Go Back   EcoModder Forum > EcoModding > Hypermiling / EcoDriver's Ed
Register Now
 Register Now
 

Reply  Post New Thread
 
Submit Tools LinkBack Thread Tools
Old 06-21-2009, 02:49 PM   #1 (permalink)
aero guerrilla
 
Piwoslaw's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Warsaw, Poland
Posts: 3,691

Svietlana II - '13 Peugeot 308SW e-HDI 6sp
90 day: 58.1 mpg (US)
Thanks: 1,268
Thanked 721 Times in 458 Posts
Engine braking and stop lights

With all of the tailgaters here I've been weary of engine braking, since it makes the car slow down but doesn't inform the drivers behind me about that. Sometimes I delicately push the brake pedal while engine braking to make sure they notice. I'm thinking about a button on the steering wheel, allowing me to manually turn on my red stop lights when I'd like the drivers behind me to know I'm slowing down.
Would this be a good idea? Could it be illegal? Has anyone had this idea/tried it?

Thanks,
Adam

__________________
e·co·mod·ding: the art of turning vehicles into what they should be

What matters is where you're going, not how fast.

"... we humans tend to screw up everything that's good enough as it is...or everything that we're attracted to, we love to go and defile it." - Chris Cornell


[Old] Piwoslaw's Peugeot 307sw modding thread
  Reply With Quote
Alt Today
Popular topics

Other popular topics in this forum...

   
Old 06-21-2009, 04:56 PM   #2 (permalink)
EcoModding Lurker
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Montana
Posts: 12

The Commuter - '96 Toyota Corolla DX
Team Toyota
90 day: 39.6 mpg (US)
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
If they can't tell you're going slower than them, it's their own fault. I'm sure the police would want you to either touch the brakes as you have been doing, or not worry about it. I engine brake all the time, and we have very impatient people here too. It doesn't bother me because I am either going the speed limit, or they can go around.
__________________
  Reply With Quote
Old 06-21-2009, 07:38 PM   #3 (permalink)
Master EcoModder
 
The Atomic Ass's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Mason, OH
Posts: 535

Overland - '24 Nissan Versa S 5MT
90 day: 40.23 mpg (US)
Thanks: 11
Thanked 20 Times in 17 Posts
Since I can't kick the clutch off on my bike, I have to engine brake down to 15mph before I can start coasting.

I just shut the kill switch off, open the throttle wide, (I removed the snorkel tube from my airbox), and it sounds like a small diesel hitting the jake-brake. It also decelerates rather rapidly, so I see a lot of cars dipping their front ends behind me.

Sure, one of these days some inattentive non-driver is going to slam into my Ass, but it'll be their fault anyway for tailgating.
__________________
  Reply With Quote
Old 06-21-2009, 07:42 PM   #4 (permalink)
Master EcoModder
 
The Atomic Ass's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Mason, OH
Posts: 535

Overland - '24 Nissan Versa S 5MT
90 day: 40.23 mpg (US)
Thanks: 11
Thanked 20 Times in 17 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by Piwoslaw View Post
Would this be a good idea? Could it be illegal? Has anyone had this idea/tried it?
I can't speak for Polish law, of course, but I can't imagine it would be illegal.

And anything that catches the attention of the blind/deaf/dumb drivers out there is usually a good thing. Best add a taillight flasher and alarm, as well.
__________________
  Reply With Quote
Old 06-21-2009, 08:19 PM   #5 (permalink)
My Goal: 35 MPG All Day
 
RandomFact314's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: South Carolina
Posts: 684

1NZ-FE (Year 1) - '05 Scion xA RS 2.0
Team Toyota
Last 3: 34.02 mpg (US)

1NZ-FE (Year 2) - '05 Scion xA RS 2.0
90 day: 33.32 mpg (US)

1NZ-FE (Year 3) - '05 Scion xA RS 2.0
90 day: 35.32 mpg (US)

1NZ-FE (Year 4) - '05 Scion xA RS 2.0
90 day: 34 mpg (US)

1NZ-FE (Year 5) - '05 Scion xA RS 2.0
90 day: 26.87 mpg (US)

1NZ-FE (Years 6,7,8) - '05 Scion xA RS 2.0
90 day: 28.6 mpg (US)

1NZ-FE (Years 9,10,11) - '05 Scion xA RS 2.0
90 day: 27.8 mpg (US)

1NZ-FE (Years 12,13,14) - '05 Scion xA RS 2.0
90 day: 27.11 mpg (US)
Thanks: 39
Thanked 36 Times in 25 Posts
I don't think that it could be illegal, they have these things, which are of course different but still...
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	sorry.JPG
Views:	655
Size:	44.7 KB
ID:	3752  
  Reply With Quote
Old 06-21-2009, 09:21 PM   #6 (permalink)
Moderate your Moderation.
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Troy, Pa.
Posts: 8,919

Pasta - '96 Volkswagen Passat TDi
90 day: 45.22 mpg (US)
Thanks: 1,369
Thanked 430 Times in 353 Posts
Yeah, I'm sure those things are illegal as well.

I don't think it's illegal to modify your brake light setup so you can manually activate them, the illegal part would be using them irresponsibly. Then again, I've gotten a fix-it for having manual reverse lights.

Either way, it's nice that you want to make yourself more obvious to other drivers, but then there's always the quote:
"Make it more idiot proof, I'll make more idiots."

No matter how obvious you make yourself, someone inevitably could be not paying attention, so you might be better off focusing your modding elsewhere.

