lazy to even mess with it since it works.
Great update over stock halogens, but not as good as the HIDs on my A6
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Old 09-13-2010, 07:04 AM   #14
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I used a 5000K bulb 50W kit to get as white as I could and white LED 501s for the parking light. Not a hint of blue, just pure white - really pleased:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JUpbk8jaqc
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Old 09-15-2010, 07:13 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gary H
I used a 5000K bulb 50W kit to get as white as I could and white LED 501s for the parking light. Not a hint of blue, just pure white - really pleased:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JUpbk8jaqc

what relay r u talking about?...did u buy ur HID kit that includes 2relay harness that connects the ballasts directly to the battery?...coz mine dont have relays harness that comes with the ballasts..mine still works, but sometimes i have to turn headlight switch on n off a couple or few times...not sure if my switch or any of my car's electrical system is going bad coz of no relay harness.

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