Sponsored

LED headlights in winter?

DanW

Well-Known Member
First Name
Dan
Joined
Mar 2, 2017
Threads
159
Messages
8,404
Reaction score
11,073
Location
Indiana
Vehicle(s)
21 JLUR, 18JLUR, 08JKUR, 15 Renegade, 04 WJ
Vehicle Showcase
2
LED,s PUT OUT ZERO HEAT.
Correct, for the OEM LEDs. Not all LEDs are that way, thoiugh. The Baja Designs LP6 lights put out plenty of heat....plus about 18,000 lumens!

Here's a pic with the Hellas I had on mine last winter. They were a good solution, being inexpensive, and looking good while giving adequate light if the mains iced over.
Sponsored

 

Tritonman

Well-Known Member
First Name
Keith
Joined
Feb 19, 2018
Threads
17
Messages
494
Reaction score
781
Location
Upstate NY
Vehicle(s)
2018 Rubicon JLU
Occupation
ITS Duty Manager
Adding a coat of wax on your headlights just before winter helps. Its not going to completely prevent ice build up, but it does help mitigate it some.
 

roaniecowpony

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 4, 2018
Threads
144
Messages
7,243
Reaction score
9,304
Location
SoCal
Vehicle(s)
2018 JLUR, 14 GMC 1500 CC All TERRAIN
Occupation
Retired Engineer
JW Speaker has a heated 7" LED for you retrofitters. TRS sells a conversion.

You might also try some silicone spray. Might be more effective than WD.

Me? I try to stay where it's warm. Although I am in some cold area right now where it has snow all around. But I don't plan on getting out in it.
 

Columbus104

Well-Known Member
First Name
Kurtis
Joined
Aug 25, 2018
Threads
12
Messages
460
Reaction score
872
Location
Columbus, Ohio
Vehicle(s)
2018 Wrangler Moab (white)
Ok let’s put this to bed once and for all. No headlight, halogen, LED, xenon, etc, produces enough heat to actually melt snow and ice in winter conditions. Want proof? Drove around with halogen headlights on for a few hours and then touch them. Barely warm.

The JL’s are prone to icing over, but it’s not about the headlight type. It’s because the headlights are inset. In most modern vehicles the headlights are part of the exterior styling, which allows wind to blow the snow off as the vehicle moves. The inset headlights in the JL creates a little air pocket which allows snow/ice to accumulate without air friction.

I personally didn’t find it to be horrible, and I love to take my Jeep around playing in the snow. Maybe in heavy snowfall I had to clean them once per hour.

Somewhat tangential. If you’re going to be driving in winter conditions, throw a tow strap in your Jeep. $30 one-time investment and I bet I saved 10 drivers last winter from a $100 tow truck.
 

tcari394

Well-Known Member
First Name
Tony
Joined
Aug 24, 2018
Threads
1
Messages
100
Reaction score
127
Location
Kimberton, PA
Vehicle(s)
2018 Rubicon JL (2dr)
Ok let’s put this to bed once and for all. No headlight, halogen, LED, xenon, etc, produces enough heat to actually melt snow and ice in winter conditions. Want proof? Drove around with halogen headlights on for a few hours and then touch them. Barely warm.

The JL’s are prone to icing over, but it’s not about the headlight type. It’s because the headlights are inset. In most modern vehicles the headlights are part of the exterior styling, which allows wind to blow the snow off as the vehicle moves. The inset headlights in the JL creates a little air pocket which allows snow/ice to accumulate without air friction.

I personally didn’t find it to be horrible, and I love to take my Jeep around playing in the snow. Maybe in heavy snowfall I had to clean them once per hour.

Somewhat tangential. If you’re going to be driving in winter conditions, throw a tow strap in your Jeep. $30 one-time investment and I bet I saved 10 drivers last winter from a $100 tow truck.
My favorite part about winter is pulling all of those BMWs out of the woods who tailgate the crap out of me on the back roads all year. I figure one of these days they might remember and back off a bit :)
 

Sponsored

Melny67

Well-Known Member
First Name
Melvin
Joined
Oct 8, 2019
Threads
14
Messages
304
Reaction score
184
Location
Staten island
Vehicle(s)
Jeep jlu
Ok let’s put this to bed once and for all. No headlight, halogen, LED, xenon, etc, produces enough heat to actually melt snow and ice in winter conditions. Want proof? Drove around with halogen headlights on for a few hours and then touch them. Barely warm.

The JL’s are prone to icing over, but it’s not about the headlight type. It’s because the headlights are inset. In most modern vehicles the headlights are part of the exterior styling, which allows wind to blow the snow off as the vehicle moves. The inset headlights in the JL creates a little air pocket which allows snow/ice to accumulate without air friction.

I personally didn’t find it to be horrible, and I love to take my Jeep around playing in the snow. Maybe in heavy snowfall I had to clean them once per hour.