I don't think your brakelights shining makes much of a difference anyway... I don't pay attention to brake lights, I use depth perception to gauge distance vs. speed. (There are lots of people around with at least one bad brake light, or the sun is in the wrong place, etc.) It works for me.
__________________
"¿ʞɐǝɹɟ ɐ ǝɹ,noʎ uǝɥʍ 'ʇı ʇ,usı 'ʎlǝuol s,ʇı"

  Reply With Quote
Old 06-22-2009, 03:55 AM   #7 (permalink)
aero guerrilla
 
Piwoslaw's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Warsaw, Poland
Posts: 3,691

Svietlana II - '13 Peugeot 308SW e-HDI 6sp
90 day: 58.1 mpg (US)
Thanks: 1,268
Thanked 721 Times in 458 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by Christ View Post
I don't think your brakelights shining makes much of a difference anyway... I don't pay attention to brake lights, I use depth perception to gauge distance vs. speed. (There are lots of people around with at least one bad brake light, or the sun is in the wrong place, etc.) It works for me.
Ah, but you don't sleep behind the wheel.
I know that if someone rams my rear it's their fault, but I'll be the one without a bumper in the back, and maybe with a hurt neck. Most drivers look for differences in relative velocity between them and the cars in front, assuming the next car's speed is not changing. They probably aren't staring at the next car, analyzing speed differentials, but just glancing every few seconds to see how far it is and going back to text messaging. Sudden red lights will get their attention.
Of course, the stop lights would still be rigged to the brakes.
Now, I have to figure out how complicated it will be to tap into the brakelight circuit. Knowing Peugeot engineers, every time I press the brakes, the signal probably goes through the computer and wirelessly links to Peugeot HQ asking if it should turn on the "Go-to-authorised-service-station-and-pay-lots-of-$$$" lamp in the cockpit.
__________________
e·co·mod·ding: the art of turning vehicles into what they should be

What matters is where you're going, not how fast.

"... we humans tend to screw up everything that's good enough as it is...or everything that we're attracted to, we love to go and defile it." - Chris Cornell


[Old] Piwoslaw's Peugeot 307sw modding thread
  Reply With Quote
Old 06-22-2009, 10:16 AM   #8 (permalink)
Master EcoModder
 
NeilBlanchard's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Maynard, MA Eaarth
Posts: 7,907

Mica Blue - '05 Scion xA RS 2.0
Team Toyota
90 day: 42.48 mpg (US)

Forest - '15 Nissan Leaf S
Team Nissan
90 day: 156.46 mpg (US)

Number 7 - '15 VW e-Golf SEL
TEAM VW AUDI Group
90 day: 155.81 mpg (US)
Thanks: 3,475
Thanked 2,950 Times in 1,844 Posts
Hi,

If you are still getting some braking effect from the engine, then using the brakes lightly doesn't take away from the FE -- and you get the brakes lights to come on and warn the drivers behind you.
__________________
Sincerely, Neil

http://neilblanchard.blogspot.com/
  Reply With Quote
Old 06-22-2009, 10:37 AM   #9 (permalink)
EcoModding Apprentice
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 216
Thanks: 0
Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post
Yeah, you should be able to activate the brake lights with just a slight pressure on the pedal.

I don't think I've seen a VW built in the last 12 years older than 6 months that has had all its lights working, many without any taillights at all (though they do light up very well when they happen to catch fire on the side of the road) and I always wonder how long it will be before they get rear-ended, but have yet to see a rear-ended car with intact, non-functioning brake lights. Could be that they get rear ended and fixed or junked, but I'm not sure if the lights really make a huge difference. I think most people don't look more than 10 feet ahead of their car and use the relative size of the gap between them and the next car to adjust their speeds. NHTSA studies done on the CHMSL after introduction in the '80's showed a marked improvement in incidents of rear-end collisions involving cars so equipped, but when the study was repeated about five years after (I forget the exact amount of time), they found the incidents rear-end collisions had reverted to pre-CHMSL days due to driver familiarity.

But I wonder how many people even look through the windshield at all anymore. I was rear ended at an on-ramp while under full acceleration in the 2.3 Mazda3 by an Audi 2.7T that was puling out behind me. The Mazda's no dragster, but it's not slow, the Audi is surely faster, but what the hell was the woman looking at to hit me? All she could say was, like a stupid child, "I don't know." $3000 in damage and whiplash. They might as well just hand out licenses in vending machines.
  Reply With Quote
Old 06-22-2009, 12:45 PM   #10 (permalink)
Master EcoModder
 
wagonman76's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Northwest Lower Michigan
Posts: 1,006

Red Car - '89 Chevrolet Celebrity CL 4 door
Team Chevy
90 day: 36.47 mpg (US)

Winter Wagon - '89 Pontiac 6000 LE Wagon
90 day: 28.26 mpg (US)
Thanks: 8
Thanked 17 Times in 16 Posts
I would just use the pedal very lightly, enough to turn on the lights. You may be able to tie an LED into the circuit to help you know when they actually come on, then you can get used to where they come on, and don't have to push any farther than that.

__________________

Winter daily driver, parked most days right now


Summer daily driver
  Reply With Quote
Reply  Post New Thread


Thread Tools


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Why is 'hard' braking bad for fuel economy ? Cd Hypermiling / EcoDriver's Ed 36 09-08-2014 12:08 PM
Do-it-yourself regenerative braking? Bearleener EcoModding Central 25 02-10-2013 10:35 PM
Inclines and engine braking saunders1313 Hypermiling / EcoDriver's Ed 2 06-30-2008 01:48 PM
DIY decel fuel cutoff; alternator regulation; auto start/stop MetroMPG EcoModding Central 0 11-29-2007 02:04 PM
Basic EcoDriving Techniques and Instrumentation SVOboy Instrumentation 2 11-17-2007 11:38 AM



Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Content Relevant URLs by vBSEO 3.5.2
All content copyright EcoModder.com