Brake Force Flashing Brake Lights?
 

I know that you can buy some cheap flasher circuit off eBay or just about anywhere else and wire it up so that when you push the brake pedal the third brake light (or any other combination of brake lights) flashes a few times.

What I'm interested in, however, is the brake force flashing. Driving normally, everything works and looks like every other set of brake lights. Hit the brakes hard and "blinky-blink" go the tail lights to warn other drivers they need to pay attention.

Obviously that's way more complicated to implement, but has anyone done this on a Gen1 or Gen2?

Here is a sensor for that. It says unavailable but should give you some keywords to expand your search.

I got mine with programmable toggle and flashing modes for "Medium" and "Heavy" braking a long time ago from this website (Model G1), but it seems they are discontinued/no longer stocked: http://www.3rdbrakeflasher.com/



Perhaps you will have some luck contacting the seller directly on their form or via their Facebook page to see if they can't make you one out of standard production

Just so you know.
This is illegal in the US and you can get ticketed or worse.
This is a federal law just like mandatory cats on cars.

Interesting. I've seen it on some newer cars that I know come with it. BMW, I think Volvo maybe? I'd simply assumed that I didn't see it more often because it was an unusual and new feature, not because people were activating features that were turned off by default in the US market (like the reactive DLP headlights).

The only cars I've seen flashing brakes on that I knew didn't come with them from the manufacturer only have the always-flash style blinkers - not brake intensity triggered.

The NHTSA allowed a small number of Mercedes to have them as a test but that is all.

Blinkers flashing is fine, just not the actual tails.
So if you made the hazards come on when slamming the brakes that'd be legal.

Yes it's dumb.
You also probably won't get a ticket but the chances aren't 0.

It is 100% legal in all states when it is paired with g-force detection and blinks no more than 3x.

this needs to be expanded upon.

DOT regulations, per the 'bible' of FMVSS 108 state that any alteration to a vehicle lighting housing from it's tested/approved state are illegal.

housings are tested/certified with their specific OEM bulb type. OEM's are allowed to self-certify housings. there are zero certification processes that an end user like you or i can pursue to certify alternative bulb options. technically an individual can send out a housing to be certified, though i've been quoted prices in the range of $10,000-15,000 to do so(that's per housing), and that was about 12 years ago...

by the letter of the law, an alteration like plug-in led bulbs in ANY housing that was not certified with those specific bulbs is illegal(yes, that means that anytime anyone replaces an incandescent bulb with an led bulb), and leaves it up to the ticketing law enforcement officer to determine the severity of the offence, anywhere from a fix-it-ticket to full on endangering the public, impounding the car, and jail time.

those brake flashers that dealerships love to install as an add-on are illegal as they are considered a modification to the braking system. this is no different.




BUT. the reality of ever getting caught, punished, or ticketed for such a thing is literally never going to happen. unless you get on the really bad side of a few cops that happen to know the law, which few do...

FMVSS 108 is the federal rule book that OEM's use to manufacture lights that are 50-state compliant, but there are no specific governing agencies that specifically enforce or test for any of it's rules/regulations in day-to-day life. they leave that governing to the local police to do as they see fit. as you can see on ebay, looking for replacement bulbs or housings, there's a multitude of options, many of which don't meet any of the minimum DOT standards...

I recently saw this feature on a Seat and thought it was horrible. When I see quickly flashing brake lights it tells me the driver is feathering the pedal, hardly braking. When I see brake lights come on and stay on I assume real braking. I may have to reverse this thinking if it becomes common but if you're following me a flashing brake light means I'm brushing the dust off the rotors or maybe some light trail braking.

No it is not.

S5.5.10 The wiring requirements for lighting equipment in use are:
(a) Turn signal lamps, hazard warning signal lamps, and school bus warning lamps shall be wired to flash;
(b) Headlamps and side marker lamps may be wired to flash for signaling purposes;
(c) A motorcycle headlamp may be wired to allow either its upper beam or its lower beam, but not both, to modulate from a higher intensity to a lower intensity in accordance with section S5.6;
(d) All other lamps shall be wired to be steady-burning" [emphasis added].

When I see quickly flashing brake lights it tells me the
driver is pumping the brakes trying to get them to work

I have seen these flashing lights several times now in the past couple years. They don't look anything like brake pumps to me, only because they flash so quickly and with consistent intervals, so I instantly notice.

To me, I just don't find it aesthetically pleasing and I believe they are quite annoying really. It's a constant distraction that bugs me for no good reason I guess. That repeated brake flash EVERY time the brake is pressed (which some people just love to abuse repeatedly) is just awful. It looks like malfunctioning taillights and just bugs the hell out of me. Imagine if every car had this and you're driving in traffic... it would just be a freaking strobe fest.

Because of this, I find them quite distracting and rather unsafe as they DO catch my attention, but not in the proper direction necessarily. Nothing difficult about noticing the the standard red lights as the brakes are engaged. If one doesn't notice that due to some distraction, it is very unlikely that the flashing ones will do any better.

This. If it looks like light braking or "pumping" to you you're not paying attention. The flashing is too fast and to perfectly timed to be non-electronic.

I agree 100% on the "flash every time" type of lights. Those are dumb in the "boy who cried wolf" kind of way. But if it's limited to the g-force triggered flashing - that's helpful. There's no immediate distinction between someone riding the brakes and someone standing on them with normal brake lights. You have to take that extra split second to gauge their change in speed - time that you don't want to spend slamming the brakes if they're not doing it too, and time you don't want to delay if they are.

I'll agree on both points.

Wouldn't completely g-force triggered brake lights make sense?
Downshift and let off the gas and the brake lights go on.
Hit the brakes and decelerate a bit harder and the lights flash. (.5g?)
Throw out the anchor and the lights flash very quickly. (more than a g?)