September 2009 In this issue... • Featured Members Eric and Becky ...

“Let There Be Light”
Story by Frank Cusenza PCAOCR member
You already drive the best production
sports car (Porsche) with terrific
handling and braking. Just because the
original owner didn’t opt for the Xenon
package or the fact that your vehicle was
manufactured before this option was
available does not mean you have to miss
out on this newer technology. Your daily
driver no longer has to suffer with low
visibility headlamps.
First some basics: Halogen lights
have a filament like a normal household
bulb. Xenon bulbs do not contain
filaments but are filled with gas much
like a florescent tube. The color of the
bulb depends on the gas mixture used in
manufacture. Daylight has a temperature
of 5,500 K (kelvin). Manufacturers
assert that Xenon headlights will become
the predominant type of headlight used
in future cars. Not only are they three
times brighter than traditional headlights,
they provide better illumination for
drivers, and the high intensity discharge
system they employ is lighter and less
expensive for car manufacturers to install
in vehicles. Xenon headlights are also
environmentally friendly. They typically
last up to three times longer than halogen
lights, while requiring half the current
to function. My 2003 Boxster came
equipped with H7 55-watt bulbs which
give off 2,700 K temperature light. The
conversion kit I chose gives off 6,000
K light while providing three times the
lumens output and uses only 35 watts of
power. This is a much better solution
than increasing the H7 bulb to 100 watts
which only frosts the inner lens of the
headlight module making it useless.
A misconception exists regarding the
ratings of Xenon bulbs that a 12,000 bulb
is a stronger light source that a 3,000 bulb.
Wrong. The rating is used to indicate the
color of the light produced and lumens
decrease as the numbers go up: 3K
bulbs are yellow, 5K yellow/white, 6K
white/blue, 8K blue, 10K blue/violet,
12K violet. There are a couple of things
to consider when making your choice.
Daylight should be your first choice since
this gives you the best night visibility and
makes the light emitted look natural. I
chose 6K; however, 5K might be a best
choice. Xenon kits come with 2 bulbs,
2 ballasts, and 2 harness kits including
rubber grommets for pass through into the
lamp assembly.
Let’s address the projector light
provided as OEM equipment. The
projector lens’ primary function is to
project the beam of light to the driving
surface. With factory-installed Xenon,
during heavy braking the light beam
would adjust up so as to maintain proper
vertical height. This year the feature has
been expanded to move to the side when
turning. This is only available through
factory installed Xenon; and although
you could purchase the factory headlamp
assemblies, you would not have the same
functionality.
I need to mention that factoryinstalled
Xenon headlights are DOT
approved but aftermarket Xenon kits are
not DOT approved in California. We have
all seen many Honda and Toyota cars on
the road which enjoy the advantages of
Xenon lamps. I checked the light pattern
of my Halogen lights before I made the
change by placing painter’s tape on the
white cabinets on the back wall in my
garage and having the car 20 feet away at
the entrance. After making the installation
I repeated the test using the Xenon lights
with no headlamp adjustment and found
the light patterns to be identical. Both
bulbs have identical bases and thus are
fully interchangeable. As a matter of
fact, you can save the old Halogen bulbs
to use as spares, put them back in the car
when you sell it, and take your Xenon set
to your new ride, if it does not come so
equipped.
Figure 1 Headlamp Assembly
The reason I am writing this article is
the fact that I was not able to find anyone
to answer my questions on installing a
HID (High Intensity Discharge Lamps)
system in a Porsche. 1. Get one kit to
replace the low beam lights. 2. Turn
on your low beam lights and determine
which bulbs you are replacing. No,
Johnny...low beam does not mean that
it is mounted lower than the high beam.
In my Boxster the low beams are on top
and the high beams are on the bottom. I
had both assemblies in the car and had
to redo them all. Save your time based
on my experience. It’s not necessary to
disconnect the battery. Just turn off the
lights and do the work.
Figure 2 Lamp Assembly Cover
No wire cutting is required to install
the harness; however, you will be required
to drill a 1″ hole in the cover to allow the
plugs to pass through. I used a 2x4 for
support, predrilled a pilot hole and then
used a 1″ wood bit to finish drilling the
cover. I cleaned it all up with a Dremel
tool to remove some support veins on the
covers inside so that the grommet would
fit snugly.
Figure 3 Wired Lamp Assembl
Do not touch the Xenon bulbs with
your bare fingers. The oils from your
skin will cause premature failure due
to hot spots on the bulbs. Only handle
the base of the bulbs and be sure that the
Continued on pg. 39)
SEPTEMBER 2009 29