HID Kits? Opinions...

Hi Guys, What are your thoughts on aftermarket HID kits for the 996? Now don't get me wrong, I don't want to trash the car by throwing tasteless aftermarket modifications to the vehicle, and that certainly isn't the plan. It's just my daily driver has factory fitted xenon lights, and they are fantastic - I would certainly make sure that any car I have in the future that is my main transport has them as visibility is superb. Being a factory fit they are self leveling, however I believe after market kits are not, and so could well be illegal / will fail an MOT because they can dazzle? Does anyone know if this is correct? And what would be your opinion on fitting them if indeed they are allowed? I have also seen some OEM Xenon light units for a little more which may well be the better option. Thanks, Steve

Steveoz32 You are correct that the letter of the law confirms that Xenon type lighting is to be accompanied by a self levelling system, and with the Porsche 996 aftermarket fitting of a complete system is not practicable. However, I changed my lights from Candle power to Xenon with an HID system, ( I had them professionally installed - or though not necessary ) and car passes MOT. Only trick is not to use too Blue a light otherwise they attract unwanted attention, and can make car look like an approaching Saxo. My kits were sourced from HIDS4U ( other companies offer same) ..... Good luck, and turn Night into Day .... Image

I fitted HID's to mine and it's sailed through 2 MOT's and done 47,000 miles without anyone flashing me either here or in Europe. I know a number of people who have them & none have reported any problems. The self-leveling stuff is only for factory fitted units as I understand it. Aftermarket is more of a grey area. EDIT: Good point made above about the colour - stick to 5000 and you'll look like OEM lights.

The mot test only looks at beam alognmentand any disparity from side to side, you can fit pink bulbs if you want. However there are government guidelines saying it's illegal to fit hid kits. You'd need a copper on a very bad night to attract any notice though. Had my kit in my old 986 for 14 months and it's now been in the 987 for 4.5 years with no issues at all. The only item to be wary of is the length of the hid bulb which on some kits is too long and fouls against the shroud/cap in the headlight unit.

Thanks for the replies guys - some food for thought there.

Am i right in thinking that you need a kit and you cant just swap the bulbs?

Proper HID lamps need a bulb filament unit and a ballast or starter box to generate the high voltage required for initial lighting of the filament/gas. Xenon bulbs from Halfords etc are just normal halogen bulbs with an enhanced gas mixture, but as xenon needs high excitation the amount of xenon that can be introduces into a stock bulb is limited. One oother factor Steve is the kelvin rating - Porsche units are about 4500K, anything up to 6000K is fine (whitte with a faint hint of blue), but you'll find kits up to 12000K which are purple !. The amount of light (lumens) produced also drops off after 6000K, so for optimum performance stick to something around 5000-6000K colour range.

Thanks

I have just fitted the HID kit recommended above and the difference is amazing. believe me I am not a teccie by any means but the fitting was relatively easy even for me. Some initial fiddling around as you have a bit of kit to fit in however the results are well worth the effort....go for it!!

Personally I wouldn't.

Whats your opinions on the best 'standard'bulbs, ive been looking at the philips power xtreme power and wondered if anybody has used them previously.

I used PIAA bulbs in my 993, and they were a huge improvement on the standard bulbs. Not that is difficult to improve lights which are as dim as a glow worm's armpit. They were Super Whites, but I think they have been replaced by a new model. Not cheap, but I thought they were worth it. Having said that, an HID kit is the best way to improve the standard 996 lights. That's what I did on my 996C2.

I would only put something of the same Wattage / heat. "I don't like yellow lenses" LOL.

I've fitted them to my Golf, and whilst they are slightly whiter than the Philips Long Life bulbs that were in from the factory (and only a few months old), they were nothing special. There is more light in front of the car where the bulk of the beam pattern is, and it is whiter, but the claims of additional headlight range are not evident to me. The headlight design will determine the beam pattern, and to be honest the Golf beam pattern design is the biggest issue IMO. I fitted PIAA H7 Platinum white and super white to my old 986 (same headlight unit as 996) and they did make a difference to light level and the range. I eventually swapped to HID kit, and i always thought it was better again, although its also a different sort of light. Sometimes the HIDs were awesome and other times they seemed a bit lacking - perhaps just atmospheric conditions and the type of road surface and surroundings ? They certainly ligth up roadsigns ! The PIAA bulbs are about £80 a set - not cheap, and maybe the likes of the Phillips Extreme Power (and Ring / Osram equivalents) are almost comparable, for half or a third of the price. I've never compared the Philips and PIAA bulbs in the Golf - i still have PIAAs, but its such a pain to change bulbs i've never got round to trying them. Also note i've seen a post on pistonheads this week suggesting ''that new EU laws will change the current UK MOT test to be more stringent and look for items such as non standard bulbs, hid kits, remaps and tuning boxes''.

Since changing the clocks and driving home in the dark, I've remembered how fantastic my factory xenon's are on my daily driver. I popped out in the C2 the other evening, and it was really the first time at night and down a country lane which gave me chance to test the lights. They actually aren't bad for standard lamps by any means, full beam is certainly decent enough, but it's still a way off the xenon's. I think I've decided it's not essential, but would be a 'nice to have' so I've come up with my first present for my Xmas list! LOL.....

If thats true maybe i wont go for a hid conversion. is it possible to make tham height adjustable like factory fitted options.