Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Does your Cruze produce a "step" in the upper cutoff, giving a higher cutoff on the right than on the left? If it did, that would be something positive. I don't think I've ever seen an H13 system with a nice step up in the cutoff like that...they're typically flat as a board all the way across. Your Cruze should have VOR aimable lamps (it'll say on the front) and the correct way to aim a VOR lamp is to aim the right side of the cutoff at the horizon, meaning on a plane level with the center of the lamp. This should be okay for drivers' mirrors in front of you, but without a slight step in the pattern, glare will be increased for oncoming drivers.
This is one of the beefs I have with the H13 bulb type. It's hard to get a good pattern for you while reducing glare for others at the same time. But, if Chevy has done that in the Cruze, that would be a positive thing; it'd be the only H13 setup that I'm aware of that has utilized that type of cutoff. There may be others out there, but I believe they're the exception rather than the rule for this type of bulb.
You are correct about the filaments in the H13; I had it backwards.
No step, just board-flat across. That cutoff is pretty precise, though. There's not much light that escapes above it. The beam under the cutoff is pretty intense, so there is good downrange coverage, especially at the limits of the beam. When other drivers get caught under the cutoff, such as popping up over a very sharp hill, it is quite bright. I've been on the receiving end from other Cruzes in the area popping up over the sharp hills I often go over at night, and the cutoff is very noticeable. For merely hopping up the wiring and swapping in regular (ie, non-long-life, non-super-bright) H13's, it's a welcome change that doesn't leave me wishing for better downrange lighting. Side lighting is still in short supply, although better than what it was while stock!
Does your Cruze produce a "step" in the upper cutoff, giving a higher cutoff on the right than on the left? If it did, that would be something positive. I don't think I've ever seen an H13 system with a nice step up in the cutoff like that...they're typically flat as a board all the way across. Your Cruze should have VOR aimable lamps (it'll say on the front) and the correct way to aim a VOR lamp is to aim the right side of the cutoff at the horizon, meaning on a plane level with the center of the lamp. This should be okay for drivers' mirrors in front of you, but without a slight step in the pattern, glare will be increased for oncoming drivers.
This is one of the beefs I have with the H13 bulb type. It's hard to get a good pattern for you while reducing glare for others at the same time. But, if Chevy has done that in the Cruze, that would be a positive thing; it'd be the only H13 setup that I'm aware of that has utilized that type of cutoff. There may be others out there, but I believe they're the exception rather than the rule for this type of bulb.
You are correct about the filaments in the H13; I had it backwards.
No step, just board-flat across. That cutoff is pretty precise, though. There's not much light that escapes above it. The beam under the cutoff is pretty intense, so there is good downrange coverage, especially at the limits of the beam. When other drivers get caught under the cutoff, such as popping up over a very sharp hill, it is quite bright. I've been on the receiving end from other Cruzes in the area popping up over the sharp hills I often go over at night, and the cutoff is very noticeable. For merely hopping up the wiring and swapping in regular (ie, non-long-life, non-super-bright) H13's, it's a welcome change that doesn't leave me wishing for better downrange lighting. Side lighting is still in short supply, although better than what it was while stock!
