Headlights: Xenon/Halogen/LED - Page 2 - Boxster/Cayman - PistonHeads UK

Hi all. I’m currently waiting for the right Cayman to come on the market and have a good understanding of what I’m looking for in terms of options and spec. That is with the exception of the lights: My main concern is effectiveness of the headlights. I’m guessing that Xenons were the best lights (as they were an option) however with advances in technology is this no longer the case? For example, could I upgrade using LEDs or HID and get a better result? I’d be happy to put money towards upgrading as enjoy night driving. Thanks in advance

I have a 981 Boxster and although nicely specced I have standard halogens and they were horrific. After upgrading the bulbs to the best Phillips I could find, they are now merely ‘poor’. Honestly avoid halogen equipped cars if possible, a joke that a £50k car can come with such poor lights. Xenons as a minimum.

Hid use xenon gas. Totally different to regular 12v bulbs as they use a small transformer usually located under or near the headlamp which produces 1000’s of volts to create high intensity discharge (HID). To retro fit a factory headlamp from halogen to HID is relatively easy. You need to make the automatic headlight leveller manual as the halogen headlamp version. This gets you legally through a mot. No working headlight leveller is an mot fail. Check fuse ratings between the two headlight versions. Sometimes a higher amp fuse is used. Information is based on conversations to Fords that have option HID headlamps. If you have a wiring diagram just trace the headlamp feed wire for each option to the fuse and check it’s ratings, then use the diagram to find the wire that’s the automatically leveller and use that to connect to a manual in dash leveller. Ford moves those wires in the headlamp wiring connector. So it’s just finding that wire and swapping around in the connector to suit. Obviously double check all wiring positions before powering up.

I have a 981 Cayman with halogens and actually find them surprisingly good. My last halogen car was a Volvo which was terrible, I've been more than pleased with the Porsche. I presume the previous owner fitted some sort of upgraded bulbs, they are definitely halogen bulbs as the lights is still yellow. I believe LED bulbs that fit in to halogen holders are now no longer MOT legal, and if you retrofit genuine xenons you'll also need the washer and levelling mechanism fitting too.

MitchW12 said: Hi all. I’m currently waiting for the right Cayman to come on the market and have a good understanding of what I’m looking for in terms of options and spec. That is with the exception of the lights: My main concern is effectiveness of the headlights. I’m guessing that Xenons were the best lights (as they were an option) however with advances in technology is this no longer the case? For example, could I upgrade using LEDs or HID and get a better result? I’d be happy to put money towards upgrading as enjoy night driving. Thanks in advance I should add that I’m looking at a 987 or 981

Since the 987 even the halogen headlights have been projector style units, so putting in a 'decent' LED from Philips or an HID will be fine, you will not dazzle anyone if you align them properly unless you fill that rear boot with lead, and I bet it would get through any MOT. Let's be honest, MOT testers will check the alignment, they won't open up your light units to check what sort of bulb is fitted. I guess with an HID fitted they may wonder why it is getting brighter as it is turned on, but turn them on before you get there so they are already warmed up. My pet hate is HIDs fitted to non projector headlights, but fitting a 35w one to a projector unit and setting it up properly will not cause issues for others.

C4ME said: RobXjcoupe said: Hid use xenon gas. Totally different to regular 12v bulbs as they use a small transformer usually located under or near the headlamp which produces 1000’s of volts to create high intensity discharge (HID). To retro fit a factory headlamp from halogen to HID is relatively easy. You need to make the automatic headlight leveller manual as the halogen headlamp version. This gets you legally through a mot. No working headlight leveller is an mot fail. Check fuse ratings between the two headlight versions. Sometimes a higher amp fuse is used. Information is based on conversations to Fords that have option HID headlamps. If you have a wiring diagram just trace the headlamp feed wire for each option to the fuse and check it’s ratings, then use the diagram to find the wire that’s the automatically leveller and use that to connect to a manual in dash leveller. Ford moves those wires in the headlamp wiring connector. So it’s just finding that wire and swapping around in the connector to suit. Obviously double check all wiring positions before powering up. I thought from January just gone the fitting of HID (or LED) components into a halogen lamp housing is now an automatic MOT failure. Yes it is. You need to replace the whole headlight which was factory designed for HID. The auto adjustment and washers isn’t required for an mot........but the conversion needs a working manual adjustment as the regular halogen light units.

I had my 981 boxster for 4+ years with standard bulbs and personally never felt they were bad at all. My latest PDSL lights are night & day better but personally I wouldn't let that stop me buy an otherwise perfectly specced 981 if I were looking for one. Amazing to think we used to fly around at all times of night with our old candle bulbs. That said, I'm not denying the LEDs are safer for the driver.

RobXjcoupe said: Yes it is. You need to replace the whole headlight which was factory designed for HID. The auto adjustment and washers isn’t required for an mot........but the conversion needs a working manual adjustment as the regular halogen light units. Which is why I said I reckon you will be fine. The 987 and 981 both use a projector headlight unit which is designed for a xenon type bulb, the difference being is it has manual adjustment rather than auto.

