Step by step LED install in Bosch H1 headlight high beams

[L.a.Brooks]

The first two pictures below are after I installed one of these LED's in the passenger side Bosch H1 headlight in my 911S. The drivers side still had a 100W H1 bulb. As you can see the LED is several times brighter. It also draws 1/4 the power so no extra relays are needed.

The first step is to buy the LED H1 bulb kit. I went with the OPT7. They are 4th generation CREE LED's with Flux Capacitors and highly reviewed. I found the kit on eBay for $80. There are cheaper LED kits out there, but this kit had the best overall specs that I could find from the seller with the best track record.

After you get the kit enlarge the holes in the male black spade connectors to 1/8" so that the ground screw on the back of the headlight will fit through it.

Remove the lower(high beam) H1 bulb from the headlight and carefully slide the LED in it’s place. Be sure that the two mounting pins line up with the corresponding locator holes in the headlight.

Now the tricky part. Use needle nose pliers to work both ends of the wire clip around the heat sink/fan housing. Work one side half way past and then work the other side all of the way past. Then work the first wire all of the way past. Slide the wire ends under the retaining slots on the headlight.
(5th PICTURE BELOW)

Connect all of the leads in the kit together and loop them around the inner edge of the headlight. I slide them under the adjusting screws and used a wire tie to hold it in place.
(6th PICTURE BELOW)

Remove the headlight grounding screw. It will have the brown ground wire from the plug, a copper strap from the low beam socket and the copper strap that loops around the adjustment cable. Put all of these back on the screw along with the black spade connector whose hole you enlarged.
(7th PICTURE BELOW)

Slide a 1 1/2” piece of heat shrink tubing over the spade connector on the red wire. Connect the red spade connector to the brown wire that came from the H1 high beam bulb. Slide the heat shrink tubing over the connection and shrink it in place. You could use black electrical tape, but I prefer heat shrink tubing. This is important because Bosch didn't use an insulated connector and there are many grounded metal parts it could come into contact with as you are driving.
(8th PICTURE BELOW)

Thats it, connect your harness plug onto the H1 plug and slide the headlight into the bucket making sure the wires aren’t dangling or being pinched. After you install the mounting screw adjust the headlight as needed. I like to find a long dark stretch of highway and crank them up as high as they will reach. You will be surprised how far that is. Of course that also means that oncoming drivers who don't bother to dim their high beams for oncoming drivers are VERY motivated if you flash YOUR high beams.

[SD Swede]

Thanks for posting this.

Pardon my ignorance but can the same be done with the H4?

[L.a.Brooks]

Thanks for posting this.

Pardon my ignorance but can the same be done with the H4?

Actually, that is a very good question.

The answer is yes and no. There are LED H4 conversion bulbs available and they probably will work fine if you buy a 4th generation, preferably CREE type. The big advantage of the H1 Bosch units is that they have separate bulbs AND ADJUSTERS for each. This allows you to install a "higher horsepower" (more lumens) bulb in the high beams while maintaining polite brightness bulbs on the low beams. In fact I leave the regular 55W H1 bulbs in my headlight low beams rather than convert them too because I just don't want to be "that guy" with the blinding headlights driving around town.

[SD Swede]

Hmm...ok. I appreciate your help very much. I'll have to balance the little low/no light driving I do vs. the task/expense then.

[cbrett]

Any thoughts on changing out the low beam bulbs for these LED's? I am more concerned about getting a brighter low beam with my H1's. Thanks!