Just another reason for additional driving lights... headlights covered in snow / ice

[edgarmcgauley]

This is why I got Diode Dynamics driving lights to replace my factory fogs.

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[CarGuy]

Bring back headlight wipers:

I ceramic/wax mine to keep them as slippery as possible.

 

[kodiakisland]

Just to clarify, even though I did say this already, but I did turn my driving lights OFF when I met other drivers. I know they are bright. I know they blind oncoming traffic. I'm not stupid.

Anyway, the pictures don't do justice to how little light was transmitted through the snow covering. The lights were on dim obviously since I was meeting traffic. When I'd turn the driving lights off, I was blind to the road until the oncoming traffic got close enough that I could see it with their lights. I just aimed to the right of the oncoming lights and hoped for the best. Small county roads with no shoulders and everything the same color wasn't fun with no light.

Not the first time it's happened to me, but was an annoying ride home in the dark after working 12 hours.

I have DD lights and they stayed warm enough to keep the snow melted.

As far as the quality of the factory lights, they aren't bad but the Volvo XC60 and the Genesis GV70s we've owned have far better coverage and cutoffs where you need it.

 

[kodiakisland]

How do you like the mirror lights,are they bright enough?

I have the Oracle mirror lights. They are not bright and you still need more lighting for off road use, but they are easily moved to put the light where you need it. Either while driving or parked. They definitely have their uses, but should be part of a system of lights and not the only extra lights you have.

Now this morning they were completely covered over in snow, but they aren't for highway driving anyway.

 

[indio22]

I wouldn't know anything about this condition.

Amen. Visiting St. Augustine right now, today was a fun day at the beach. Nice weather for a winter day ... man I've got to get out of Chicagoland!

 

[AKBronc49]

It really depends on the snow type. 3 winters in Alaska and I've only had them get covered once, this past September during a early snow that was wet. Otherwise we have pretty dry snow that doesn't stick.

 

[woodsman44]

Incandescent are the same actually. LEDs themselves don't produce heat but there is heat produced by the electronics. That's why a lot of these LED Lights are in such big housings. To help aim that light AND to help cool things down.

I've been living in NY since... well since I was born. I've always had issues with every car in the winter IF the snow and it was falling down hard.

I remember times driving in NJ in my old truck where I had to stop every few miles and clean the headlights off because the wet snow kept sticking to them.

It's going to happen unless you've got this big massive heater BUT that heater is going to cause the bulbs to fail quickly.

Incandescent have the heat AT the bulb and LEDs have them behind so yes there IS a heat difference but in my opinion not enough that it's going to make much of a difference.

People have been battling snow on headlights since the headlight was created. HID, Incandescent, LED, Laser... eventually the right type of snow WILL stick especially when you are driving down the highway and you're COOLING the housing down as you drive.

Halogens for the win...I live in the Sierra mountains and Halogen melts the snow and ice off..LEDS dont have heat at the lens and go polar ice cap collectors..

 

[GroovyGeek]

That's one of the downsides of LEDs - no heat to melt the s ow. I am surprised northern climate vehicles are not sold with heated headlights as an option.

 

[Fly by Nite]

The FORM lights are definitely going to be more blinding than factory to oncoming traffic.

Brighter doesn't necessarily mean 'more blinding'.
If the lights are properly aimed, they won't be shining into the eyes of oncoming drivers. This goes for headlights as well as accessory lights. Brighter yes, blinding, no.

However, even a properly aimed, street-legal light could blind oncoming traffic if the light momentarily shines higher off the road surface, such as when cresting a hill, and shines into the eyes of oncoming drivers.

 

[Bodge Garage]

Headlight washers, pretty old technology and functions well in snow mud whatever. My 30 year old Land Rover has them.

 

[Nickhick]

Old truckers trick cooking oil spray(Pam) also works on snow blowers and snow shovels. All Broncos have heated mirrors they come on with the rear window defrost button even on soft tops.

Ya beat me to it. My new plow lights are LED's and I was having snow cover problems also. Pam has been pretty damn effective. If you have a satellite dish it works there too.

 

[Tex]

Ah, now I remember why I left this place for a few months.

Some solutions, perhaps...

LED's not making heat like halogens? Us humans have figured out how to make things that make heat!
https://www.harborfreight.com/20v-cordless-heat-gun-tool-only-56791.html

Wet snow freezing on your headlights? Take advantage of the anti-freezing properties of antifreeze! Get a squirt bottle and fill it up with undiluted antifreeze, it doesn't have to match what you put in your vehicle (you can even use that questionable jug that's been in your garage from two moves ago!). Leave the squirt bottle in the engine compartment to keep it nice and toasty when not in use. A light coating on the headlights will last for about half an hour of de-icing effect.

 

[DefNotBuddyLee]

Amateurs...I run a trailer with an old World War 1 searchlight I got from an Army Surplus auction. Not only can I see 5 miles down the road, but I will also know when the kaiser sends another round of dirigibles my way. No issues with ice buildup so far.

 

[Tex]

Amateurs...I run a trailer with an old World War 1 searchlight I got from an Army Surplus auction. Not only can I see 5 miles down the road, but I will also know when the kaiser sends another round of dirigibles my way. No issues with ice buildup so far.

I used to run a pair of them but replacement carbon rods went way up in price recently and I just can't justify the cost in this economy.

 

[Oldhippie]

I’ll just say the bronco lights are comparable to most other USA/asian vehicles (much better than older lights) but they totally suck compared to European vehicles! I do not live in snow country and try to avoid it, except for a few snow runs, but we used to install “heat strips” on on all Caltrans snow removal vehicles…

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