LED Headlight questions

sm31

Active Member
Now that I'm located about 300 miles from the Arctic Circle, I anticipate running my headlights quite frequently for the next several months. I've managed to survive with stock headlights until now but I am ready for an upgrade. I have a couple of questions/concerns about going the LED route...

1) Should I purchase an "anti-flicker" harnesses or wait and see whether there are any problems?

2) For those with LED's in winter climes... Is snow likely to cake on the the lights as I'm driving and not melt off due to reduced heat? Or, I should ask... has snow been a problem for those with LED's in snowy areas?

Thanks!
 

BobNH

Member
I will let you know this winter. I had factory lights my first winter of ownership and they iced up plenty. Now I have jw speakers, so I am wondering if it will be the same or worse. Doesn't matter really; even caked with ice and a polar bear in front of them they will shine brighter than clean factory ones.
As to harness, the jw speakers evo j came with the harness. I would have bought one if not-flourescent light flicker makes me sick to my stomach, I would not risk it.

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notnalc68

That dude from Mississippi
Go with heated Trucklights and the anti flicker harness.

Edit: I noticed this was in the TJ section, so I'm not sure if the anti flicker harness is needed.


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Last edited:

sm31

Active Member
even caked with ice and a polar bear in front of them they will shine brighter than clean factory ones.

Haha! Or (God forbid), a large moose!

So even caked with snow, the LED's still put quite a bit of light out there?

Knowing I will consistently be driving in "adverse" conditions around or below zero... and leaving from a heated garage, I wonder if a halogen conversion would be a better idea. I just don't have the money for the heated Truck Lites... or even Truck Lites at all (son just started hockey :grayno: ). There are many options in the $90 - $140 range that I was looking at but I just don't know much about them. My goal is simply lot more light than the stock lights provide. I'm not even picky about the Kelvins...
 

notnalc68

That dude from Mississippi
Haha! Or (God forbid), a large moose!

So even caked with snow, the LED's still put quite a bit of light out there?

Knowing I will consistently be driving in "adverse" conditions around or below zero... and leaving from a heated garage, I wonder if a halogen conversion would be a better idea. I just don't have the money for the heated Truck Lites... or even Truck Lites at all (son just started hockey :grayno: ). There are many options in the $90 - $140 range that I was looking at but I just don't know much about them. My goal is simply lot more light than the stock lights provide. I'm not even picky about the Kelvins...

You could do a Hella H4 conversion. The bulbs won't last as long, and if you run E codes, and not DOT approved, you could have problems if your state inspects that sort of thing, but they are cheaper, and brighter. I don't think it's the bulbs that make a difference. I think the housing is far superior to the cheap factory housing.

IMG_0178.jpg

Low beam.
IMG_5215.jpg

High beam.
IMG_5216.jpg

I did it for a while, thinking LED was too expensive, but I have to say, LED headlights are one of the best things I've spent money on.


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duktrx

Active Member
Get Heated Truck lites, during snowpocalypse (came out one morning to more than 2 feet of snow.) last winter in central Oregon I had no problems with ice on the headlights.

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BobNH

Member
Haha! Or (God forbid), a large moose!

So even caked with snow, the LED's still put quite a bit of light out there?

Knowing I will consistently be driving in "adverse" conditions around or below zero... and leaving from a heated garage, I wonder if a halogen conversion would be a better idea. I just don't have the money for the heated Truck Lites... or even Truck Lites at all (son just started hockey :grayno: ). There are many options in the $90 - $140 range that I was looking at but I just don't know much about them. My goal is simply lot more light than the stock lights provide. I'm not even picky about the Kelvins...
No, I was saying the stock headlights aee pitiful and almost certainly the leds will have better throughput even caked with snow. I will know better this winter. And yes, moose are something. Its their height that gets you-too tall for their eyes to reflect your headlights.
You could do a Hella H4 conversion. The bulbs won't last as long, and if you run E codes, and not DOT approved, you could have problems if your state inspects that sort of thing, but they are cheaper, and brighter. I don't think it's the bulbs that make a difference. I think the housing is far superior to the cheap factory housing.

View attachment 274932

Low beam.
View attachment 274933

High beam.
View attachment 274934

I did it for a while, thinking LED was too expensive, but I have to say, LED headlights are one of the best things I've spent money on.


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I didnthe hella h4 in my tj, and yes, an amazing upgrade from stock. I considered it for my jk, but wanted the next step, and I agree, literally night and day, even iver the hellas.
For the op, and anyone getting the h4 conversion listed from amazon, be veeeerrrrryy careful. I got mine from there, and the first box was open, and incomplete, missing a gasket, and the h4 bulb boxes were mushed. Nonissue with customer service, they got me a properly sealed box righ5 o7t, no issues. Jowever, I recommended this same path to a coworker, and he received UK housings. What this means is, the housing and glass are designed to shine extra light to the left, not the righr like US models. So, you blind oncoking drivers, and there is notuing you can so to fix it. He went through a nightmare of a time with getting new ones, and they didnt even fit his tj properly. Very very bad experience. Make sure you get made in Germany, not made in India. And you can google the light pattern to see what the lens should look like when you receive them, and the stock number indicating it. I dont have the info here.

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USMC Wrangler

New member
I have non-heated Trucklites and was caught in a very wet, freak AZ snowstorm at night. I had to pull over every few miles and scrape the slushy snow off to see.

If I lived in a colder climate I definitely would've gotten the heated version.


................................................................
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PT1400

New member
Make sure you get the heated LEDs! As above, the halogen's might be the better option.

If you don't have a block heater, get one! Even in a heated garage you might have issues when trying to leave work. A good amount of employers up there allow you to plug in, in the winter.
 

sm31

Active Member
If you don't have a block heater, get one! Even in a heated garage you might have issues when trying to leave work. A good amount of employers up there allow you to plug in, in the winter.

I'm definitely planning to get one. It actually got colder at times where I moved from (Wyoming) but this place is "consistently" colder. WY would spike down to -38 but it might be 50 degrees a few days later. While they rarely go below about -15, it seems like we can linger in the neighborhood of 0 degrees for weeks around here. I'm curious to see how warm the garage heater (gas powered) manages to keep things... without breaking the bank!

Sounds like my viable options are either Trucklite Heated LED's or the Hella H4's. I'd sure love to do the Trucklites but I just can't afford them right now. So it looks like the Hellas are my only choice at the moment. Will plan to upgrade to Truck-Lites someday. Maybe when the kid quits hockey!

Just want to say I really and truly appreciate the input here. This site is smaller than some other jeep forums but I feel the content and contributors are the best on the net. Thanks again everyone!
 

sm31

Active Member
One more question for those with Hellas... if I run the 80/100 watt bulbs, will the stock TJ harness handle to extra power or will I need to upgrade? Thanks!
 
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