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YOUR RESEARCHHow to install OPT7 LED H7 low beams in a Porsche 996.2
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Install when i bought it
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My 99 had the LED/halogen replacement headlight assemblies installed when I bought it.
How to install OPT7 LED H7 low beams in a Porsche 996.2
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I replaced the projectors and bulbs with some HID replacements from The Retrofit Source and that greatly improved the light output.
How to install OPT7 LED H7 low beams in a Porsche 996.2
Use adapter supplied
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I used the adapter supplied with the LEDs to slide the red spade terminal into the yellow female end and the black spade into the brown female end.
How to install OPT7 LED H7 low beams in a Porsche 996.2
Use hole cutter
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I used a hole cutter on a drill to cut a round hold around the heat sink.
How to install OPT7 LED H7 low beams in a Porsche 996.2
Use hole saw
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When I used a hole saw to cut into the outer plastic enclosure, the first seal was defeated.
How to install OPT7 LED H7 low beams in a Porsche 996.2
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After driving a newer car with much brighter low beams than my 2003 996.2, I wanted brighter lights in my Porsche. I chose OPT7 brand FluxBeam model LED lamps because they are supposed to be drop-in replacements for the stock type H7 tungsten-halogen lamps, because they had good beam-pattern ratings, and because they appeared to have good cooling with a large heat sink and a fan.
After seeing photos of lamp upgrades on a 996.1 in Wayne Dempsey's book
101 Projects for your Porsche 911 1998-2008 (996 and 997)
, I figured that it would be easy. Because the lamps are held in place much differently, the mod was not easy, so I documented how I completed the project so that you other 996.2 owners could do it as well, and maybe even better.
The problem is that on the 996.2 headlight assembly, the stock lamp plugs into a black plastic holder (see photo below). The black plastic holder then twists about 1/12 of a turn into the rear of the glass projector assembly. The new LED has a big red heat sink and wires hanging out the back, so it's not possible to plug it in.
I found that I could disassemble the black plastic portion into two parts: the electrical plug and a ring with three tabs sticking out. The three tabs are what screw into the glass headlight assembly. The photo below shows the black plastic ring.
I untwisted and removed the white ring on the LED. I then used the sanding tool on a Dremel to remove a circle inside the black ring. The circle was just large enough to allow the black ring to slide all the way onto the LED as shown in the photo below.
At this point, the white ring would be returned to the LED and twisted on to clamp the black ring in place. The black ring is a little too thick for this, so I gradually sanded and filed the black ring down in thickness until the white ring could be forced down and twisted on.
The LED with the black ring attached could then be screwed 1/12 of a turn onto the glass headlight assembly. Note that it looks "upside down," but due to the tab on the white ring (which mirrors that on the stock lamp) and the arrangement of the tabs on the black ring, there's only one way it can go on.
That was the hard part. Now for the electrical connections. A brown wire and a yellow wire come from the headlight assembly to the electrical connector. Flip open the electrical connector and pull the female connectors out. Use pliers to squeeze the connectors a little tighter as shown in the photo below.
I used the adapter supplied with the LEDs to slide the red spade terminal into the yellow female end and the black spade into the brown female end. I then wrapped this with electrical tape to help prevent any unintended electrical contact. I folded and slid the wires and LED driver box into the side of the lamp assembly.
All of the new LED components will fit into the headlight enclosure and the rear hatch can just barely be closed, but there is a problem with this: the LEDs put out a lot of heat, which must go somewhere. I used a hole cutter on a drill to cut a round hold around the heat sink.
The photo below shows how it looks with the rear hatch installed. The previously water-tight enclosure now has a big hole in it. I can peak through the sheet metal behind the headlights and see the ground, so some water may get in there and cause corrosion or other problems. I'll update this thread if I have reliability problems in the future.
So how bright is this? Below you can see a comparison of the stock tungsten-halogen (yellowish-white light) 1450-lumen beam pattern and the OPT7 6000-K (white light) 3500-lumen (so they say) beam pattern. Both photos are are looking out 300 feet on my driveway to a power pole with three yellow reflectors on it. The photos are with the same camera exposure settings (f/1.8 and 1/8 s). The difference is like, well, sunrise and daylight!
Stock tungsten-halogen low beams. These put out about 1450 lumens each.
New OPT7 LED low beams. These are supposed to be 3500 lumens each. The color temperature is 5000 or 6000 K (white). I don't detect any blue tint.
