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YOUR RESEARCHHeadlight upgrade recomendations
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Install aftermarket 50w hid's
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It is my understanding that some people have removed the factory Litornic ballast/bulb setup and installed aftermarket 50w HID's.
Leading evidence: 'Install aftermarket 50w hid's' (no explicit attributable resolution; this is a reported action or suggestion). Across 1 matching discussions, the most frequently mentioned possible cause is 'case in point' (1 discussions; 0 report identifying it and 1 suggest it). The most frequently discussed action is 'Install aftermarket 50w hid's' (1 discussions). For that action, 0 discussions report a resolution and 0 report an unsuccessful attempt. No action has an explicit, attributable resolution report under the current rules. These are forum reports and suggestions, not a confirmed diagnosis.
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The 996 GT-1 Evo’s that won LeMans used these exact same halogen OEM units.
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BAT may be vulnerable to hyperbole, and this is probably a case in point.
Replace reflectors in the 20 year old litronics (about $180
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Try replacing the reflectors in the 20 year old litronics (about $180 from retrofit labs) and then tell me how terrible they are�
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So I just got my car (2000 C4 Cab) back from the IMS upgrade and was taking a little test drive with my son. He turns to me and in perfect teen says you might want to turn the headlights on. Unfortunately, the headlights were on and even more unfortunately he was right you could barely see the road.
My headlight covers have no yellowing so its not that. So...I am looking to upgrade my headlights to something a little brighter. I have the factory lithtronics. I'm open to LED or other replacements. I'm mainly interested in visibility and longevity. All the other headlight threads I searched are a couple of years old. So what is the gold standard for 2021?
M
My headlights r stock lits and they r very good. R u sure u only didnt have the daylight tunning lamps on or if they r pointed straight down. The leveis r adjustable and the move up and down via level sensors on the suspension. These cars r well know for the headight switch not working properly so u may just think the lights r on.
the better scanners can move the headlights to a low, middle and high setting if u want to test the motors. They can also read the voltage from the sensors so u can bounce the car and create a voltage change to test.
I actually turned the headlights on and off at the time and while they were definitely on the brightness and field of view is noticeably less than the other vehicles I've been driving ( Rav4 and Tesla). I have not checked the leveling since I thought the lights self leveled.
M
Not sure how old your other cars but your 996 lights r over 20yr/old tech. I dont own anything newer then a 2003 so my expectations of good headlights might be low
.
maybe just some higher ouput bulbs?
Lighting has gotten a lot better. Which is good because my eyes have gotten worse. The head lights seem easy to change. Osram and philips make brighter bulbs and there are some LED options. I'm curious what people have tried and what new is out there as most of the threads are a couple years old.
M
If you have Litronics you might try new bulbs. They degrade with time. I have a 996 with 166k and the Litronics are not very good; I also have a 996 with 38k and the Litronics are nothing short of spectacular.
Had the same problem one night driving from Chicago to Phila in my 2002 996 on the PA turnpike thru Pittsburgh. Couldn't figure out why the lights seemed so dim. Played with high beams, turned my light switch on/off and kept adjusting it. The lights were on but looked like just the parking lights. Thought both of my front headlight bulbs went at the same time. Next day drove to Phila and went to dealership. Turns out my switch went bad. 300 dollars later the lights worked just fine. According to the dealership it's pretty common after 15+ years.
+1
HID bulbs gradually lose color temperature and intensity over time. A new set of quality HID bulbs is the first thing I�d try. The ideal color temperature for visibility is 4,300K, although 6,000K bulbs will appear brighter and whiter.
Throw some XV2 bulbs in there and you'll be set. If you want to find out the most you can get, email Danielsternlighting.com. not much of a wwebshop but he knows what he's doing
Look at RetroFit Lab - 996 projector kit. Requires lense removal but updates the project with a much more powerful unit - essential for the original halogen headlights like mine.
Your car is likely from the sounds of this thread litronics. That being said, here is a PSA I posted around issues with headlight upgrades.
https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...l-spoiler.html
Anyone can shed some light on the below... its from a listing on BAT (
2001 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe 6-Speed for sale on BaT Auctions - ending January 15 (Lot #41,863) | Bring a Trailer
)
1. LITRONIC HEADLIGHTS were originally specified, but I (and like minded enthusiasts) always swap them out immediately for brand new high temp halogen units. In this case I special ordered brand new Factory OEM headlamp units at great cost. Multiple reasons for this, listed in order of personal importance:
A. 20-year old Xenon ballasts are incredibly heavy, whereas the halogen units are extremely ultra lightweight. The 996 GT-1 Evo’s that won LeMans used these exact same halogen OEM units. Porsche Motorsport would never in one million years weigh the front nose of a racecar down with 50-pounds of solid cast iron that is 100% useless from a performance standpoint.
B. 20-year old Xeon technology is horribly outdated. New high temperature halogens vastly outperform two decade old Litronics. All you have to do is pop them both in and drive back to back. I have.
