"clear" tail lights

[german1985]

I'm an old guy stuck back in the 911 classic period = 1985 911 - so what are these new "clear" tail lights i.e. Excellence; 4-2024 ?
I've noticed a few comments re: them and the question of rear reflectivity? I assume this metric considers the distance, in the dark, an over taking vehicle can first "see" the rear of a vehicle it is gaining on/approaching - illuminated/reflected by the head lights of the closing vehicle.
They look good/different than tail lights for the previous 120 years, but aside from - "Oh Wow I got the first "clear" tail lights in my neighborhood" - what are the safety/militance/visibility advantages over red transparent lenses?
Thanks,
Greg

[ROB III]

I have not heard nor read of any technical advantage of clear lens with red LED over a red lens with a clear bulb/LED. My understanding is the clear lens/red LED is primarily a cosmetic issue. FMVSS calls for a red tail light so how you get there is not specified. I have read that the LED reacts a few milliseconds faster than incandescent bulbs, and that for a given output (lumens) the LED require less power. My observation is the LED based lamps tend to be brighter regardless of red or white. One possibility is the LED lights generally seem to have more 'bulbs' than incandescent lights and therefore seem brighter, but that is just an opinion.

[P_Coastal]

My understanding is a styling trend started by Toyota / Lexus:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altezza_lights

[blueline]

For some newer Porsches (for example, 992 911s) it's an upgrade option that is a purely cosmetic one. The lights function normally when illuminated. And yes, they are LED as are taillights (all lighting) on all newer vehicles these days. The new 911s also have an optional additional "light bar" that stretches across the rear between the two typical taillights.

edit: to answer one of german1985's questions, I don't think there are any differences in safety, visibility etc. with the "clear" option lights vs standard lights on the same model 911. The lit function and appearance of tail and brake lights are basically the same in both versions, at least as I understand it.

The option quote from Porsche's 911 Configurator:

Exclusive Design Taillights - Clear LED taillights, light strip, and third brake light. Note: The function and design of the Clear LED Taillights correspond to those of the standard taillights.

Some "beauty" shots I found online that show what they look like when illuminated:

2018-All-New-992-Porsche-911-Unveiled-5.jpg (179.7 KiB) Viewed 146 times

porsche-911-carrera-tail-light-raining-z4-5120x2880-3484639540.jpg (2.93 MiB) Viewed 146 times

The back end of my 992 as they are with no illumination:

PXL_20240327_231142525.jpg (2.06 MiB) Viewed 146 times

PXL_20240327_231150924.jpg (2.3 MiB) Viewed 146 times

[ROB III]

Tim, great shots illustrating the difference between lit and unlit. Thinking back to the early Lexus tail lights to the current execution by Porsche, its easy to see how the execution has improved, particularly when illuminated. On early LED tail lights, the individual LED's in general were clearly visible as the source of the light which is not what most designers I've spoken to desire. The designers are looking for more of an illuminated area with even light dispersion/saturation such that the individual bulb or source is not discernable. Current technology seems to have a more intense illumination and even distribution of the light across or through the material or element being illuminated. A neon tube has an even light distribution across and throughout the tube rather than a pin point source of light that has a specific hot spot. But neon lights on a car are obviously not practical and do not project light any real distance. Thank you for gathering the photos.