Extra Brake Light - 110 DCPU

[bankz5152]

I want to fit some extra brake lights on my double cab, like the Bulldog, coz its cool and better for those following me.

Whats the best way to do it?

I was thinking taking a single feed off one brake light and run it under the landy, into the cab, up the rear pillars and to the lights (Masai Lights)? Or should I a feed off both brake lights? Or there a better way?

Wanting to mount them above the rear window or above the guttering.

Cheers

 

[Discokids]

The left light feeds off the right one anyway so just taking a wire from the right one is fine. You could also pick it up at the bulkhead before it drops into the chassis, or straight from the switch.

 

[bankz5152]

Ahhh awesome. Tbh think itll be easier to run a cable from the right brake light, otherwise its another tranny tunnel off jobby!

Thanks!

 

[dieseldog69]

I'd take a feed off the pedal switch and fuse, relay it up to the new lamps.

 

[KISSMYAURA]

I fitted another pair of original clear lens LED brake and tails to my rear roof, similar to this in terms of location not the lens!
(I cant be assed to go out and take a pic of my ones will update tomorrow!)
they would look great on the DCPU, and the are brake tail etc

Like the masai kit though,

 

[bankz5152]

I'd take a feed off the pedal switch and fuse, relay it up to the new lamps.

Relay seems a tad much for what is probably around 5w or less. Though would the pedal switch be a more efficient/easier than off the light itself? (All lights (bar headlights) are currently LED)

I fitted another pair of original clear lens LED brake and tails to my rear roof, similar to this in terms of location not the lens!
(I cant be assed to go out and take a pic of my ones will update tomorrow!)
they would look great on the DCPU, and the are brake tail etc

Like the masai kit though,

How did you wire yours up? Any issues at all?

 

[dieseldog69]

Yes, the joys of LEDs and me forgetting that most folk are running LED extra lamps these days drawing such low amps as to negate relays.

Carry on.

 

[bankz5152]

Haha yep! Much better!

 

[KISSMYAURA]

Relay seems a tad much for what is probably around 5w or less. Though would the pedal switch be a more efficient/easier than off the light itself? (All lights (bar headlights) are currently LED)



How did you wire yours up? Any issues at all?

No problems quick and easy job, drilled mounting holes, lined up dense foam gasket on outside job done.
Straight splice off existing wiring each side, then up in mini flex conduit pressed into internal rear corners.
Could have taken a feed off one side only but was actually neater wiring to take from each side, than trail over the door, also safer not so much because of the load but more to do with if that side goes out I lose three lights etc.
Because I used brake and taillights I had 3 wires going to each etc. Basically replicated the rear reds higher up. i will take some pics tomorrow.
I like the high level tail lights!

Seen these,? posi-taps much better than scotch clips, no crimping crushing and totally re useable and removable. When I trim out the rear I will remove them and solder/heat shrink but for now they are fine.

 

[KISSMYAURA]

Yes, the joys of LEDs and me forgetting that most folk are running LED extra lamps these days drawing such low amps as to negate relays.

Carry on.

I left my two led work lights on most of the night when we were (proper) camping, we had a bit of a party etc when i checked the battery in the am showed around 12.8 fully charged, it is a 120Ah 950 CCA, but I would have expected to see a bit of a voltage drop!

 

[KISSMYAURA]

The other thing worth mentioning is you can use really thin multi core wire with led lights.
Network cable for example that is rated for POE (power over ethernet) is perfect and cheap as chips and is 8 core and fully shielded.
All my cctv at home is POE so the cameras actually take their power from the network cable no need for a plug in power pack adapter thing etc.
Cores are rated up to 45V dc and they come in flat or round cables inc outdoor IP67 rated.
You could use for light bars and headlights but you would have to join cores to do so due to the higher draw (80-150w) but for all other lights, its perfect.
A mini loom for all lights at the rear of your tuck in one cable! (ignore the wispy gold threads, they are just drain wires for grounding the shielding to reduce electrical noise for data transfer for computers, so can be snipped off)

 

[KISSMYAURA]

Heres my ones, I also fitted two additional reversing leds you can see at the bottom.

