HID

[Riggernut]

Well she lives! been quite a while since the old girl has been on the road. Getting the miles in yesterday found the standard lights pretty poor, has anyone fitted these? Is there a magic bulb everyone's using instead?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/PORSCHE-944-all-models-HID-Xenon-Conversion-KIT-lights-/120493087819?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item1c0df29c4b

 

[Mike_Pollock]

I looked in to these kits a while ago and the appear to be ok, I didnt like the idea of the filiment moving between dip and maiin.
I went for the brightest bulbs halfords had and they are a major iimprovement over my old ones.
Also seem to remember thst to fit ourr cars you need extra wiring - 30 quid or so - IIRC
Mike

 

[sawood12]

The moving element is common with these kits and I think is quite reliable. I've read many reports of people fitting these kits to various cars successfully. I think part of the problem with the standard lights is that it is not only the bulb brightness but the efficiency of the lens and bowl. Over time the chrome finish on the bowl dulls as well as the glass lens picking up chips and grime, so replacing the bowls and lens should also make a big difference.

I found that with these lights you had to clean them regularly and by just giving them a good clean you'd improve brightness significantly. Modern cars tend to have the lights under a perspex or Poly Carbonate shell which is cool and easy to clean, but with these lights they get hot so any dirty water that is kicked up from the car in front instantly evaporates leaving behind the grime that just builds up and builds up. I used to give my lights a clean every week in the winter and the rag always cleaned off loads of crud.

I'm not a fan of the modern HID/Xenon lights on any car. I find them too bright and the light seems to scatter and dazzles you.

 

[Billybod]

In addition to the self levelling aspect.......

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety/drs/hidheadlamps

Regards

Bill

 

[Billybod]

Another link.

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/conversions/conversions.html

Regards

Bill

 

[Riggernut]

Thanks for that interesting article. No problem with HID's as long as the unit is a projector and not reflector and lense, hence retrofitting is a poor idea. Think I'll give them a good clean and see if I can take them apart, Osram bulbs then?

 

[Copperman05]

Osram nightbeaters, phillips x-treme power or halfords brilliance seem to improve things alot without big mods or expense.

Edd

 

[CarreraRSR]

Retro fit HID without correct projectors, self levelling and headlamp wash is an MOT failure. VOSA are clamping down on the potentially dangerous diy kits installed on many cars. I rewired my 924 the headlights get direct power from the battery. Needed new wiring, relays and fuses and a feed from the original headlamp switch. Around 20-30% brighter with new higher power bulbs.

 

[sawood12]

That sounds a bit like the kit from the states that someone was making (the name escapes me - was it IceShark or were those the LED upgrade kits?). The chap was an enthusiast who made the kits out of his garden sheds - top quality stuff apparently, but he died recently and the kits are not available to my knowledge. You might be doing your fellow 924/944/968 enthusiasts a great service if you listed the parts and maybe some form of instruction manual?

I'm sure John Simms has one of these kits installed - an Ben's Wuf also has one if I recall correctly.

 

[zcacogp]

Bulbs can be improved by several different means. Cleaning the lens and the chrome reflector are two that can make a big difference, as already mentioned by Scott.

Next stage is to improve the amount of current that flows to the bulbs. The current wiring will be some way past its best, and will present a significant resistance to the flow of current. Bypassing it will help quite a lot. This is best done by wiring the bulbs directly to the battery (or the battery terminal in the engine bay if you have a battery in the boot), and using the existing wiring to turn on some relays, which then turn the lights on. This is very easy if you are familiar with relays and will help the output from the standard bulbs by a good chunk. Parts for this will cost perhaps £30, as mentioned, to do a good job. If anyone is interested then I can post a simple circuit diagram on here.

If you have done this then you can also consider some brighter bulbs. Standard bulbs are 60/55w (meaning that they are 60watt on main beam and 55w on dipped. Dipped is not a lot less bright than main beam but appears dimmer as the light is less focussed.) You can go as big as you like (or can buy), up to about 130/100w (although I am not sure on the legality of this path - check before you go fitting such bulbs.)

Note that just plugging bigger bulbs into your standard wiring harness will work but is NOT recommended as they will draw proportionally more current, which your harness will struggle to carry, and it has every possibility of causing a fire. If you want to fit bigger bulbs you NEED to uprate the wiring first.

I have uprated the wiring on my S2 and it helped a lot. I may look into some brighter bulbs this winter as well.

HID's are a different game altogether - I don't know anything about them.


Oli.

 

[Billybod]

You can go as big as you like (or can buy), up to about 130/100w (although I am not sure on the legality of this path - check before you go fitting such bulbs.)

Bulbs for road use need to be "E" marked so you'll find that anything above 60/55 W won't be marked and if from an ethical vendor, will be marketed as "off road" use only.....

Regards

Bill

 

[xenon]

I fitted HID lights to my S2 and used the dual-arc bulbs like this:

instead of the solenoid-operated moving mask.

As you can see here, the beam-cutoff is sharp:

but I tend to agree that retrofit kits can scatter a bit.

Regarding the MOT failure I don't think that is the case. It's certainly true that construction & use regulations specify that HID lights must have a cleaning system and a self-levelling system too for new vehicles but I don't believe there is a specific requirement or test in the MOT. My car always passed anyway.

 

[david924s]

Put Osram NightBreakers in my S2 and the difference was amazing I can now see the light when it falls onto a road lit by streetlamps and it is a much whiter light.

 

[944 man]

Much nonsense is talked about the legality of retro-fit HID lamps: much of it on the DfT website. They make a number of glaring mistakes (self leveling lamps being required being one - cars are type approved without this feature either due to self leveling rear suspension or due to their being sports cars which cant be loaded sufficiently to affect the lamps aim). Youll notice that the website contains a disclaimer confirming that its only a civil servants opinion and not a statement of fact.....