Hooking up Neons to Brake Lights?

[tferguson117]

Couple of questions!

1. How do you hook up neon lights so they only light up when your break lights are lit up?

2. Would that be considered legal to drive around as long as they were red lights?

[ChilinMichael]

1. Considering neon lights need a decent amount of power IIRC, I would certainly use a relay powered by a separate circuit hooked into the line for the center stop lamp as a trigger.
2. Check your local state laws and also county/city. We can't really give you legal advice here.

My question to you, why are you wanting to hook neons into the brake system? Where are these neons going?

[willwren]

It's not legal to drive with neons in any State, or at least most of them.

[RJolly87]

I would probably bet that these will be going in the center section between the tail lights. And yes, the relay is recommended. Just tie the trigger wire into the brake light circuit, and when you hit the brakes, the brake lights come on, and the relay fires.

[tferguson117]

Thank you all for your responses.

I have always wanted to put red neons under my car and only have them on when I touch my breaks. I figured that would be legal if they were red. If I were questioned I would explain that they were hooked up to the breaks and I would tap the breaks a couple of times and they would flash.

[ChilinMichael]

At least in NY State, that is highly illegal. You'd basically be throwing a lit sign at cops that says "Come pull me over"

[willwren]

The topic author is in Michigan, and here's a good bit of info about the law there:

http://courts.co.calhoun.mi.us/quest256.htm

This would apply while on public streets. Wiring to your brakes would be a bad idea.

[98Park]

Yeah they're even illegal if you're parked if it's on a street, basically same laws as for strobes in headlights