LED headlights and snow

[jjvw]

Which LED headlights? My unheated TruckLites still melt snow and ice off the lenses. To the point that the entire face of the Jeep has been encased in ice during a few wet blizzards and the headlights will have a good sized air gap before the ice wall.

 

[Horita]

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

On my logging truck, with the JW Speaker heated leds, the whole lens except the heated area will get covered in some snow conditions, so it certainly can be a problem.

I haven’t had a problem in my TJ, with Holley Retrobrite leds, but also haven’t hit those snow conditions. My “solution” is a small heated Niterider light bar. Hopefully that will work when needed. Most of my driving is at night on dark, rural roads (where the light bar has been great for daily detection of moose or deer).

 

[MikekiM]

I still have the Hella driving lights as backup. No way I am going back to H4's just to melt snow.

 

[Dustdevil]

I had the same issue with my new LED headlights once so far this winter. This is what I’m gonna try spraying on…

View attachment 389900
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.)

This might be the breakthrough solution. Having solid LEDs for normal use, and halogen fogs for emergency. My mains are WHDZ, and the lenses are dead cold after several hours. My fogs are Rigid LED, and they are awesome also, but still dead cold when powered. I can replace them without too much trouble. Less costly, too. Outside the box thinking. I like it!

 

[TheBoogieman]

My unheated TruckLites still melt snow and ice off the lenses.

 

[Kenneth G Zinis]

Any chance you could configure some ducting to route a bit engine compartment heat to the back of light reflectors?

 

[Kenneth G Zinis]

https://canatu.com/products/automotive/headlamp-heaters/

 

[Kenneth G Zinis]

https://www.deltalights.com/lens-defrost-element-with-harness-for-led-headlights/p1516

 

[Noslo65]

Technology is cool, until it’s not…..

 

[Kenneth G Zinis]

Maybe apply these to rear of LED reflectors https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09RWXXVN7/?tag=wranglerorg-20

 

[LFKNJ]

I had a different experience, DID NOT LIKE! I have the Amazon Special ,"truckmall lights" I also have them in my driving lights... I was coming home from work in a pretty heavy snow, I had my brights on, I had to turn them off, back to low beam, I was on a back road, no highway lights. I thought I gotten transported into a Battlestar Galactica episode, it was like I was driving through a million stars... it was messing with my head. I love my bright lights on a regular day... just not on a dark snowy night!

 

[Mike_H]

You guys bagging on H4 halogens must not have experienced a well installed set of lights. I’m running E spec Cibie housings, aimed properly with Phillips extra bright bulbs. They are very bright and have an excellent cutoff.

Standard

High beams

 

[hoovskins]

jw speaker make nice (expensive) heated leds

 

[mushdogs]

I had the same issue with my new LED headlights once so far this winter. This is what I’m gonna try spraying on…

View attachment 389900
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.)

I’ve been using this for the last couple years on my LED’s. It works great to a point when it’s cold or warm enough, but when you have a wet, heavy snow or rain snow mix right at that 30-34° range (Cascade Concrete anyone?) it doesn’t help. If it’s building up on the windshield outside of the wiper zone even with the heat full tilt boogie, it’s going to pack the lights, regardless. I keep my factory fogs incandescent so I have something that will melt the snow off. I’m daily driving in the Cascade Mtns., and there’s only a couple times a winter I have an issue with buildup. Not a problem enough to drop the money for heated LED’s.

 

[jscherb]

I'm considering installing squirters.

They could be supplied by putting an extra pump in the factory washer tank, but I'm thinking windshield washer fluid may not do a good enough job so maybe installing a separate reservoir with a stronger deicing fluid would be a good idea. I still need to research deicing fluid to see if that makes sense. There's plenty of room in most TJ engine compartments for an extra reservoir.

I plan to test the idea on my JKU first because I've got a bunch of extra grilles I don't mind drilling holes in and I'm already running H13 LED bulbs in that Jeep. The problem with doing it in the JKU is that the engine compartment is so cramped it's tough to find a place for a new reservoir.

