Anyone know how to protect LED lights in Snow storm?
- Thread starter Jmos
- Start date
OverlanderJK
Resident Smartass
Get heated led headlights, turn your lights on thst are on the bumper as you have in the picture or buy old school lights that produce heat.
bobfriesenhahn
Hooked
Maybe there are electric heating strips that can adhere to headlights and heat them up? If I can imagine something, it must exist!
kevman65
Hooked
To be fair and honest, it isn't the type of bulb in the headlight, it's the design.
With the headlight being sunken in, it's a natural collector.
The old style CJ headlight were in front of the grill area, they would ice up around the edge but the center would be clear from the air moving the frozen material away.
If someone made a headlight cover/protector that bubbled out away from grill it would help.
Or, as has been said, heater strips applied to headlight and wired to headlight circuit.
With the headlight being sunken in, it's a natural collector.
The old style CJ headlight were in front of the grill area, they would ice up around the edge but the center would be clear from the air moving the frozen material away.
If someone made a headlight cover/protector that bubbled out away from grill it would help.
Or, as has been said, heater strips applied to headlight and wired to headlight circuit.
I'd have to agree with the design being the problem.
I couldn't get myself to downgrade to 7" lights and I really don't like a lot of the 9" LED replacements out there but the heated ones do work. I ran a set of Truck-Lite heated LED's and they did a pretty good job of keeping even Sierra Cement off of them.
But again, I wouldn't trade my factory LEDs just to keep the snow off my headlights the few times a year that I could really use them.
LOL - that's what I've been doing or at least, whenever I feel like I'm not seeing as much light as I would prefer.Simple... Don't drive while it's snowing and you'll quit having that problem
I just pull over every so often and wipe them with my hand if my headlights start to seem dim.
Jmos
Member
cannot run the off-road spotlights while driving on highways -- only the SAE fog lights.
Jmos
Member
Jmos
Member
Snow in the Sierras IS a different animal!! -- just check-out the Rail-Road museum in Sacramento sometime to see why this is true; not just anecdotal.I'd have to agree with the design being the problem.
I couldn't get myself to downgrade to 7" lights and I really don't like a lot of the 9" LED replacements out there but the heated ones do work. I ran a set of Truck-Lite heated LED's and they did a pretty good job of keeping even Sierra Cement off of them.
But again, I wouldn't trade my factory LEDs just to keep the snow off my headlights the few times a year that I could really use them.
Jmos
Member
I ask because the 3x this happened to me this year... I was already over-landing, and the snow storms hit us. (Seattle, to Yosemite, and back, and the road to Winthrop, WA)Simple... Don't drive while it's snowing and you'll quit having that problem
I just pull over every so often and wipe them with my hand if my headlights start to seem dim.
This also meant that the roads were not (yet) plowed clear -- and it was a real concern that if I were to "just pull over..." I could not do so in a safe spot -- side of the road was not a good spot to be in if someone lost control, didn't see us, or otherwise -- and I was concerned about getting stuck as well, as the blanket of snow made it hard to judge the edge of the road, or surface under the snow -- PLUS... the storm itself, and concentrating on the road, made it difficult to simultaneously focus on the road / other-drivers, and look for a safe spot to just pull over...
Was not that simple.
We did pull over at the next exit to check, and clean.
As in, problem solved
Jmos
Member
I've learned some other views and experiences here -- very helpful.As in, problem solved
Hoping to fine a solution that would not require stopping -- but that might be a foolish judgement -- just not always easy to find a safe place to stop, and equally less safe to keep staying on the road; plus, challenging to look for a spot while looking at the road -- even when just looking to get off-of it!!!
That's been my conflict.
Looking to improve my safety margins -- for myself and those I'm sharing the road with as well.
I'll give the Morimoto Super7s a try.
Brighter, hotter, and slightly vented.
I'll know more by next season of severe weather...
...and I'll have to study other on-the-road strategies for acceptable places to pull over
Much appreciated, as always.
J.
Jmos
Member
...y'all are gonna get me in TROUBLE!!
bobfriesenhahn
Hooked
I wonder how well windshield antifreeze (e.g. -20 or -30 degrees stuff) would work if applied with a spray bottle? Some cars come with headlight sprayers.