[cityvic]

Originally Posted by motomaverick

nice mod to the headlight there cityvic, looks like A4 inspired. Are those cruze specific mod or general after market?

The Audi Headlights on the Cruze are specifically made for it.

There are lots of aftermarket Headlight and Taillight Designs available for the Cruze.
Its becoming one Heck of a Mod Friendly Car.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by darthvader

I am looking for a 'gear shift indicator' for the Cruze. This was a nice feature on the Vento. It would tell you if you needed to upshift or downshift. You didn't have to agree with it of course.

Gear-shift indicators generally come fixed to aftermarket RPM meters. Not sure if it's available on its own.

You do get a gear-knob with a gear-indicator through reputed performance-accessory shops.

[motomaverick]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

Gear-shift indicators generally come fixed to aftermarket RPM meters. Not sure if it's available on its own.

You do get a gear-knob with a gear-indicator through reputed performance-accessory shops.

I think Petes advertises one gear knob with shift indicator but then how practical is it to look down at the gear specially in Bangalore you just cant take your eyes off the road even when standing still

[darthvader]

Originally Posted by motomaverick

I think Petes advertises one gear knob with shift indicator but then how practical is it to look down at the gear specially in Bangalore you just cant take your eyes off the road even when standing still

I agree. If the gear knob is backlit, and say only the active gear is lit up while the others are dim, that would make for a fancy but relatively useless accessory since we never look down at the gear anyway. I was merely referring to something which would display the current gear and the suggested gear on the dashboard. I know that such an accessory would be impractical by definition, but would be a cool interfacing project to take up if it isn't available as an aftermarket accessory.

PS -- In Kanpur, it is worse

[drpullockaran]

Posting here after a long time as I could not carry out any worthwhile mods in the Cruze other than HID. Philips HID in the Cruze is a perfect fit with absolutely no glare when on high beam but with moderate glare in low beam, yeah I know there should have been glare in high beam but thats not the case and the statement holds true for Philips HID in the Cruze. Details are given in another post.

After a lot of thought, Siddarth was allowed to massage my car and boy o boy what a difference it has made. I have given details in another post. Today at 6:55am; was the first day that I got to use the full torque of the car. Its real scary to say the least with the present set of JK tires that I have. Had a go at a Audi A6 2 TDI with 177bhp. Lets just say that the AUDI is no competition for the massaged Cruze. Dragged with him from 80kmph in 4th gear about six times and each time I could show the German a clean pair of heels. Those of you who have the luxury of traveling on clean highways its worth every single paisa you give to Siddarth especially since it costs half of what we shell out to tuning boxes in India.

[drpullockaran]

Just experienced the Achilles heel of the genuine Philips HID system. It is the control relay unit of the system. It has given up the ghost for one lamp but the whole relay unit has to be changed which is under warranty thankfully. Will post in the future about other issues when it crops up. Let me be frank; the HID system is just not worth the cost and trouble. Light output is just fantastic but still I would say its not worth the cost.

Its best to fit a Ceramic holder Roots relay and buy Philips Rally 100/90 bulbs. Going to 130/100 is not worth it either as I had gone that route too.

[darthvader]

Originally Posted by drpullockaran

Let me be frank; the HID system is just not worth the cost and trouble. Light output is just fantastic but still I would say its not worth the cost.

I have been experimenting with HID kits on my Bajaj Kawasaki 4S motorcycle since October 2011. I have finally found a stable Xenon HID kit for Rs. 1200/- (it is local, probably Chinese). But, the amount of money and time invested in the exercise does not make it worthwhile to play with this. For my Cruze, I would prefer to have LED lamps if at all I do replace them. HID is too unreliable, and one problem seems to be getting genuine replacement bulbs short of buying the entire kit.

By the way, I am investigating the possibility of getting a Volkswagen Vento/Polo horn installed in my Cruze. The GM showroom has quoted a price of about Rs. 2300/- to source it from Volkswagen. Does this seem reasonable? Seems steep for a horn. Any ideas?

[drpullockaran]

Originally Posted by darthvader

For my Cruze, I would prefer to have LED lamps if at all I do replace them. HID is too unreliable, and one problem seems to be getting genuine replacement bulbs short of buying the entire kit.
The GM showroom has quoted a price of about Rs. 2300/- to source it from Volkswagen. Does this seem reasonable? Seems steep for a horn. Any ideas?

Led headlamps and spots are horrendously expensive. They cost a minimum 4 times for similar light output. I had that option too, because my relative is in Australia the home of LED headlamp systems where they use it for the outback..

The price quoted for the Horns are way too high. I would suggest you go to the exclusive Hella or Roots showroom and make an inquiry.

Do note that after you put on high power horns you would be better off canceling the toot function when locking or unlocking the doors. Programme it to only flash the lights through the MID.

[ashvtosh]

Originally Posted by markpalk

I believe it will cost under 15K but do insist on 4200K burners! ( 4200K is a personal choice. Some selfish people like 6000K and don’t' give a dam about the glare or what it does to other motorists ). You can email electronperformance at gmail for the details. I've seen the end result of their retrofit and can vouch for it. If you want a particular colour angle eye, be clear about it!

