My wife asked if I would install some loud horns on her Prius as she is tired of the wimpy stock one. I've installed Hella SuperTones on a car before, and they were an improvement over stock but weren't earth-shatteringly loud. Anybody know what I can buy that's extra loud? I'm not looking to install a big set of air-horns, BTW, as space is cramped.
Wife wants a louder horn on her Prius - what to buy?
- Thread starter ripcord
- Start date
Wolo Bad Boy. You CANNONT listen to a YouTube video and judge a horns loudness and don't get hung up on DB ratings.
Thanks for the description. I can't help but chuckle about you posting on this thread with your handle... meep-meep.
The WOLO Bad Boy is an air horn driven by a tiny motor compressor and has a delayed response. Also difficult to control a short honk/toot when it's not appropriate to blast someone. I always prefer to upgrade to a dual tone electric horn wired with a 30/40 amp relay. These are my favorites because they sound like horns on a full-size car/truck :
PIAA Sports Horns
STEBEL TM80 Magnums
If you want to go cheaper, just grab a pair of Honda OEM dual horns from a mid 2000's Odyssey or Accord from a local Pick and Pull salvage yard. Those stock horns are plenty loud.
PIAA Sports Horns
STEBEL TM80 Magnums
If you want to go cheaper, just grab a pair of Honda OEM dual horns from a mid 2000's Odyssey or Accord from a local Pick and Pull salvage yard. Those stock horns are plenty loud.
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Is there a I pull it yard near you? Get a horn off a pickup truck.
Whatever you get, be sure the wiring and fuse/relay can handle it.
Surprised the Hella's weren't loud enough. I have had great experiences with FIAMM in vehicles and boats over the years and they make some great compact air horns if that works for you. Look at their commercial line. Add a relay if your car doesn't have an adequate one already.
FIAMM
FIAMM
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I use GM 4 note horns from old Caddies, Olds, Buick, etc.
Nice blend of frequencies and LOUD
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I bet Toyota left a little headroom in their circuitry.
I put a pair of Hella so-called 130db horns in my Prime the week it rolled off the lot. Had to jumper a ground wire as they came on a plastic mounting bracket. However I ran that ground wasn't protected (and I didn't try too hard) and the thing failed after three years. The area in front of the grill is of course blasted by weather, and it's possible (probable) the horns themselves failed, as I was unable to resurrect them by cleaning my wiring.
It failed on a road trip to Philadelphia, on my way home through NYC. I was actually on a back road on a Sunday morning with about a hundred spandex clad bicyclists doing all sorts of dangerous stunts and I couldn't honk, just had to sit there and take it. It was like a plot device to a stupid Kevin James comedy.
I like the idea of leaving one stock horn (there are two with different tones, meep and meeper) and then that air horn that takes a second to spool up If you leave your hand on the button.
I put a pair of Hella so-called 130db horns in my Prime the week it rolled off the lot. Had to jumper a ground wire as they came on a plastic mounting bracket. However I ran that ground wasn't protected (and I didn't try too hard) and the thing failed after three years. The area in front of the grill is of course blasted by weather, and it's possible (probable) the horns themselves failed, as I was unable to resurrect them by cleaning my wiring.
It failed on a road trip to Philadelphia, on my way home through NYC. I was actually on a back road on a Sunday morning with about a hundred spandex clad bicyclists doing all sorts of dangerous stunts and I couldn't honk, just had to sit there and take it. It was like a plot device to a stupid Kevin James comedy.
I like the idea of leaving one stock horn (there are two with different tones, meep and meeper) and then that air horn that takes a second to spool up If you leave your hand on the button.
In these sensitive times I wish my Mini had a softer, gentler, and less offensive horn. Alas, it has dual low and high pitch off-brand Euro horns that really grate people's nerves. *long pause* Naw I'm just messing with you.. I love those horns. The Tahoe also has dual horns.
Frequency is more important than how loud the horns are. I always recommend Hella Supertones (300 and 500 Hz at 118 dB) if someone wants a better horn.
A really nice feature is the low-key attention-getting horn, for example if someone has fallen asleep at a red light. With some horns a very short tap can create a gently honk rather than a stroke-inducing blare.