If you drive a lot at night you prob want xenons as a minimum. Big improvement over the old halogens.

Xenons are standard on 718s but I’m sure I read somewhere the base lights are 25W which are fine but the PDLS are 35W if you drive a lot at night and can’t see clearly. They tested LEDs vs Xenon somewhere on YouTube and the improvement was negligible compared to upgrading halogens to xenons, which made a massive difference. Edited by anonymous-user on Friday 19th March 11:16

Lexington59 said: If you drive a lot at night you prob want xenons as a minimum. Big improvement over the old halogens. Agreed. But the point here is the xenon and halogen headlights in the 987 and 981 both use the same projector lens unit for both, and with the new MOT rules saying that you can use HID (xenon) without washers or self levelling if used in the right unit, means you can now convert to Xenons on these for £50 or so.

gizlaroc said: Agreed. But the point here is the xenon and halogen headlights in the 987 and 981 both use the same projector lens unit for both, and with the new MOT rules saying that you can use HID (xenon) without washers or self levelling if used in the right unit, means you can now convert to Xenons on these for £50 or so. Does it allow for this? I’ve just seen this posted up on a Cayman forum on FB. It appears to state that no headlight conversation can take place... apologies if I’m mid-reading this/incorrect.

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After experiencing led headlights everything else seems much dimmer, downside very bright when coming towards you

MitchW12 said: gizlaroc said: Agreed. But the point here is the xenon and halogen headlights in the 987 and 981 both use the same projector lens unit for both, and with the new MOT rules saying that you can use HID (xenon) without washers or self levelling if used in the right unit, means you can now convert to Xenons on these for £50 or so. Does it allow for this? I’ve just seen this posted up on a Cayman forum on FB. It appears to state that no headlight conversation can take place... apologies if I’m mid-reading this/incorrect. Talking headlights? Whatever will they think of next? Seriously though - that document reads clearly enough - converted headlights on a car first used after 1st April 1986 will still fail MOT

No conversion of halogen headlights meaning don’t fit hid or led in a reflector lens. Retro fitting hid or led can be done provided you use the correct projector lens. Bare in mind the people that write legislation have no idea of specific factory options or upgrades. So it’s easily misinterpreted if you don’t know the difference of components used in differing light bulb units. If you remove the word conversion and say reflector it makes more sense, but then it’s getting component specific. Hope that makes sense?

Schmed said: Xenons are standard on 718s but I’m sure I read somewhere the base lights are 25W which are fine but the PDLS are 35W if you drive a lot at night and can’t see clearly. They tested LEDs vs Xenon somewhere on YouTube and the improvement was negligible compared to upgrading halogens to xenons, which made a massive difference. Edited by Schmed on Friday 19th March 11:16 For pretty much every market outside USA, OEM LEDs are far brighter and have longer reach than Xenons. In the USA, regulation restricts the brightness of LEDs and also every other HID for that matter.

I had the 'dimmer' standard xenons on a 981 Cayman S. Absolutely fine. Had the brighter PDLS+ ones on a GTS. Just as fine. What's key is whether you have enough light to see at the speed you want to go at... which means... if you suddenly see an obstruction, can you stop before you hit it? Headlight beam patterns need to be controlled, so you might have brighter light but the beam pattern would be roughly the same. So are you going to be able to see significantly more and thus make your driving safer? Only on main beam maybe. And only at warp speeds. In the UK? IMO LEDS are nice to have but they're only a vanity thing. Xenons are quite good enough.

It's a personal preference I guess. On my previous OG M2 Xenon, my current M2CS LED; and it is much brighter, sharper, better IMHO On my previous 981 C GTS Xenon, on my current 718 GT4 LED PDLS; and once again it is much brighter, sharper and better compared. It is really progress to me and not some fancy marketing

Romo said: It's a personal preference I guess. On my previous OG M2 Xenon, my current M2CS LED; and it is much brighter, sharper, better IMHO On my previous 981 C GTS Xenon, on my current 718 GT4 LED PDLS; and once again it is much brighter, sharper and better compared. It is really progress to me and not some fancy marketing I agree. Comparing OEM Xenons with OEM LEDs, all my LED cars – JCW, i3s & 991.2 GT3 RS – have noticeably better illumination of the road ahead compared to my HID cars – M3 & R32 with fresh HID bulbs and correct alignment. It just makes driving in dark and wet conditions easier in my opinion. HIDs are certainly good enough, but LEDs are usefully better. If I were to actually measure it, I'm confident that with LEDs, there is more visible light with being perceived by the eyes compared to HIDs. Even lay people like my elderly parents, notice the difference. Edited by mlhj83 on Sunday 21st March 21:15

I have standard oem HIDs on my 981 and they are excellent. I have converted another car, that also has projector lenses as standard, from halogen to HID many years ago for £50, so much better and no mot issues. Hence I’d recommend converting your 981 to HID as it has the projector lenses, shouldn’t be an mot issue and makes a massive difference for little outlay. Also dead easy to fit