 

[brian47]

I did a similar job to this on my old Frontera some time back. I wasn't really satisfied with the existing brake lights which were located low down on the bumpers, so with the use of a relay I was able to cause the rear fog lights which were mounted in the light cluster about half way up the rear of the vehicle to come on at the same time as the brake lights.
In that case, I used a relay to provide the necessary electrical separation between the two circuits, brake lights and rear fog lights. The result was while the rear fog lights weren't in use, they acted as additional brake lights, but when they were being used as fog lights, then the brake lights worked as originally designed by the manufacturer.
According to my MoT garage, there was no problem doing it that way, as long as the originally fitted system, the lights in the bumper worked as it was designed to do. If there was a problem, I could just pull the relay from its holder and everything dropped back to the original operation.

 

[bankz5152]

Clever.

 

[KISSMYAURA]

I did a similar job to this on my old Frontera some time back. I wasn't really satisfied with the existing brake lights which were located low down on the bumpers, so with the use of a relay I was able to cause the rear fog lights which were mounted in the light cluster about half way up the rear of the vehicle to come on at the same time as the brake lights.
In that case, I used a relay to provide the necessary electrical separation between the two circuits, brake lights and rear fog lights. The result was while the rear fog lights weren't in use, they acted as additional brake lights, but when they were being used as fog lights, then the brake lights worked as originally designed by the manufacturer.
According to my MoT garage, there was no problem doing it that way, as long as the originally fitted system, the lights in the bumper worked as it was designed to do. If there was a problem, I could just pull the relay from its holder and everything dropped back to the original operation.

We used to the same with the import MX5's ( miata ) so we could avoid having a rubbish fog light bolted to bumper we used the high level brake light in the boot lid, no probs with MOT as you describe. In fog mode we still had the brake lights each side and the boot lid was the fog, we not in fog mode we had all three as brake lights.

 

[bankz5152]

Just thinking on what you guys have said.

I am right in thinking I could wire the extra high level brake lights into the fog light as well? MOT/legally speaking that is.

If so is if just a case of splicing into the fog light and wiring it into the extra brake lights?

So touch the brakes - lights on
Hit the fog - light on - but if i hit the brakes would that make them even brighter with the fog on?

 

[KISSMYAURA]

Just thinking on what you guys have said.

I am right in thinking I could wire the extra high level brake lights into the fog light as well? MOT/legally speaking that is.

If so is if just a case of splicing into the fog light and wiring it into the extra brake lights?

So touch the brakes - lights on
Hit the fog - light on - but if i hit the brakes would that make them even brighter with the fog on?

No, in 'fog mode' the fog light will stay bright no change when you apply the brake so in effect in 'fog mode' you lose that light as a brake light. (On the Miata as I describe above its only the high level brake light that is used like this) A fog light is just a rear red with 'brake-light' on brightness if that makes sense?
Need to be careful re regs and max height of fog lights on rear. Most UK manufactured cars only have one fog light on drivers side rear so as not to confuse with brake lights, but EU legislation in 1989 permitted the use of two in uk. You often find the circuit board for it in light housing on both sides, but only OS is wired up, cheaper for to manufacture like this for all markets etc..
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1989/1796/schedule/11/made
( dont forget to look at point 10 & Pt 2, point 2) what we did with the miata's was not strictly legal and at MOT time we just disconnect the brake wire so it just performed as fog only, But i am all grown up now.

 

[KISSMYAURA]

No, in 'fog mode' the fog light will stay bright no change when you apply the brake so in effect in 'fog mode' you lose that light as a brake light. (On the Miata as I describe above its only the high level brake light that is used like this) A fog light is just a rear red with 'brake-light' on brightness if that makes sense?
Need to be careful re regs and max height of fog lights on rear. Most UK manufactured cars only have one fog light on drivers side rear so as not to confuse with brake lights, but EU legislation in 1989 permitted the use of two in uk. You often find the circuit board for it in light housing on both sides, but only OS is wired up, cheaper for to manufacture like this for all markets etc..
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1989/1796/schedule/11/made
( dont forget to look at point 10 & Pt 2, point 2) what we did with the miata's was not strictly legal and at MOT time we just disconnect the brake wire so it just performed as fog only, But i am all grown up now.

Re your question you say HLBL's more than one?
Total fog lights you could have is 2 and they have to be max height of 1m.

 

[bankz5152]

Ahhhh ok cheers. Yeah I want a pair above the rear window, which I think is a fair bit higher than 1m! Haha

Like so but two not four

 

[suburban]

The result was while the rear fog lights weren't in use, they acted as additional brake lights

that's clever, I like it