[tmsgold]

I want to add a 3rd brake light to my wife's 2017 promaster 2500. For some reason Ram chose to leave this item off the transit transit van as it it not legally required. My feeling is the regular brake lights are rather on the low side and i want to add for additional safety. any thoughts or suggestions. I have been looking for one i could mount to the top of the Rear camera housing.

 

[proeddie]

tms,

Welcome!

I've thought about a 3rd brake light too... I guess the height of the regular brake lights qualify as being high enough to do the job of third brake light also.

If you have the trailer hitch option and wiring, you could easily splice a light to the brake light feed there.

If not, it's just a bit more complicated because you can't splice to the exiting brake light with another light because it would bee too big a load on the brake light circuit... and probably get the Canbus system all upset at you. In that case (no trailer wiring), it would be really easy to add a relay to the brake light wire in the back corner of the van, then use the relay to feed 12V to the 3rd brake light.

I think the camera housing would be too high to be effective. I was thinking about putting a light on the passenger side rear door in the area symmetrically across from the license plate. The wire to feed it could be added to the harness that is in the rear door. Or, if you have windows in the back, mount the 3rd light at the bottom of the window on the inside, like they do in cars.

Haven't moved forward on that project... yet!

 

[Chris]

Ever notice how the Ducato DOES have a center brake light, and it is right where the center clearance light is on the ProMaster?

I figure FCA did what they had to do for the ProMaster, because the five clearance lights ARE required for North America and the center brake light is NOT required (legally that is; I bet the marketing department wanted it).

Have you considered getting a Ducato center brake light, and installing it in place of the center clearance light?

 

[Ziggy Stardog]

I don't see where these are mutually exclusive- most taillights are dual-duty.

Mount some additional LEDs inside of the center clearance light and wire them to the brake/trailer system.

 

[phil]

for some reason this is bugging me,

the 3 lamps in the center are called identification lamps

the outer 2 lamps are clearance lamps

 

[phil]

If your going to install a center high mount stop light (CHMSL), buy one that sold as a CHMSL.

http://www.truck-lite.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?urlRequestType=Base&catalogId=10002&categoryId=13113&pageView=grid&urlLangId=-1&beginIndex=0&langId=-1&top_category=15554&parent_category_rn=13110&storeId=10001

I know it's anal but there are technical specifications for CHMSLs

https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?node=se49.6.571_1108

 

[Ziggy Stardog]

Wow. By the the length of the spec you'd think this was part of an aircraft carrier. I'm surprised some of these could be had for under $100.00.

By all means buy one of these if you are going to comply with a spec that you don't have to comply with. Mounting lower is probably a better idea regardless.

 

[proeddie]

DOT says, (and I quote...)

Required on trucks that are less than 2032 mm (that's 80") in overall width and with a GVWR of 10,000 lbs or less.

Note: our PM's are 80.7" wide

Lights must be mounted not less than 34 inches except for passenger cars, higher than taillights

Note: The lowest bulb on my taillights are 37.5" high

So I guess FCA got away with the width requirement,and the brake lights themselves are "high mounted", as in over 34"

Also worth noting....

12.9.10) SPACING TO OTHER LAMPS
No high-mounted stop lamp is permitted to be combined with any other lamp or reflective device, other than with a cargo lamp.
No high-mounted stop lamp is permitted to be combined optically with any cargo lamp.

 

[phil]

This Ram pdf mentions the Promaster BCM controlling the CHMSL, maybe there is an unused terminal or the driver for the stoplights is designed to drive all three. just a thought

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjErYv9uo7WAhUq64MKHRv6CwMQFgiEATAD&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ramtrucks.com%2Fassets%2Fbbg%2Fpdf%2F2016%2Fvan%2Fdocs%2Fvf%2Fvfelm.pdf&usg=AFQjCNH0sEew92YzjFZm3RlxYicp6pLlLg