Frequency is more important than how loud the horns are. I always recommend Hella Supertones (300 and 500 Hz at 118 dB) if someone wants a better horn.
A really nice feature is the low-key attention-getting horn, for example if someone has fallen asleep at a red light. With some horns a very short tap can create a gently honk rather than a stroke-inducing blare.
Mentioned above was pretty important - loud horns need AMPS. The Prius horn is probably thin wire only capable of driving the single small horn. Whether going with a the compressor driven wolo (I owned one, it was effective, and while there was a slight delay, it was less than most cars today that have to talk to the computer first to signal the horn), or a single larger horn or a set, 30-40amps are needed or them to really hit. I’ve tried it both ways.
Funny story, I had an old Subaru with a single horn, mounted inside the hood over the wheel. It was …. pathetic. Over time I collected mismatched horns and slowly wired them in. My wife bought me some pep boys horn as a gag. I found one on the sidewalk from a wreck. I think a pair of cheapies showed up. None of these were big or loud… just cheap small stuff. Then an ooga. Wired it with relay drives and a diode … red button on the dash triggered the ooga only. Horn pad triggered them all, with the ooga.
It was too much. I mean, none of them were in tune and it sounded like hot steaming garbage. And it wasn’t particularly loud. BUT, it sounded so awful that it caused people to panic. Someone almost hit me one day and I beeped it and three other cars stopped dead in the intersection. It made it unusable, so I removed a couple. I kept the ooga, as the kids loved that for school pickup.
Funny story, I had an old Subaru with a single horn, mounted inside the hood over the wheel. It was …. pathetic. Over time I collected mismatched horns and slowly wired them in. My wife bought me some pep boys horn as a gag. I found one on the sidewalk from a wreck. I think a pair of cheapies showed up. None of these were big or loud… just cheap small stuff. Then an ooga. Wired it with relay drives and a diode … red button on the dash triggered the ooga only. Horn pad triggered them all, with the ooga.
It was too much. I mean, none of them were in tune and it sounded like hot steaming garbage. And it wasn’t particularly loud. BUT, it sounded so awful that it caused people to panic. Someone almost hit me one day and I beeped it and three other cars stopped dead in the intersection. It made it unusable, so I removed a couple. I kept the ooga, as the kids loved that for school pickup.
I just checked and the existing Prius horn wiring looks to be 16 gauge and has a 10 amp fuse. My car with the SuperTones has a relay, fused power supply lead and heavier wire installed.
The Wolo Bad Boy pulls 16 amps and the SuperTones are rated for 12 amps so a relay and wiring upgrade are definitely called for. I'm kind of toying with the idea of going to the pick a part and buying a half dozen of the stock horns and just ganging them up until I get the volume I want without changing the sound.
Ahooga horn
I have this pair of Fiamm Twin horns on my 1998 Kawasaki Ninja 250. I had it installed since 1998 and had been exposed to rain and it still works. Made in Italy or USA. It's comes standard in "most" European and American cars. 128db and that's loud enough
https://www.amazon.com/FIAMM-74100-...5&psc=1&mcid=676afe006041371ca6461c5007c9b80c
https://www.amazon.com/FIAMM-74100-...5&psc=1&mcid=676afe006041371ca6461c5007c9b80c
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I installed the PIAA “ highway blaster “ low tone horn on my wife’s little Pontiac Solstice. It had only 1 anemic high tone horn from the factory and the second horn made it much more mellow and also louder but not annoyingly so. In such a small car you need the extra db’s! Also, made in the USA!
Nick1994
$100 site donor 2024
I tried that with my 2000 Camry, it would blow the horn fuse instantly.
Had to install a “Freeway Blaster” I think it was called, was fine.
See my post #7 above
I recently replaced a failed solo disc horn with the low tone version of the FIAMM "blaster," and it works well enough. Cheap, and includes a ground jumper and terminals in the package if needed. The included bracket isn't the most robust, though, but didn't need it. According to the spec sheet, it draws 4.5A.
Simple drop in; didn't want to make a project of it. I also think multiple-tones make more of a difference than mere SPL.
Simple drop in; didn't want to make a project of it. I also think multiple-tones make more of a difference than mere SPL.
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