That sounds like some good research. We don't have much desert or snow here. Does anyone have suggestions for whiteout conditions? I remember we had that happen a few years ago and we don't shut down unless we don't have power, so it was very nerve racking driving on what I was guessing was a road, with massive ditches on either side.
Aren't there lights now that you can just change the color? Or would it be just as well to go white and then have the lens?
Anybody go IR lights with NVGs?
The best thing I’ve found for whiteout conditions are fog lights. A very low, wide spread beam. Realistically, you aren’t going to penetrate heavy snowfall much. Even if the light does penetrate, it quickly becomes diffuse. Fog lights distribute the light low and wide, which help you see the road surface directly in front of you and also help you see the edges of the road.
Generally you want to mount them lower. The OE fogs are in a great location for snow. Mounting them at the pillar or on a roof rack is not recommended. The intensity of the light significantly increases the closer you are to the light. So if the light reflects off a snowflake in front of the windshield, it will be much brighter than the ambient light coming from the road. If the lights are mounted further forward and down low, the snowflakes in front of the windshield are not illuminated and are effectively invisible. The snowflakes immediately in front of the lights on the bumper are also not in the line of sight with the driver, so these super bright spots don’t impact your ability to see.
Just note that LED fogs may not get hot enough to melt the snow. I have a set of 100 watt halogen fog lights for this reason. That and the lower color temp doesn’t contrast as heavily on snow as higher color temperatures like most LED lights.
Like fog, high beams or very bright lights will make it very difficult to see in snow.
In terms of rear visibility, LED taillamps make a modest improvement in visibility from behind. Adding retroreflective materials like DOT tape or SOLAS retroreflective tape make a significant improvement in the ability of other drivers to see you. Think of how easy it is to see road signs at night and during snow/fog compared to the trees next to them. The reason you can see them so well is because they are made with retroreflective materials. DOT tape is used on just about every commercial vehicle, and is required by law on most commercial vehicles. (SOLAS tape may not technically be road legal.)
