Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

Anyone fitted HIDs to a 944 yet?? Looking into doing it as the lights are extremely poor, candle in a brown bottle anyone???
Alasdair

I'm thinking about this too. Is it a legitimate thing to do, though - I mean is it "road legal" to modify a car like that?

A mid-way alternative is to fit relays at the headlights, with an extra run of 12V power wires from the fusebox. That way, you can get as high a voltage as possible at the bulbs, which can make a huge difference to their light output. I haven't looked at a wiring diagram, but does the circuit for the lights on a 944 go through all the switchgear (which will result in a big voltage drop as the resistance of the switch contacts increases as they get older)? I know that's the case on my (contemporary) VW van...

JMG / 9xx has a kit which sounds like it does this: http://www.jmgarage.com/modify-944.htm HEADLIGHT UPGRADE KIT - 9XX Wiring harness, Relays, Relay and fuse box, uprated bulbs. Increases voltage to headlights by 20%, combined with uprated bulbs vastly improves headlight performance.

Might be able to DIY for a bit less than £175 - that price includes fitting.

Here is another kit:
http://www.rennbay.com/porsche-944-headlight-relay-harness-p-111.html

Chart here shows how much difference the voltage at the bulbs makes to their output - looks like you can double(!!) the output:
http://wiki.club8090.co.uk/index.php/VW_Electrics_Upgrading_headlights

more info here on doing this not specific to a particular model of car:
http://dsl.torque.net/images/Relays.pdf

Not sure about the legality of HIDs but I changed the standard H4 lamps in my S2 for Osram Nightbreaker lamps (Phillips do similar) and the difference was amazing I can now actually see the light when it fals onto the road whereas before they were barely visible and this was a relatively cheap option as I only used lapms of the same wattage so there was no need to fit extra relays or do any re-wiring.

HIDs are pefectly legal on cars, many modern cars have them fitted as standard. I don't really want to start butchering wires and looms as would rather just plug some in! Will be looking at getting some this week to try anyway!
Alasdair

There is a guidance note for MOT testers concerning HID's that you need to be aware of especially in relation to retro-fit items. Basically it says something on the lines of they aren't permitted unless there is a working headlamp height adjustment from inside the car. The MOT testers can fail the car if this is not present or working. |There was a debate about this some time ago on the 993 forum but in practice most MOT testers don't seem to be too bothered about the issue and mine got through the MOT three times without it coming up.

Will be fine on Turbos and S2s then.
Alasdair

One of the videos on U-Tube shows a 944 fitted with a LS engine.
It also has twin HIDS in place of the normal headlamps.

Live and breathe the Marque,
Stephen

Technically it is illegal to retrofit HID lamps into halogen housings as they are not type approved for that type of bulb. I know that with the more expensive kits you can get the correct beam pattern using HIDs, but the amount of glare they generate due to the light not being produced in the same place as the halogen filament causes problems for oncoming traffic.

With the round headlamps found on our cars a decent uprated halogen bulb such as the Philips Extreme or Osram Nightbreaker should generate plenty of light without upsetting other road users. you may also consider fitting some fused relays and heavy duty wiring to reduce any voltage drops caused by the cars orignal wiring and switch gear and ensure that you get maximum power to the bulbs.

I recently put HIDS in my 944 cab.The ones that I went for were the 50w dipping version , courtesy of Ebay @ £80.Very good , particularly on dip beam , altho the beam pattern appears to be a little wide and flat.Would certainly recomend them , but haven't put it thro an MOT yet with the conversion!!

can't remember who told me that you need to inform your insurance co if you upgrade to HID's, may be worth a phone call

+1 for Osram Nightbreaker bulbs. Tried them out tonight and the difference was literally night and day! Change out of a tenner too, most cost effective upgrade in a long while!

Stuart

Uprated bulbs make a huge difference. I've have had them on the 928 for ages.
The U-tube car had twin HIDS in place of the normal headlamps ie two per side.
They did not look cheap but American laws being different to ours.
They are they might not be legal over here.

Stephen

Unless you go to the extreme of adding auto levelling and headlamp washers + use a lamp designed for HID with the necessary Type approval the conversion is going to be illegal.
At the very least you need headlamp housings designed to use the HID type lamps otherwise the amount of glare created is a problem for other road users.

Uprated bulbs are a safer bet though a 944 lights will never be as good as a 968.

Live and breathe the Marque,
Stephen
Yippee got my Rose back from the garage today!

No reason why 944 lights can't be as good as a '68. The 944 lamps are basically the same as those on a Golf and with the correct choice of bulbs and with heavy duty wiring and a couple of relays to minimise any current loss they can be very good indeed. I have yet to find lights as good as those on my MkII GTI, but then I was running 100/160W H4s with 130W in the spot lights. I suppose they were illegal too though