Yokoa

I'm interested in people's experience with the optional xenon high beam headlights. I had heard one of the problems with xenons was getting them to thow a long narrow beam so I hesitate to order them.

Thanks in advance

Jim Michaels

Do you mean that you prefer a narrow beam over a broader one? The xenons provide an earlier warning of live animals near the road, such as deer. I appreciate the light pattern they throw so much that I allow my usual deer spotter to nap on the way home.

Tedder Bear

My wife's Boxster has the xenon lights. She really likes the brightness and the pattern.

Canada 05 Boxster

No question that you do want the Xenon lights; probably the most cost-effective
Porsche option there is. Low beam is a broad, wide carpet of light. High beam is
again very broad into the trees, but with the 2 additional Halogen lamps providing
a 'hot spot' in the center towards the top of the pattern and above, which as you
come over a hill reach out into the valley for excellent distance. Best lights I've
ever had. Much better than other manufacturer's Xenons.

Renn 951

I've had Xenon low beams on two Audi's and loved them, so I ordered the bi-Xenons on my Cayenne S and love them even more. I will definitely get the bi-Xenons on the Boxster S I plan to order in 2007.

Yokoa

Thanks for all the feedback. These are something impossible to "test drive!"

10 GT3

The Bi-Xenons are different from the earlier Litronic headlights. Both are HID units with Xenon filled bulbs. The older Litronic units used a conventional Halogen for the high beams, but would rotate the low beam assemblies up for more fill. The newer Bi-Xenons has HID low and high beams. The light output from a Bi-Xenon bulb is a much greater (about twice) intensity than a standard HID/Litronic bulb. The "Bi" in "Bi-Xenon" means the Xenon bulb is used for BOTH the low and high beams. The headlight uses a shutter in low beam mode to restrict and redirect the light. In high beam mode with the shutters open, light is direct from the Xenon bulbs directly ahead. A traditional halogen is used to fill light immediately in front and to the sides of the vehicle in high beam mode.

If you understand all this, then yes in high beam mode the Xenons are used as a spot light in the distance; but you aren't hindered from it since it still has a halogen for fill. What is really shocking is how bright they are in high beam mode and how far in the distance they can project. They are by far the brightest high beams I have seen, far bright than the Xenons in the BMW 3-series, the Infiniti G35/M45 or the Lexus GS. The Bi-Xenons are a tremendous improvement.

Actually you could "test drive them". Just check if your Porsche has a car with Bi-Xenons and do your test drive at night.

SD987S

Xenon doesn't provide the blue-white color of HID lights, it acts as the igniter for other HID gases sealed in the bulb, otherwise HIDs would take a few minutes to get bright. Even still, the gases don't ignite to full brightness immediately which is why when you turn on xenons there is a slight lag while the other HID gases ignite and warm up.

This time lag makes them impractical as high beams.

To clarify above: Yes, the 9X7 bi-level xenons use the lamp as dipped and high beam. However, when you put the high beams on, or have the xenons turned off but flick the high beams (requiring immediate turn-on), what's turning on is an H11/55 W bulb. This halogen serves as the long-range spotlight beam, not as a fill.

You can definitely see the range of the H11 over the xenon lamp in the 987 OEM setup. And you can verify that the halogen is providing the 'high-beam' for yourself by checking your car's reflection, or having someone flick the lights for you.

Palting

HID/Xenons are impractical for "flashing" from the "off" stautus, but are totally practical as high beams when switching from low beam. The HID is already on when onlow beam, and high beam just opens/flips a shutter on an already fully functional HID light.

My impression: is it worth all the hoopla? No. I have Bi-Xenons on the 911, and halogens on the 987S. Yes, the HID is brighter, whiter, and throws further, but the halogen is more than adequate for anything you want to do on the street or highway.

ELUSIVE

What exactly does bi xenon mean?
Don't the 997 and 987 have halogen high beams even with the Xenon option?

Palting

Bi-Xenon means HID for both low beam and hi-beam. That's to distinguish from the older cars, as stated by 02 Carrera above, where only the low beam was HID. Bi_xenons started in '02, IIRC.

ELUSIVE

Palting - are you 100% sure?
I had the Bi-xenons on my 987S and my 997S and i'm pretty sure the high beam is a standard halogen but that the low beams stay on while the high beam is on.

Palting

Pretty sure. It's an old debate thats been discussed quite a bit since I bought the C4S back in '02. It was pretty new back then, and often talked about. I know I have a quote from Porsche somewhere, I'll post it when I find it.

ELUSIVE

See this post.
Lots of mixed responses...but I think we got the right one now:

https://rennlist.com/forums/997-forum/317485-bi-xenon.html

Palting

Yup. That thread pretty much on the mark.
Like I said .