718 Standard Xenons or Upgraded with PDLS?

[Nick2015]

Could anyone with any experience with a 718 and the standard lights help please? I'm about to lock down a base Cayman and we're already over budget (suspect this is a common problem!) so I'm reluctant to splash out on the upgraded xenons with PDLS for a further £591.

I've got the PDLS on my Macan and they are very good but that was an upgrade over halogens so was an obvious thing to do.

On the Cayman the standard lights are Xenons but without washers so I suspect less powerful. I've found one US posting suggesting that they are not great but nothing else at all so I'm thinking they must be ok.

Anyone with any real world 718 experience out there?

Many thanks

Nick

[bcr5784]

You'll find a lot of useful info on the LED light topic below - particularly if you read all the linked material.

I suspect the 718 has the 35W xenons that my 981S has. If so they are OK but not great. Upgraded bulbs should, legally speaking be paired with headlamp levelling and washers. But it looks like no-one is ever going to know because the MOT doesn't test for it.

[franki68]

Can't give a direct comparison ,but I've got pdsl on the gt4 and found it of little benefit living in a city ,but moved to the countryside and I find them a massive plus.
In a nutshell I think you don't need pdsl if you live in places with good street lighting,but would reccomend if you live somewhere with no street lighting.

[philw2]

Mine has the standard lights and they're just fine - white, bright, technical looking. I'm sure if you pay more money you can get more light, but unless you have defective eye sight then I cant' see why you'd bother.

[mikefocke]

There are 25 watt lights, 35 watt lights and LEDs. So three choices! A new LED option with PDLS Plus.

And yes you remove the front bumper. No headlight removal tool in toolkit.

[dreamcar]

Nick2015 said:

Could anyone with any experience with a 718 and the standard lights help please? I'm about to lock down a base Cayman and we're already over budget (suspect this is a common problem!) so I'm reluctant to splash out on the upgraded xenons with PDLS for a further £591.

I've got the PDLS on my Macan and they are very good but that was an upgrade over halogens so was an obvious thing to do.

On the Cayman the standard lights are Xenons but without washers so I suspect less powerful. I've found one US posting suggesting that they are not great but nothing else at all so I'm thinking they must be ok.

Anyone with any real world 718 experience out there?

Many thanks

Nick

If they are the same as on 981, PDLS are a worthwhile upgrade - an added benefit is if you plan to go to Europe with your car they also have the ability to electronically switch between left and right hand dip via the on board computer. Otherwise it is a PITA headlights out job to change.
A

Edited by dreamcar on Tuesday 7th March 08:03

[Pinball]

dreamcar said:

If they are the same as on 981, PDLS are a worthwhile upgrade - an added benefit is if you plan to go to Europe with your car they also have the ability to electronically switch between left and right hand dip via the on board computer. Otherwise it is a PITA headlights out job to change.
A

Edited by dreamcar on Tuesday 7th March 08:03

The Good To Know app says this about the basic lights:

Bi-Xenon headlights without dynamic cornering light (PDLS/PDLS Plus) cannot be converted for left or right-hand traffic. The light distribution of this headlight type is homogeneous on both sides of the road, which prevents dazzling of the oncoming traffic.

OP, I went for the PDLS at the last minute. I was put off the basic lights by this thread, especially as I'm coming from a Z4, too and really like the quality of the headlights on that and a step backwards would have been too annoying: http://www.718forum.com/forum/new-member-introduct...

Based on the excerpt I copied from the GTK app, the basic lights do not appear to be optimised for a given side of the road and with the lower output it's two factors for poorer performance over the PDLS. You also won't get the four point DRLs on the basic lights that you do with PDLS, which I've grown to like. All the fancy features relating to cornering and speed are a bonus.

[Maxym]

I thought the basic xenons on my 981S were fine visibility-wise. And for continental motoring no adjustment to make. I wouldn't be spending nearly 600 quid on PDLS.

[Nick2015]

Many thanks for all the responses. In summary I'm reading the standard xenon are pretty good but the PDLS work better on very dark and windy roads.

[dreamcar]

Nick2015 said:

Many thanks for all the responses. In summary I'm reading the standard xenon are pretty good but the PDLS work better on very dark and windy roads.

Yes pretty much sums it up, the dynamic cornering beams are excellent. I live in the New Forest where the roaming animals make top grade lights essential. Even without that I'd go for PDLS every time.

[Tim bo]

Is that L/R option available on full LEDs too?

Have a long road-trip to the south of France booked at the end of April, and my 718 CS is specced with LEDs, so would be v pleased if this option is there.

[tcs0tm]

I haven't driven either in the dark but having had bad headlights before I think it's definately worth going for the upgrade if your circumstances see you driving country lanes in the dark.

In the grand scheme of things it's not likely to make much of a difference per month. Thats how I looked at it anyway

[sidicks]

Tim bo said:

Is that L/R option available on full LEDs too?

Have a long road-trip to the south of France booked at the end of April, and my 718 CS is specced with LEDs, so would be v pleased if this option is there.

Believe so.