Somewhat tangential. If you’re going to be driving in winter conditions, throw a tow strap in your Jeep. $30 one-time investment and I bet I saved 10 drivers last winter from a $100 tow truck.
This is the only right answer
 

cosine

Well-Known Member
First Name
Chris
Joined
Jun 1, 2019
Threads
73
Messages
13,049
Reaction score
73,080
Location
NY
Vehicle(s)
2019 Wrangler Sport jl
Occupation
Gone Postal
my supernova led lights does give off a little heat off the lens. but i wont know how it is for the winter until the snow fly this year. on any other vehicles i've driven, i had to periodically clean off snow, ice, road salt, etc
 

shekmark

Well-Known Member
First Name
Mark
Joined
Jul 21, 2019
Threads
26
Messages
584
Reaction score
443
Location
Manasquan, NJ
Vehicle(s)
2018 JLUR
Occupation
Yes
Vehicle Showcase
1
So the DP6 put off a lot of heat even though they are LED? I am going to add lights to my bumper bar . I actually have a set of PIAA someone gave me, but they are LED and I wanted halogen for heat, as a backup to my LED headlights.
 

Kraty1

Well-Known Member
First Name
Dave
Joined
Aug 21, 2018
Threads
7
Messages
609
Reaction score
671
Location
Batavia IL
Vehicle(s)
2018 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited JL
Occupation
Sales & Marketing
OP I see you live in Indiana, and that state’s climate varies north to south. I can tell you that my halogen headlights had no issues last winter in Chicagoland, and I saw plenty of JL’s with LED’s on the road where you could barely see the light coming through the ice that had built up. Now I’m not knocking the LED’s, in fact I was disappointed it was one of the options I didn’t have, just letting you know what I have observed. FWIW the halogens light output isn’t bad, and I’ve had HID/Xenon’s for the last 13 years prior to the JL! Good luck.
 

Sponsored

xtraham

Active Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2019
Threads
6
Messages
44
Reaction score
47
Location
Long Island, New York
Vehicle(s)
2019 Wrangler JL Unlimited
Do the LED headlights get covered in ice and snow in the winter? Or do they somehow melt the ice and snow in the extreme cold?
I've had major issues in the North East with buildup. Either get heated headlights, or install a pair of halogen type aux lights that will melt snow in heavy weather.
 

spurly

Well-Known Member
First Name
Zach
Joined
Sep 10, 2018
Threads
11
Messages
812
Reaction score
826
Location
Nebraska
Vehicle(s)
2019 Bright White JLUR
Ok let’s put this to bed once and for all. No headlight, halogen, LED, xenon, etc, produces enough heat to actually melt snow and ice in winter conditions. Want proof? Drove around with halogen headlights on for a few hours and then touch them. Barely warm.

The JL’s are prone to icing over, but it’s not about the headlight type. It’s because the headlights are inset. In most modern vehicles the headlights are part of the exterior styling, which allows wind to blow the snow off as the vehicle moves. The inset headlights in the JL creates a little air pocket which allows snow/ice to accumulate without air friction.

I personally didn’t find it to be horrible, and I love to take my Jeep around playing in the snow. Maybe in heavy snowfall I had to clean them once per hour.

Somewhat tangential. If you’re going to be driving in winter conditions, throw a tow strap in your Jeep. $30 one-time investment and I bet I saved 10 drivers last winter from a $100 tow truck.
Bingo.

For this very reason I wish Jeep would have incorporated heated headlights into the JL. JW Speaker and Trucklite sell a set and it would have been nice to see this as a factory standard option.
 

dpowell5523

Member
First Name
Donald
Joined
Mar 20, 2019
Threads
0
Messages
21
Reaction score
15
Location
Dallas, TX
Vehicle(s)
2018 JLUR
I was thinking about re routing my exhaust to the front of the vehicle to keep my headlights from freezing. I live in Texas so this would be useful for one day every couple of years.
 

Slowpoke

Well-Known Member
First Name
Jim
Joined
Nov 11, 2018
Threads
18
Messages
631
Reaction score
685
Location
Columbus, Ohio
Vehicle(s)
Moab Silver 2018
Occupation
Yes
I was thinking about re routing my exhaust to the front of the vehicle to keep my headlights from freezing. I live in Texas so this would be useful for one day every couple of years.
That would probably void your warranty because you alerted the exhaust.:)
 

00Sebby

Well-Known Member
First Name
Mark
Joined
Sep 5, 2019
Threads
4
Messages
256
Reaction score
439
Location
Knoxville, TN
Vehicle(s)
2020 JLUR
Occupation
Ex-auto quality engr & mgt. Now just enjoy life.
Ok let’s put this to bed once and for all. No headlight, halogen, LED, xenon, etc, produces enough heat to actually melt snow and ice in winter conditions. Want proof? Drove around with halogen headlights on for a few hours and then touch them. Barely warm.

The JL’s are prone to icing over, but it’s not about the headlight type. It’s because the headlights are inset. In most modern vehicles the headlights are part of the exterior styling, which allows wind to blow the snow off as the vehicle moves. The inset headlights in the JL creates a little air pocket which allows snow/ice to accumulate without air friction.

I personally didn’t find it to be horrible, and I love to take my Jeep around playing in the snow. Maybe in heavy snowfall I had to clean them once per hour.

Somewhat tangential. If you’re going to be driving in winter conditions, throw a tow strap in your Jeep. $30 one-time investment and I bet I saved 10 drivers last winter from a $100 tow truck.
And here's proof... halogens in the winter time on my JKUR. When it was dark, I would have to stop about every hour and clean the snow out of the headlight buckets.

IMG_1127.jpeg
Sponsored

 
 



Top