[MSCW list] Make your third brake light flash to get more attention

Timothy Metzinger tim.metzinger at outlook.com
Sun Oct 15 23:25:15 CEST 2023


At our group drive today I was asked how I make my third brake light (on the deck over my retractable hard top) flash when I put on the brakes.  I added this mod as a safety feature (all safety upgrades are automagically wife-approved), as our cars are low enough and small enough that folks tend to forget we're there.

For the NC and ND, MX5things.com make modules that are easy to install (for my retractable hard top it was literally a plug and play thing) that will flash the third light four times and then go solid, and then will need eight (8) seconds of time off the brakes before it will flash again.  That keeps the light from flashing in stop-and-go traffic.

For ALL generations of Miatas, Moss Miata sells an "install it yourself" module that does the same thing, except it needs fifteen (15) seconds of darkness before flashing again.  (https://mossmiata.com/056-521-brake-light-pulser) This module will work with LED and incandescent lights.   I had something similar on my NA, and what I did was to cut the wires to the third brake light, and install a male and female quick-disconnect plug on the cut ends so that I could splice things back together.   Then I wired up the flasher module to another pair of quick-disconnects, and then I could just plug the flasher in to the circuit, and have the option to return it to "Stock configuration" easily.

If  you really feel like experimenting, and you have an LED-based third brake light, you can look at flashers for motorcycles and find one that will strobe the light and then have it go solid.  I'm still looking for a module that will strobe the light, hold it solid, and then not strobe it again until I've been off the brakes for a while.  If I find one, I'll let folks know.   The one I used to have for my NA isn't made any more.

My next "safety" upgrade will be replacing the horn on my NC.   I have to get comfortable removing the bumper first, though.


Timothy (Tim) Metzinger
Tim.metzinger at outlook.com
703.963.3015



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