-Mark

Hi Mark, I have a Chevy Cruze and was planning to change the head lamps. A dealer in Bombay told me about HID conversion and an Indian package manufactured by Amritras. They make quite a few things (google them). The HID kit being sold to me was 8000 Kelvin. Was reading your post regarding "selfish people" using 6000K. Of course, going by your statement, 8000K would be worse. Whats the real difference between 4000-6000-8000K. Is is the glare? Is it the brightness, the intensity, etc? I would like to be sure before I install them. I read somewhere that 8000K is more like absolute white light/ sky light. Please advise? Thanks. Ashutosh

[neel385]

Originally Posted by ashvtosh

Whats the real difference between 4000-6000-8000K. Is is the glare? Is it the brightness, the intensity, etc? I would like to be sure before I install them. I read somewhere that 8000K is more like absolute white light/ sky light. Please advise? Thanks. Ashutosh

Light with a temperature of more than 4500K-5000K is the ones with the real bling. But then, that is where it all ends. While the lights are going to be hell for the people outside, sitting in the car, you will find very poor visibility, specially in rainy conditions. The reason for this, is that the wavelength of the light makes it more susceptible to diffraction and absorption by suspended particles and dust.

So if bling is what you are looking for, go all the way up. But if the reason for the mod is to improve driver visibility (as it rightly should be) then you need to stick to the around 4500K mark.

[markpalk]

Originally Posted by ashvtosh

Hi Mark, I have a Chevy Cruze and was planning to change the head lamps. A dealer in Bombay told me about HID conversion and an Indian package manufactured by Amritras. They make quite a few things (google them). The HID kit being sold to me was 8000 Kelvin. Was reading your post regarding "selfish people" using 6000K. Of course, going by your statement, 8000K would be worse. Whats the real difference between 4000-6000-8000K. Is is the glare? Is it the brightness, the intensity, etc? I would like to be sure before I install them. I read somewhere that 8000K is more like absolute white light/ sky light. Please advise? Thanks. Ashutosh

Hi Ashvtosh,


The first thing you need to understand is that to the human eye, there is no absolute white. The exact colour temperature that is perceived as white by the human eye continuously adapts based on the lighting conditions. Once you understand this, you will realise that "whiter" is to be taken with a pinch of salt. When you are trying to understand colour temperatures, think of a rainbow. A warmer colour would correspond to the orange/red end of the spectrum whereas a cooler colour would correspond to the indigo/violet end of the spectrum.

In terms of headlights typical colour temperatures range from 3000K ( speciality / bad whether driving lights ) to 9000K ( blue/violet ) there are also bulbs that go as high as 12000K but by the time you get to those temperatures, the majority of the light cast is beyond the directly visible range similar, but not as extreme as a uv tube light.

The light cast by a 12000K bulb has no practical use if you intend to see the road, the lack of road or any objects on the road, by the light it casts. It may have some perceived value if you are a Japanese hipster driving around tokyo in a pimped out evo under good street lights.

But I digress.

From the point of view of practical application in headlights, the higher your colour temperature, the more the light scatters. Reflectors are suited to light sources that scatter less. By 6000K all but the best condition reflectors scatter too much light to be considered a viable headlight. The reflectors will also deteriorate with use and start to get hazy with time. The light that does reach out will have a tendency to scatter as well. Some surfaces will tend to be more illuminated than others. White washed walls will illuminate particularly well. Disproportionately well as a matter of fact. This is not a good thing as it reduces your ability to see other objects on the road. Like people. 6000K and up are unusable in fog unless you want to see the fog itself and not other cars.

Lower colour temperatures cast a more even field of illumination and and tend to be easier on the eye.

My flight is about to take off some better post this right now.

[ashvtosh]

Thank you Neel and Mark and everyone else on this thread who has contributed to the lighting systems. I have dropped the idea of purchasing the 8000K HID's. Instead opted for the 6000K Philips HID. They cost me about 8000 and odd in Mumbai. These are about 1250 more than the ones I mentioned before. But they are more reliable also since the previous ones (P8) we basically a Chinese/ Taiwanese import. I did see them on another car at the dealer, and was not too happy. I shall be getting my Philips HId installed on Tuesday. I know, this is also 6000K but Philips does not make anything lesser in India and the rest are all Chinese imports. Advise if there is anything else in Mumbai for the same price available? Thanks in advance. Ashutosh

[anb]

Originally Posted by ashvtosh

. I have dropped the idea of purchasing the 8000K HID's. Instead opted for the 6000K Philips HID.

6000K is also not very practical. Especially in Rain and fog conditions. You should opt for 4200K.

[ashvtosh]

Going by everyones' advise regarding Kelvin rating, I am finally installing 4300K HID conversion kit. This is made by an Indian firm called Amrtiras, although I know that this is basically imported from China/ Taiwan and rebranded. But it comes with replacement guarantee and some 3 years warranty. Shall inform you'll about it once it is installed tomorrow morning. So I am finally getting 4300K for my Cruze. Thank you friends. Also are there any know issues I need to look out for once it is installed. Do help. Thanks. Ashutosh

[markpalk]

Originally Posted by ashvtosh

Thank you Neel and Mark and everyone else on this thread who has contributed to the lighting systems. I have dropped the idea of purchasing the 8000K HID's. Instead opted for the 6000K Philips HID. They cost me about 8000 and odd in Mumbai. These are about 1250 more than the ones I mentioned before. But they are more reliable also since the previous ones (P8) we basically a Chinese/ Taiwanese import. I did see them on another car at the dealer, and was not too happy. I shall be getting my Philips HId installed on Tuesday. I know, this is also 6000K but Philips does not make anything lesser in India and the rest are all Chinese imports. Advise if there is anything else in Mumbai for the same price available? Thanks in advance. Ashutosh

The lighting in my car is from a website called "the retrofit source", I use them because they are relatively cheap and deliver to India. The "Morimoto" range are basically re-branded Chinese parts but they do go through quality checks.

I have also seen the projector retrofits done by "electron performance" based in Pune and the end result is pretty darn good.

Lastly, and I cannot stress this enough, if you want the high lumen output of HID bulbs, use them with projectors. Do not simply fit them in your OEM reflector headlights.