[DeTomaso] Space City LEDs - Gp4 Lens

[John Taphorn]

I was asked on the PI Forum whether the new LEDs fit Gp4 taillights?  My bad, the lens that I refer to as GT5 are more appropriately referred to as Gp4.

Mt response:

Yes, we tested them in the Gp4 tailights and the LEDs worked very well. We compared the light distribution in the housing to the last generation LED that we used in the Gp4 housing.

The previous generation LED emits light more like a lazer and we believe could be seen from further away. However, it's visibility was reduced as you shifted off center, and from an aesthetic perspective, The earlier LED doesn't fill the lens equally with light; rather, it appears as a circular beam of light. 

The new LEDs actually have more light output to their sides than straight back. The difference is that they rely more on the reflective ability of the housing to spread the light. Aesthetically, they are more pleasing as they fill the entire lens with light and their off center visibility is better. Perhaps a Gp4 housing that had lost their reflective coating may be better served from previous generation.

The owner of the car with Gp4 taillights, whose car we tested the new LEDs and who had our previous generation LEDs, opted to purchase the new LEDs as he felt they were visually better.