The beams with the LEDs appear to go upward a bit. I spent a lot of time trying to get the aiming just right so as not to bother oncoming drivers. If I lowered the low beams any more, the high beams followed them downward and pointed at the ground instead of straight out. The low beams as set do not seem to be a problem when I stand 100, 200, and 250 feet in from of the car. I wish the light was projected more outward, rather that onto the ground in front of the car, but the stock bulb has a similar beam pattern, as do other cars.
After the success with the low beams, I was thinking of upgrading the high beams as well. The H9 lamps are supposed to put out 2100 lumens each, so 3500 lumens of whiter light would be nicer.
Looking at the headlight assembly, however, there is just no room for the heatsink. HID lamps might be an option.
When the engine is off and the low beams are on, I can hear a little whine from the LED cooling fans. Once the engine is running, the whine is barely perceptible. Inside the cabin I can't hear the whine with the engine off or on.
It's been two months since installation. I've driven in the rain a lot, and parked in the rain some. From the outside, the headlights look dry. I will post an update if this changes.
Will dust/dirt enter the inside of the head light assembly, covering the inside of the lens now .... just a thought? And if so, how would this get "cleaned out"?
The Porsche 996.2 headlights have two sets of seals protecting the low and high beam lamps. When I used a hole saw to cut into the outer plastic enclosure, the first seal was defeated. For the second seal, the lamps themselves fit tight against the glass of the headlight projector/reflector assembly. This is metal on glass without anything squishy to make a tight seal, so it is possible for dust to sneak its way in there. This is the same as on other cars I've seen.
If dust becomes a problem, I'll probably pull out the LED and rinse the glass out with water. The hole for the lamp is too small to fit a hand into.
I bought a different brand Nineo on amazon and the heat sink and fan is wider but shorter. it leaves about 1/2 inch (estimate) behind the heat sink to the cover.
It seems like there is plenty of room in the housing to move air around and there is a little drain hole with 90 degree angle rubber hose on the back of the housing i figure can relief some heated air. I did not drill any hole on the housing and have not had any problem.
The surface of the light housing after driving 30 minutes at night is barely warm to the touch.
I stashed that part below the projector housing between the highbeam and the indicator light. There is plenty of space there to stash it. I assume the space was for the washer assembly which I don't have.
Link is here:
http://a.co/j0o1tiY
I am not affiliated with the seller or the product in any way.
Note I did have to cut the holding ring as indicated at this thread to fit the bolb itself into the projector housing. I did buy additional rings and keeping them in the car just in case any time the bulb fails I can find a halogen and be home safely at night. Hope I never need to use it. The ring's part number is 996 631 128 00.
Has anyone looked at replacement housings for LED lights in their 996? I came across this site the other day but know nothing about them.
https://www.cargym.com/product_info....oducts_id=2448
Did you ever get any feedback on this? These seem to kill multiple birds with one stone if they are genuinely plug n play. Steep price but again multi-functional, stylish, modern, updated and doesn't appear that they would have to be "made" to work. Let us know and I will do some research as well.
911STYL
wyovino,
I think that is called a "driver" but I'm not sure of that.
The LED replacements I've had include the LED "bulb" with an attached fan assembly (some brands have heat sink ribbons) that plug into the factory housing, and that plugs into the driver, which plugs into the stock light harness.
The ones I used on my last couple of motorcycles (Cyclops brand) had very small drivers, roughly the size of a pack of gum. The cooling assembly attached to the bulb is pretty large though...
I think I still have one of the Cyclops LEDs from one of my KTMs, not sure if it is a H7, but let me look. If it is, I can test fit it to see if it fits in the space available in the back of the 996 housing.
My 99 had the LED/halogen replacement headlight assemblies installed when I bought it. I wasn't a huge fan of the style, or the light output of the halogens. I replaced the projectors and bulbs with some HID replacements from The Retrofit Source and that greatly improved the light output. That being said, I finally found a decent set of original headlights at a great price and I'm now in the process of stripping them down and rebuilding with some custom HID projectors.
The build quality of the Chinese units is pretty poor, and they started to have issues with the switchback LED turn signal/parking lamps.
Chinese units
OEM units before upgrades
In process
I'll update as the build progresses.
Which modern day LED H7's can fit a 996.1 or 996.2 and be fully plug and play, not melt any plastic, not generate a canbus code and throw a strong but not blinding beam pattern?
So many choices I'm hoping someone has had success like this guy.
You Tube
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