LED headlights and snow

Dustdevil

Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2022
Messages
75
Location
Northern Arizona
Ok, I have a question for anyone with experience. While driving home late last Sunday night, in a fairly heavy snowstorm, I experienced a new problem.

The led lights I selected for my Jeep have been nothing short of excellent, until this storm. Remote highway, very dark, no street lighting. Totally headlight dependent. The damp snow built up so thick on the lenses, they were no longer extremely bright and highly directed. The light was dim and so diffuse it was actually lighting up the wall of snow falling in front of the grille. Could hardly see the road. I had to stop about every mile or two, get out, and wipe off the snow. They would work perfectly until another 1/2-1” of snow built up again. Suggestions from friends ranged from RainX to Pam cooking spray.

Short of heated lights for one or two episodes a year, has anyone found an easy solution to this sort of thing?
 
  • Like
Reactions: mushdogs and LFKNJ
Short of heated lights for one or two episodes a year, has anyone found an easy solution to this sort of thing?

I think you called it. Heated, or maybe rain-x or some sort of plastic safe oil film.

Or mini wipers tied to a string that your passenger pulls back and forth :)
 
Ok, I have a question for anyone with experience. While driving home late last Sunday night, in a fairly heavy snowstorm, I experienced a new problem.

The led lights I selected for my Jeep have been nothing short of excellent, until this storm. Remote highway, very dark, no street lighting. Totally headlight dependent. The damp snow built up so thick on the lenses, they were no longer extremely bright and highly directed. The light was dim and so diffuse it was actually lighting up the wall of snow falling in front of the grille. Could hardly see the road. I had to stop about every mile or two, get out, and wipe off the snow. They would work perfectly until another 1/2-1” of snow built up again. Suggestions from friends ranged from RainX to Pam cooking spray.

Short of heated lights for one or two episodes a year, has anyone found an easy solution to this sort of thing?

In that environment LED’s are probably not the best choice. You can get a good set of unsealed halogens with bright bulbs and a relay to boost output. My .02c
 
Last edited:
So I bought a kit for a rear window defroster based on some advice on this forum...I suppose you could run a small strip or two on a headlight...might need an additional resistor...

-Mac
 
  • Like
Reactions: Dustdevil and JMT
In that environment LED’s are probably not the best choice. You can get a good set of unsealed incandescents with bright bulbs and a relay to boost output. My .02c
For sure, if this was a common theme here, I would likely switch to halogens. 363 days a year, the led is so superior, those days are no contest. Was sort of hoping somebody knew of a kit with a micro wire in a mylar overlay or some similar technology that can be added to keep the lens warm without obstructing much light.

Maybe there’s a business opportunity in this for one of the entrepreneurs.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MikekiM
Use your onboard air and configure a blast of air to blow the snow off. Add a timer like your intermittent wipers to blow the snow off at the needed repetition as needed.
No onboard air? Same idea but with your windshield washer.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jkosten
I fear the same but haven't had issue, yet.

I took a set of H4's out because having had LED prior, I loved the 5000k and the H4's were more 3500k. The pattern was good but color was off-putting. Switched to another set of LEDs with the fear that a good NE storm would leave me blind at night.

Decided it was kind of like decorating your house.. do you do a formal dining room that will be used two or three days a year? I know it's the same, but kinda. All this said, I have no solution for the lack of heat with the LEDs

@macleanflood Any chance you have a link to the kit you used? Did it have a timer?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Dustdevil
Sounds like an opportunity if I understand this.

Put a high heat bulb with the cool running LEDs.

Anyone here work for Hella?

Or,,, put some snow lights (my new word) in place of the anemic fog lights.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Dustdevil
Use your onboard air and configure a blast of air to blow the snow off. Add a timer like your intermittent wipers to blow the snow off at the needed repetition as needed.
No onboard air? Same idea but with your windshield washer.

You may actually be onto something worth trying here. I do have onboard air, could actually make that work. Was thinking about my own resistive strip like some hard tops have in the rear window, and wiring the adapter into the existing plug for power. Or using a computer fan to duct hot air from around the exhaust manifold and blow it across the headlight lens once in a while.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TJ Jim
You have an easy decision to make. Either go back to a good conventional headlight or pony up the extra cost for heated LED lights. There's no way around using one or the other if you don't want your headlights getting iced up on those extra bad days.

This is likely to be my ultimate decision. I got a bit lucky, Jerry. I did follow some reviews on these lights. Highly rated. They are not the most powerful, but they are very directional. And shockingly better than stock. I was determined not to be that guy who simply slaps on LEDs that spray light everywhere and blind oncoming drivers. They are quite good, and took forever to aim them properly so there is a hard, dark cutoff of any light that would be at or above eye level. I won’t go back to conventional sealed beam, though. Those were awful, and almost dangerous on those same roads near my house, even on a clear night. I do that drive every two weeks, and it’s a beautiful drive. Last Sunday night, though, it was getting hammered with snow. I may have to break down and get the heated ones after all.
 
Yes I experience the problem. You didn't mention the other aspect--bright headlights shining into the falling snow reduces visibility significantly. Right now, I just get out of the Jeep and wipe away the snow and then continue on my merry way.

I think the solution I will eventually implement will be fog lights that are much lower to the ground. They would either need to be heated or halogen. That will solve both problems.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JMT
Yes I experience the problem. You didn't mention the other aspect--bright headlights shining into the falling snow reduces visibility significantly. Right now, I just get out of the Jeep and wipe away the snow and then continue on my merry way.

I think the solution I will eventually implement will be fog lights that are much lower to the ground. They would either need to be heated or halogen. That will solve both problems.

Oh, I went through the whole routine! Tried my led fog lights only, which are mounted on the bumper. Same thing. They all worked excellent for the first couple of minutes. Blasted right through the heavy snowfall, and very acceptable vision. But once the nice cold lenses built up snow, the light was massively diffused in all directions, including straight up. That merely illuminated the wall of snow so that’s all I could see. Sounds like you had exactly the same problem, and same solution. Get out and wipe off the snow, LOL! They would then work great for a few minutes!
 
Already looking into KC solutions. They are right up the hill in Williams. Appears they don’t have heated LEDs. They do have, however, halogens that seem to be very bright. Trying to avoid a $659 solution. I’m sure that would work, but geez! Their halogens aren’t nearly as bright as my current LEDs. Might call and see if they have any ideas. If not, I’ll keep looking for a bit.
 
I had the same issue with my new LED headlights once so far this winter. This is what I’m gonna try spraying on…

24D2BE87-EF0F-4012-85C4-3CF1DC10978F.png

What I also did is get halogen fog lights so that you will always have a set of lights you can count on not freezing up. I got the Hella 500 fog kit (haven’t wired them in yet.)