A Reason Not To Run LED Headlights

You know how I know that you have no idea about automotive mechanics... ?

 

I know you can get LEDs that replace the OEM lights but won't the throw distance be limited then? Don't LEDs require a new housing where the reflectors inside are actually made to throw the light appropriately for LEDs? Yes freezing would still be the same problem.

 

Maybe. Yes. Yes......based on my experiences.

1-I converted two vehicles (H-4 and H-11 ), the throw is about the same (but I replaced standard older halogen bulbs) I'm sure high power halogen would out perform my low power LED's.
2-The housings are not designed for LED and there is minimal scatter that doesn't seem to bother oncoming drivers.
3-I'm retired and don't drive in snow.

For the type of driving I do they improve my visibility (for my safety and others ) and hopefully they ( I converted all my lights to LED) make my electrical systems last longer.

 

I read that a city in Japan installed LED traffic signals, and now they have to have workers clear the snow off of the lights because the LEDs won't melt it off.

 

So we should ignore the advantages and better lighting because the ice may build up a couple of times per year? Sounds like wearing a raincoat in the desert in case it rains. I would rather see 364 than scrape ice on one day.

 

All the more reason to go HID. My 50W HID's have no problem with icing.
The dirty salt brine buildup is another thing...

 

Sounds like a better reason not to run headlights so the salt doesn't dry so fast.

 

Thanks, but I'll keep running my headlights when I need to see in the dark and/or inclement weather. Also, the LED lights are not superior. They have less throw and are "too cool" to keep the housing from freezing - doesn't sound like a winner to me. HID's have more throw and run warm enough to keep things from icing.

 

I think you missed the sarcasm.

I do like the better light than the halogen that were stock. For the one day a year with freezing rain i will stay off the road or stop to clear the ice vs better visibility the rest of the year.

HID cost my boy a new set of headlights due to the heat with melted housings. No thanks

 

Starts snowing here in October and quits in March which is about par for most places it snows.
Please post the "better" lighting advantages. They are whiter. They use less current. That's about it. Oh, they look cool, like a BMW or something.

 

You could install some Euro style healthy washers. I'm sure the crafty @mesojdm can figure out something

 

I just strap a peasant with a squeeege to my hood during the 1% time It sees snow.

 

Non OE leds are garbage.. there I said it..

 

Or just run quad led projectors. Mine never iced over

 

I guess that is the problem with the internet - hard to pick out sarcasm.

My HID's have been installed for over a year and no issues with melting the housing. YMMV

 

My brief experiment with LEDs in different housings.
I put them in two different vehicles, a projector housing H-11b vehicle and a standard H-4 housing vehicle.
All around poor performance with the H-11b in the projector housings. I went back to halogen.
All around very acceptable performance in the standard H-4 reflector housings. I'm keeping the LED's in.
( the same brand/style in both )

 

That would be me lol!

I don't live or have to drive thru heavy snow so that (snow blockage) never crossed my mind.
But getting the LED lights did since they put out better light, just not as far so that was a deal breaker for me. But now I know something else no one ever talks about.

And no one likes to talk about the profound negative effects a mod can have till the chit hits the FaN

Cheers!

 

Thats a good idea, but for those who worry about it, instead of tapping directly into coolant lines, why not wrap the lines with copper tubing and wrap them with insulation, and run them as a seperate isolated system with coolant through a electric fuel pump?

 

Tapping into coolant lines is not my cup of tea, I'd rather just run a strip of 12V heater tape, less work, less chance of voiding the warranty if anything goes wrong.

https://oemheaters.com/category/983/freezstop-12-and-24v-heat-cable

 

lol, you do realize that new Toyota's are coming with led's all around. 18 Tundra comes with headlights and fogs and last night, I touched both housings and they were as cold as the surrounding air (single digits after our blizzard)