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    Oct 6, 2006 11:12:33 AM

    adrift
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    Dumb question - bi-xenon vs halogen

    So the old round style been-on-cars-forever headlamps (used on non-upgraded 996's and 986's) are halogens and the fancy, shiny, super bright headlights are the bi-xenons? Are or the regular halogens a step up from the old style headlights, and the bi-xenons a step further above that?

    Oct 6, 2006 12:03:36 PM

    bstew
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    Reply to: adrift

    Re: Dumb question - bi-xenon vs halogen

    I don't know about the old style headlights but the bi-xenons are the way to go. They provide a clear and bright light and really do light the road better. The first car I had with xenon lights was a BMW and I just could not believe how much better the xenon lights where. I would opt for the xenon if you have the chance.

    Oct 6, 2006 12:27:40 PM

    gian61 Offline
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    Reply to: bstew

    Re: Dumb question - bi-xenon vs halogen

    D2S xenon bulb=3200Lumens
    H7 alogen buls=1500Lumens

    Oct 6, 2006 1:08:31 PM

    sevoman
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    Reply to: adrift

    Re: Dumb question - bi-xenon vs halogen

    Not a dumb question. Xenons truly are great. You will notice the light looks bluish when first turned on then settles to any intense bright white (much whiter then halogens though they are better these days) light. The top edge of the beam is always a bit blue.
    From what I read we will all end up with white LED lights in the next five to ten years...

    Oct 6, 2006 2:12:04 PM

    Ronnie
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    Reply to: sevoman

    Re: Dumb question - bi-xenon vs halogen

    I'd echo the positive comments regarding Xenons here, they are very good, for us driving, lighting up the road ahead more clearly... not so good for on-coming dazzled traffic. How many others regularly get people flashing them because other drivers think you have fullbeam flash on??

    Oct 6, 2006 2:45:23 PM

    Jim48
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    Reply to: Ronnie

    Re: Dumb question - bi-xenon vs halogen

    Porsche did a great job with the bi-xenon lights so that they don't shine in the eyes of oncoming drivers. If you turn the lights on when your 911 is facing a wall, you will notice that the beam is cut off very sharply at the top.

    Jim

    Oct 6, 2006 3:21:08 PM

    Pentium Offline
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    Reply to: adrift

    Re: Dumb question - bi-xenon vs halogen

    Xenon it's a must if you drive at night pretty often.

    Oct 6, 2006 3:28:52 PM

    adrift
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    Reply to: Pentium

    Re: Dumb question - bi-xenon vs halogen

    Okay, no one has actually answered the question. The old-style headlights...those are the halogens?

    Oct 6, 2006 3:48:49 PM

    Puffy911
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    Reply to: Jim48

    Re: Dumb question - bi-xenon vs halogen

    Quote:
    Jim48 said:
    If you turn the lights on when your 911 is facing a wall, you will notice that the beam is cut off very sharply at the top.



    Is the top edge of your light pattern against a wall uniform? Mine aren't. The top of the right light is "higher" then the top of the left light. I have been thinking this was deliberate to to keep the light scatter out of oncoming traffic (for left hand drive cars). Or would it be more accurate to say that my lights are out of alignment?

    Oct 6, 2006 4:24:37 PM

    easy_rider911
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    Reply to: Puffy911

    Re: Dumb question - bi-xenon vs halogen

    When you use xenons, you will really feel the benefit when you are driving at night on a road with no streetlighting. You won't need to use your full beam as often.

    I get really fed up of flicking between dipped deam and full beam in my current car.

    Oct 6, 2006 4:35:04 PM

    Carlos from SpainM
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    Reply to: adrift

    Re: Dumb question - bi-xenon vs halogen

    Quote:
    adrift said:
    Okay, no one has actually answered the question. The old-style headlights...those are the halogens?



    The ones tha emit a white-yellowish light are hallogens, and the optional xenons are the much brighter bluish-white lamps.

    Another diferentiation is that when you turn the xenons ON, they automatically self-level, the halogens do not and have a button/nob inside the cabin to manually do so depending on the load of the car.

    Another is that the xenons requier by law that they come accompanied by headlight washers, so in all 911's that have xenons you can see the headlight washer knob in front of the headlight.

    The actual outer shape of the head light have nothing to do with wether they ate halogen or xenon.

    Oct 6, 2006 5:33:08 PM

    1st997
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    Reply to: easy_rider911

    Re: Dumb question - bi-xenon vs halogen

    Not all old style headlights are/were Halogens. First, they had tungsten filaments with an inert gas. Then "Halogen" lamps which allow a high filament temperature, and the halogen gas prevents the normal depositing (darkening) of the bulbs (internal) glass for a greater period of time, before the filament burns out. HID "Xenon" lamps are actually discharging, and thus there is no filament that is constantly on. There sometimes is a filaments whose sole purpose is to start or excite the discharge. HID have such a sharp cut-off, that they are tied into the leveling system of the car to keep them in the proper alignment as the weight distribution can vary. It does not correct for mis-aligned lamps.

