Correct.

Going to LED's from either bi-xenon version is another story.

 

I'd love to trade my LED for Black Bi-Xenon. In my opinion, the Bi-Xenon head lights are better in every way. They look better, the DRLs are weird on the LEDs, the DRL below the headlights don't turn on during the daytime (I'm sure this could be fixed with coding), etc. The LED look brighter, but it's just like buying an LED light for your house. It just doesn't work as well. Brighter is not always better. I threw away hundreds of dollar of LEDs and other energy efficient lights from my house after I moved in.

 

Great analysis. I have not been sold on the LED's yet.

I personally love the running lights on the bumper now.

 

I don't know what you guys are talking about? The LEDs on my TTS are the best headlights I have ever owned, and I had the bi Xenons on a 2014 Carerra S Cab I owned for a few months.

To each his own I guess........but the LEDs give a much further and safer field of vision at night than I have ever had in a car before, and certainly further and clearer than the Porsche bi xenons.

Lookswise, I am fine with it, as my car is a silver/black color scheme anyways. Even the trim ring color around the LEDs matches my GT Silver paint. Again, just a matter of personal taste.

The best way I can describe the use LEDs vs bi xenon headlights at night is like the first time you go from watching standard definition TV to high definition TV. The clarity and distance you can see at night one vs the other is astonishing.

Again, the aesthetics of the way the look on the car and if you like it is one thing, but for the actual functional purpose they were made for, the LEDs win hands down, IMO.

 

To my eyes, the LEDs are substantially brighter and probably project light a little further. I just don't detect the same clarity. As I said, brighter isn't always better.

In using the TV analogy, LED headlights are much like LCD TV (what most refer to as LED TV). On paper everything appears to be better: faster refresh rate, lighter cabinet, brighter display, higher contrast ratio, more energy efficient, etc. The only problem is that in the real world, they aren't nearly as good as the old dead technology, Plasma. People have convinced themselves that the superior on paper technology is better. Well, it's not.

 

We'll just have to agree to disagree then. You are only stating your opinion, as I have.

I have owned and used both Porsche headlight systems. No on paper comparison here. The LED lights are far superior in my use of both, besides the energy savings and longer life the LED system offers.

You may think the general public only makes on paper comparisons, but some have actually used and evaluated both technologies for themselves. Give people besides yourself some credit, please.

 

Well, everyone has an opinion and here's my personal "apples to oranges" comparison. Having had bi-xenons on my 981 and the last three cars before it, I can definitively say that the LED lights on my wife's Mercedes are much better than anything I have ever seen. Sharper, clearer, brighter light without a question. I was really bummed that the LED lights weren't available with the black housings when I placed my order. I decided to live with the bi-xenon just to get the black headlights but I'm not real happy about it.

- Patrick

 

Not sure I understand how the LED can be "substantially brighter" and "project light a little further" and not be clearer? If it is brighter, wouldn't it make objects clearer as well? Or are you saying that it is so bright that it produces a glare and washes out everything?

 

I'm no lighting expert. There is something about the LED that I don't like. I have them on my M3 and GT3 where I have always had Bi-Xenon in other cars, most recently B8 S4 and 991 C2S. I can't quite put my finger on it. I just notice my eyes working harder when driving spiritedly at night.

I've spent about $5K combined for the LED options on both the M3 and GT3. Believe me, I want to love them more.

I actually pulled my wife's Explorer Sport with Bi-Xenon and my M3 next to each other facing a dark field at the end of my street. I sat in the Explorer and turned the lights on with the M3 lights off, then switched cars. I don't know how to explain it. The LEDs are brighter and project further but are more dispersed and seem to have pockets of shadows. The Bi-Xenon in my wife's crappy explorer, to my eye, seem to fill in the gaps better. I know I'm not making much sense, I wish I could explain it better. I just prefer the Bi-Xenon.

I'm not trying to offend or be disagreeable, just simply stating my experience/opinion.

 

The color of the light is different too.

The LED's have a different light color (temperature) too. It might be the difference you're not liking as well.

Aesthetically, I'm with you on the halo, and no bumper running lights. I like the 4 inner running lights on the Macan, etc. rather than the outer 4 on the perimeter of the housing on the 991 personally. That's just personal taste though.

 

Another on paper spec that LED last longer often proves false. I wonder if these LED headlights will really prove more reliable than the BiXenon. They would be very expensive to replace out of warranty.

 

Old thread but has anyone successfully done a conversion?