[TR] TR6: more on LEDs--tail/brake lights this time

[Tim Gaines]

After making a choice for the LiteZupp kit for the dash (awaiting 
delivery), I'm now zeroing in on the tail/brake lights that were too dim 
for my liking after my recent interstate drive at night. Roger expressed 
his concern with LiteZupps being brighter only when viewed from directly 
behind the car, and I have seen this issued mentioned for other LEDs in 
the past. I recently saw a couple of Youtube testimonials favoring the 
Sylvania 1157R red LEDs, and they do seem to be distinctive in that 
their design directs light down and to the side, which would seem to 
make maximum use of the reflector and mitigate against the 
directionality issue. Have any of you tried those bulbs?

Before making any changes in bulbs I decided to take the lenses apart 
for cleaning. I found enough dust and soot to account for at least some 
of the dimness I had noticed, but cleaning them didn't improve 
brightness greatly. The tail/brake reflectors were another story. They 
were very dull and offered a poor reflective surface. Cleaning didn't 
help, so I spray-painted them with a white enamel paint that I had left 
from another project. The result was much improved visibility of the 
incandescent bulbs, so much so that I may just leave them in place. 
Nevertheless, the size of the brake/tail lens is pretty small and I may 
yet try out an LED replacement to get the visibility I want, so I am 
still interested in any information regarding the Sylvania 1157R and 
other LEDs that you have tried.

By the way, in my opinion the amber turn signal and backup lights are 
plenty bright enough as is. For some reason the turn signal reflectors 
were still in very good shape.

Tim
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