    Oct 6, 2006 5:45:57 PM

    MAVERICK Offline
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    Reply to: Puffy911

    Re: Dumb question - bi-xenon vs halogen

    Quote:
    Puffy911 said:
    Is the top edge of your light pattern against a wall uniform? Mine aren't. The top of the right light is "higher" then the top of the left light. I have been thinking this was deliberate to to keep the light scatter out of oncoming traffic (for left hand drive cars). Or would it be more accurate to say that my lights are out of alignment?



    I was told the car's right lamp is supposed to be a little higher and turned a little to the right to illuminate the shoulder of the road in case of an emergency swerve or if an animal or human attempts to cross the road.

    Try driving your car in dark, foggy conditions and you should be able to see more clearly where the left and right beams are aimed.

    Oct 6, 2006 5:46:04 PM

    Trundle_GT3
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    Reply to: 1st997

    Re: Dumb question - bi-xenon vs halogen

    The color temp of Bi-xenon equates to daylight

    Photo of sharp Xenon cutoff

    Oct 6, 2006 6:28:34 PM

    Silver Bullet
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    Reply to: adrift

    Re: Dumb question - bi-xenon vs halogen

    Quote:
    adrift said:
    So the old round style been-on-cars-forever headlamps (used on non-upgraded 996's and 986's) are halogens and the fancy, shiny, super bright headlights are the bi-xenons? Are or the regular halogens a step up from the old style headlights, and the bi-xenons a step further above that?



    I really don't understand your question.

    WHat do you mean by non-upgraded 996 and 986's? Pre-facelift? Ones without Litronic (BiXenon) headlamps?

    And what do you mean by "old round style been-on-cars-forever headlamps"? THe 996 and 986's never had round lights - they had the fried egg lamps or the Turbo style lamps from 2002 on (on 911's at least). The new head lamps on 997's are back to round (well, oval really).

    As I think Carlos has pointed out, the external appearance of the headlight package does not identify whether the lights are BiXenon or Halogen. Only the color of the beam does with certainty. A headlight washer system was always coupled with Xenons, and not with halogens. The Xenons are also self levelling.

    Oct 6, 2006 9:17:17 PM

    adrift
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    Reply to: Silver Bullet

    Re: Dumb question - bi-xenon vs halogen

    Lol - fair enough. By shape, I meant of the "bulb", not the outer cover. My 01 BoxS had regular old headlights, and my 02 turbo had lits. Are all lits bi-xenons? Or are the base GT3 headlights lits, and there is a bi-xenon upgrade? I am thinking it is the former (all lits are bi-xenon). I am just used to the litronics terminology instead of bi-xenon, so wondered if there was yet another headlight improvement in the offing.

    My Boxsters (non-litronic) headlights looked just like the head lights in any old pickup truck. That is what I mean by old style.

    Thanks for all the help.

    Oct 7, 2006 1:34:02 AM

    Silver Bullet
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    Reply to: adrift

    Re: Dumb question - bi-xenon vs halogen

    I think Litronic - BiXenon.

    Oct 7, 2006 4:15:43 AM

    chili
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    Reply to: Silver Bullet

    Re: Dumb question - bi-xenon vs halogen

    One of the local channels here in San Francisco did I test and found out that the xenons and the halogens where the same. They ran some test and their conclusion was that getting xenons were not worth the money.

    I disagree. I think there is a difference. I like the xenons better.

    Oct 7, 2006 7:41:11 PM

    1st997
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    Reply to: chili

    Re: Dumb question - bi-xenon vs halogen

    Was it a "Blind" test - they gotta be kidding, no difference? - there's a Night and Day difference.

    Oct 7, 2006 10:00:54 PM

    atomic80
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    Reply to: 1st997

    Re: Dumb question - bi-xenon vs halogen

    I think I understand your question now. I'm not 100% positive if they used HIDs only with the newer style projector headlights in the 986/996 or if they used HIDs in the non-projector types either. Every Porsches that I've seen with HIDs all had projector style headlights. The others were halogen types. Does that answer your question?

    Oct 7, 2006 11:49:02 PM

    SonOfStig
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    Reply to: atomic80

    Re: Dumb question - bi-xenon vs halogen

    Nononono,

    This is all WRONG - he wants to know how the *first* round headlamps worked.

    These were what were call "acetylene lamps", and worked by buring the gas coming off calcium carbide when you dripped water on it...

    Much better than these newfangled Bixenon whatsits, don't you think?
     
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