C. The 996 GT-1 Evo monohousing racing lights are the single greatest aesthetic draw to the 996 Carrera to this day. These are the exact same lights, exact same Factory part number, with which the Type 996 became the one and only 911 to ever win Overall at LeMans. I personally have no such affection for the MKII “Turbo” headlights because they are not the units that won LeMans. And likewise I have no use for the “Litronic” MKI headlights because they are not the units that won LeMans.
Additionally, of all 23 996 GT-1 Evo Strassenversions manufactured for street-legal use in Europe (to homologate the GT-1 Evo for Lemans). only one was fitted with Litronics. Only one. That suggests I’m not alone in this opinion
All that said, of course I always keep the original Litronics. If the winner wants them they’re yours no cost; and they are in as-new perfect condition. But if that’s the case I’ll want my $3K brand new halogens back!! These pop in and out in five seconds with the headlamp removal tool supplied with the Factory toolkit, which is complete
"20-year old Xenon ballasts are incredibly heavy, whereas the halogen units are extremely ultra lightweight. The 996 GT-1 Evo’s that won LeMans used these exact same halogen OEM units. Porsche Motorsport would never in one million years weigh the front nose of a racecar down with 50-pounds of solid cast iron that is 100% useless from a performance standpoint."
#1 - To imply that that the original ballasts on the litronic headlights weigh anywhere near 50 lbs. is just stupid...I'd be surprised if they weighed any more than 1/2 a pound each. #2 - AFAIK, none of the parts included in the headlight assembly are made of cast iron... Lots of plastic and a little bit of steel with some copper wiring...the ballasts are actually cast aluminum and the case probably weighs less than the internals...
Sh*t like this is what gives the internet a bad name...
That's a lot of words to sound pretentious and uninformed. Most can do it in fewer words. Let's just ignore the fact that other than the headlights, there's nothing else on that car that won Lemans....
What is the weight difference? Sounds like you have both sets so it would be great to know.
I actually prefer the MKI configuration too. Not sure why but I do. Anytime I see those covered up to look like something else I understand that not everyone gets it. And that's coming from an aircooled guy so go figure.
@c didy
I dont know the difference ,,, this is cut and pasted from a listing on BAT (SY 996.1 already at $31k) Seller says all this and that the upgraded headlights are a $3k upgrade.... I am trying to see if anyone knows more.
Oh I see. I think maybe some folks mistakenly thought you were the author of those claims.
BAT may be vulnerable to hyperbole, and this is probably a case in point.
The guys here might not have known that ad was what you were referring to.
I wonder what they weigh but I have to say I kinda like my Litronics. So again, what do I know?
I'll "shed some light on it"... Total BS! Take that stuff with a grain of salt, learn how to read hyperbole with a critical eye. When you smell BS, fact check it...
@dporto
agreed... BAT has been a great source of knowledge in my search for a 99 as has rennline... I was only interested in finding out what these $3k super headlights were / are. Although i see a gazillion listings for litronics on various sites... I have never seen anyone sell these unobtainum headlight sets ... maybe at the Porsche museum!?
I like the MK1 better myself. That being said I just got some depo LED tail lights and I love them. They are smoked so understated but they really refresh the rear. I was hoping there was something similar for the front that performed better than the stock but it doesn't sound like thre is anything ready for prime time
M
Here are some more pics plus one showing the stock rear lights that were replaced. I don't know a ton about them as I bought them on the rennlist marketplace. They are the only ones I've seen that weren't in the 997 light pattern/style. I like the way the smoked look sort of antique modern
Thanks for the pics. Looks good, IMO. There's a yellow aero kit car on here that I've seen posted, but other than that I don't recall seeing anyone else with these. Definitely freshens up the exterior!
Just thought I'd share my findings I just did this morning with headlights for my endurance Boxster on this old thread..
The 996.1 Xenon's weight 7.93 lbs each. 996.1 Halogens weight 5.6lbs each. For a pair you're looking at 4.6lbs lighter for Halogens.
I will admit I prefer the look of the Litronic "reflectors." I think they are still an "upgrade," at least aesthetically.
After competing in this years 24 hours or VIR (Champcar) with factory Litronics and some accessory lights I'm trying to up my game for next year. The factory litronics are horrible! Even on my street Boxster.
I'm going to see about using these name brand LED's in the factory Halogen housing. I was tempted to buy the Chinese units off Amazon but for not too much more I found these units from a company that might actually adhere to bulb placement etc. I have heard that the knock off branded LED's do not pay attention to the original H7 bulb design so when you put one in housing made for H7's they end up making a bunch of light, but typically blinding oncoming traffic.
built in "ballast" Sylvania H7 "power sports or fog light use"
Built in cooling fan, pretty neat!
It is my understanding that some people have removed the factory Litornic ballast/bulb setup and installed aftermarket 50w HID's. Depending on how my test goes with the Halogen units I might look into that.
Ideally I'd find some 996GT1 lightweight headlights but I don't think I could swing that with my budget