BTW I recently tested and reviewed three LED headlight options for Auxbeam, I posted about them here: https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/auxbeam-led-headlights-for-the-tj.66577/#post-1229258

I'll probably use the H13 bulbs from that review in my TJ but I have no plans to use the Halo LEDs or the Bluetooth RGB Halo LEDs so I'll either trade them to someone for JK headlight housings (which can be used in the TJ grille) or if nobody has any JK housings they want to trade I'll probably sell them.

 

[Dustdevil]

I'm considering installing squirters.

View attachment 390158

View attachment 390159

They could be supplied by putting an extra pump in the factory washer tank, but I'm thinking windshield washer fluid may not do a good enough job so maybe installing a separate reservoir with a stronger deicing fluid would be a good idea. I still need to research deicing fluid to see if that makes sense. There's plenty of room in most TJ engine compartments for an extra reservoir.

I plan to test the idea on my JKU first because I've got a bunch of extra grilles I don't mind drilling holes in and I'm already running H13 LED bulbs in that Jeep. The problem with doing it in the JKU is that the engine compartment is so cramped it's tough to find a place for a new reservoir.

View attachment 390160

BTW I recently tested and reviewed three LED headlight options for Auxbeam, I posted about them here: https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/auxbeam-led-headlights-for-the-tj.66577/#post-1229258

I'll probably use the H13 bulbs from that review in my TJ but I have no plans to use the Halo LEDs or the Bluetooth RGB Halo LEDs so I'll either trade them to someone for JK headlight housings (which can be used in the TJ grille) or if nobody has any JK housings they want to trade I'll probably sell them.

After seeing some of the stuff you’ve done in the past, I have no doubt you can handle this. My first thought is that this problem of damp snow buildup does not seem to be an issue when it is truly frigid. But, instead, when it’s moderately cold. Maybe between 30 and 45 degrees or thereabouts. May not be an issue with freezing on contact at those temps. But it would require some experiments, I’m sure.

 

[jjvw]

You didn't answer my question about which headlights you have, but I think I have a hunch why your Chinese copy TruckLites freeze over where my real ones don't.

 

[Dustdevil]

You didn't answer my question about which headlights you have, but I think I have a hunch why your Chinese copy TruckLites freeze over where my real ones don't.
View attachment 390163

Actually, I did. In post #24 above. Perhaps you are right, but I don’t think we have enough information to tell. Quite possible your climate is cold enough in Colorado that your snow is much “drier” than what I experienced last Sunday night. Colorado IS known for its dry snow, after all. I have driven with these lights in heavy snowfall several times in the last few years, but the snow in SoCal San Bernardino mountains, in the White Mountains around Owens Valley, and the Bradshaw’s here in Arizona, has always been dry enough that it never stuck or built up like this did.

 

[jjvw]

Actually, I did. In post #24 above. Perhaps you are right, but I don’t think we have enough information to tell. Quite possible your climate is cold enough in Colorado that your snow is much “drier” than what I experienced last Sunday night. Colorado IS known for its dry snow, after all. I have driven with these lights in heavy snowfall several times in the last few years, but the snow in SoCal San Bernardino mountains, in the White Mountains around Owens Valley, and the Bradshaw’s here in Arizona, has always been dry enough that it never stuck or built up like this did.

Colorado has all kinds of snow in all kinds of weather. I have never heard that it is known for one type or another. And I have been running my headlights in all kinds of snow for many years.

One thing I know about LEDs is that they produce a lot of heat, which is why we often see large heat sink fins on them. We also know that Chinese copies of things are often less than honest about what they actually do. And we know that Chinese headlights often don't put out as much light as they might claim, which means your WXYZ lights aren't putting out as much heat as the real thing does. That is the real problem that you are trying to solve with a bunch of nickel and dime fixes.

 

[NskLJ]

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?

I would start with the rain x if it is safe for the lenses. Rain x works excellent for rain. It it stops the snow from sticking that should solve your problem but must be reapplied occasionally.