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LED headlamp in snow: has anyone wished or tried to switch to Halogen Headlamps?

631_Islander

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We are going thru a rather snowy winter here on Long Island. Last time we saw snow like this was probably in the winter of 2013/2014 and then again in 2014/205. The snowiest winter I remember here was probably in 2003/2004 when I was a Junior in High School. It snowed an inch almost every night that winter! Pretty sure 1996 and 1993 may have been even worst than 2003/2004 but I was not living here back then.

With that said, I must say I am less than impressed with the LED Headlamps in the Snow. The lamps run rather cool and that causes snow to buildup while you are driving. Another smaller issue is that the lamps cause the White Snow covered ground to reflect back at you and create a glare. I have gotten used to this now luckily. Has anyone gotten so frustrated with their LED Headlamps that they tried to switch to Halogens or wish they had never gotten them in the first place? I am under the assumption that switching to Halogens from LED may get tedious as you will have to replace your complete headlamp assembly (with wiring) rather than just simply switch bulbs.
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631_Islander

631_Islander

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I have halogens with less than 2,000 miles. I'll send them to you with a fair amount of money added to trade if you decide to. I think the LED are awesome, but never experienced them in snow.
I like my LEDs a lot for as long as I am between the months of March and early December. Those halos look nice! But heavy snow can create a potential safety hazard IMHO due to buildup.

If it isn't too tedious have been thinking of running LED March to December and then switch to Halogen for Dec, Jan and Feb (our big snow months here). Trying to see if this is feasible for me or not. If it is, I might order the Halogen Headlamp assembly from Quadratec for next year's winter. If it isn't, guess I will stay with the LED headlamps but make sure to have my next JL with Halogens rather than LED. Been thinking about getting a base 4 door Sport with the Turbo 4 and an 8 speed plus hard top only for a while.
 

Fusilli Jerry

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I can't say I've ever driven in heavy snow for extended periods at night with my JLUR led's yet. I'll have to keep an eye on that (snow buildup on lights). I'm glad I saw this thread.

I had halogens on my Ram 1500 though, and I would've been better served with candles in mason jars taped to the front of the truck. I damn near hit an elk on the highway at night on the way to Yellowstone years ago. They were hanging out in the middle of the interstate on a long desolate stretch.
 
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631_Islander

631_Islander

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I can't say I've ever driven in heavy snow for extended periods at night with my JLUR led's yet. I'll have to keep an eye on that (snow buildup on lights). I'm glad I saw this thread.

I had halogens on my Ram 1500 though, and I would've been better served with candles in mason jars taped to the front of the truck. I damn near hit an elk on the highway at night on the way to Yellowstone years ago. They were hanging out in the middle of the interstate on a long desolate stretch.
It can be a pain, man. In heavy snow you need to stop, get out and clean the LED lamps. I love my LEDs but now try to avoid driving the Jeep when it is snowing out due to this reason.
 

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Are the Oculus only for the factory halogens or can they be retrofitted to the factory LEDs?

Who would be interested in a HEATED Oculus LED Headlight option?

And in the past, I've had vehicles where even the halogens would accumulate snow/ice so I'm not sure if just changing to halogens would completely solve your problem or not ....especially since the JL's have a recessed mounting situation. Plus, switching back and forth seems like a PIA to me as you'd have to reflash every time too, right?
 
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631_Islander

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Are the Oculus only for the factory halogens or can they be retrofitted to the factory LEDs?

Who would be interested in a HEATED Oculus LED Headlight option?

And in the past, I've had vehicles where even the halogens would accumulate snow/ice so I'm not sure if just changing to halogens would completely solve your problem or not ....especially since the JL's have a recessed mounting situation. Plus, swiching back and forth seems like a PIA to me as you'd have to reflash everytime too, right?
Shit! I forgot about the reflash part, lol!!
 

Stuckinthesand

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I have the LED’s and I’m with you. In NJ the snow has been relentless. I have to stop periodically to clean the lights off. Buddy of mine said to put tire shine on them and it makes the snow slide right off. Haven’t tried it yet but at this point I’m open to anything.
 

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I haven't had any issues, even in heavy snow. I love my LEDs.
 
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631_Islander

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I haven't had any issues, even in heavy snow. I love my LEDs.
You might be an exception rather than the norm, man. A lot of people having these issues. I love my LEDs also a lot but it looks like they hate being driven in the snow.
 

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Heimkehr

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The halogens could be a bit brighter, true enough, but I'm not missing LED headlights for one nanosecond during this very snowy February.

Jeep Wrangler JL LED headlamp in snow: has anyone wished or tried to switch to Halogen Headlamps? 3
 

BRuby

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You actually can feel a bit of heat off the headlamp. Have never had any issues with snow buildup or brightness or color temp. Shines perfectly ok - but my guess is the bulbs were upgraded by the previous owner who traded this in with 5k for a JT when they first came out. The bulbs seem to have a slight blue tint. Anyways for those that complain about crap weak halogens - just do a quick simple dirt cheap bulb upgrade.

Jeep Wrangler JL LED headlamp in snow: has anyone wished or tried to switch to Halogen Headlamps? 03ABA7CC-7937-4F19-85DF-BD878F0ABF13


Jeep Wrangler JL LED headlamp in snow: has anyone wished or tried to switch to Halogen Headlamps? F63AB912-9198-44D4-9D65-311FCFF2941C
 

henry

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As a backup I mounted PIAA 6” halogen fog lights to my grill guard. If my LEDs get to much snow and cause the “Star Wars “ effect, I turn my lights to the park mode and turn on the halogens. This way my tail lights and markers are still on with the headlights off.
 

Mikefly562

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I bought my JLUR with the halogen lights, and swapped them out with Beamtech LED bulbs in about 30ish minutes, but I ended up keeping my halogens, just in case snow became an issue and had to switch back. This was a consideration when I bought my new JLUR, in that I wanted the default halogen setup, since I knew I could switch between the LEDs and Halogens easily.
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