For any of you sedans who didn't know...

[Rovert]

We have adaptive brake lighting upon harder stops than normal. I think I read when the braking force is enough for a briefcase to slide off the seat onto the floor, enough braking force is used which turn on extra lamps out back.

Anyways I made a video a long time ago when youtube wasn't around but luckily someone copied it and put it up on youtube. :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h35smNCI6lY

Now I am wondering what I could do to tap into that light so when full power to the light comes on, it trips a circuit to open/close to make the light flash instead of just turn on. Flashing would get someone's attention...an extra brake light would mean nothing to the average driver until they see the trunk contents.

[mimalmo]

I recall watching that video when I first got my E46 (2008). Yeah, I wish it had the flash function for every time I touched the brakes.

[pyreguy]

I imagine that since I have LEDs now, that this feature doesn't work anymore on my car... But they are blindingly bright so I guess that's good.

[danewilson77]

I think that might be a cool feature....

[az3579]

I actually thought I had the adaptive braking as well, but I tested this one night. I turned the car on and watched my rear brake lights (it was dark out) and the brightness didn't change whatsoever even with my foot to the floor as hard as I could, so no extra lights came on. I was annoyed by this.

I wanted to replicate what the Fiat 500 has as a safety feature, which is that under hard braking, it flashes its hazard lights in quick succession. I think this would be a more effective tool because some taillights are just bright as hell and most people are probably used to it, regardless of how much of the rear lights actually light up. You never see hazards blinking under hard braking, so that would make someone pay a lot more attention to what's actually going on.

[Rovert]

I actually thought I had the adaptive braking as well, but I tested this one night. I turned the car on and watched my rear brake lights (it was dark out) and the brightness didn't change whatsoever even with my foot to the floor as hard as I could, so no extra lights came on. I was annoyed by this.

I wanted to replicate what the Fiat 500 has as a safety feature, which is that under hard braking, it flashes its hazard lights in quick succession. I think this would be a more effective tool because some taillights are just bright as hell and most people are probably used to it, regardless of how much of the rear lights actually light up. You never see hazards blinking under hard braking, so that would make someone pay a lot more attention to what's actually going on.

You have to be in motion for the adaptive brake light to turn on. Just pressing the brake pedal while stopped turns on the standard brake lights.

When I'm on the highway and come up to a very sudden slowdown I hit my hazards right away. Since I've done this I've never had anyone panic brake and even come close to me. They kept their distance and their slower braking allowed the traffic behind to transition to a slowdown without surprise.

Before if I didn't do that, people behind usually didn't know until I can see their face as their vehicle nose drives to slowdown.

[az3579]

You have to be in motion for the adaptive brake light to turn on. Just pressing the brake pedal while stopped turns on the standard brake lights.

I had a co-driver for a couple of events at autocross using my car. I never saw the extra brake lights turn on while he was driving, and he drove it just as hard as I did, so I know it wasn't him. Perhaps the bulbs on mine are out or something... I don't know. What I do know is that on my particular car, they don't appear to be working.



When I'm on the highway and come up to a very sudden slowdown I hit my hazards right away. Since I've done this I've never had anyone panic brake and even come close to me. They kept their distance and their slower braking allowed the traffic behind to transition to a slowdown without surprise.

Before if I didn't do that, people behind usually didn't know until I can see their face as their vehicle nose drives to slowdown.

I do the same exact thing. Wow, our minds think scarily alike. lol

[Marcus-SanDiego]

I'm going to start doing that (hazard lights). Good suggestion.

[Johnmadd]

I drove a bog box truck for 10+ years and this works. Another thing to do is tap your brake lights an insanely amount of times.

[iZHP]

just read about this in the manual the other day, thought this was a great feature. Definitely would get my attention.