Just Tried Two New Horns

[manxman]

I have been just as unhappy with our weak little horns (Meep Meep- please don't hit me, I'm just a little Fit!!) as anyone else. But I didn't think that an Accord horn would necessarily be any better than the weak Fit stock horn. So I looked around, and found two that are much better at warning other drivers away from my car.

The first horn that I tried is the Wolo "Bad Boy" air horn. It was easy to hook up (use your single wire positive lead from the stock horn, and add a second grounded lead. Use the supplied 20 amp fuse wired into your positive lead). This horn is quite loud, and a little "screechy". I didn't like it because of the high frequency tone. I got this one for around $35.00 from NorthernTools.com.

So I replaced it with the Low Tone Highway Horn- 130 db, (item #133191) from JCWhitney.com that cost a huge $17.99. This is a self-grounding single-wire hook up, and sounds like a '70s vintage BIG American SUV or truck. It's OK, and MUCH better than the stock pretend horn. But after I installed it, I realized that the irritation that I felt when sounding the Wolo "Bad Boy" is EXACTLY what I want another driver to feel when he is about to drive into me on the freeway.

So I put the LOUD, SCREECHY Wolo "Bad Boy" back into the Fit.:D :D

[macbuddy]

Good choice Dave! Let's compare our annoying air horns. Your Wolo vs my Fiamm. Let's see who's horn is more irritating. :)

BTW, is this your wife's Scion xB? :eek:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kN-h-Fs9a0&feature=related

[manxman]

Yes!! The more irritating, the better! When someone is about to drive right over you, manners and shyness don't matter a bit. Make yourself HEARD!!

[claymore]

Dave why don't you run them BOTH and really get their attention

[manxman]

I thought of that because there is plenty of room, and mounting surfaces, for both in front of the radiator on the GE. But, the horn circuit is only 10 amps, and air horns are power hungry. The Wolo air horns are supplied with an in-line 20 amp fuse. I could use a relay for the high amp horn, but I really don't want a lot of extra wiring cluttering up the engine bay. One horn is probably enough to do the job in a freeway situation.

[manxman]

Here is a suggestion for anyone using non-Honda after-market horns, especially AIR HORNS. Buy and install a relay, and use 12 gauge wire from the battery to the relay, and from the relay to the new high power horn.

After reading several reviews of the Wolo brand "Bad Boy" air horn, all of which made the above suggestion, I decided to follow the advice. The Fit uses an 18 gauge wire for the factory horn. That small of a wire gauge has a lot of resistance when feeding power to a high amperage motor (air horn compressors draw much more power than the tiny factory electric horn).

The result of using heavy gauge wire with the relay that sends full battery power to the horn is a MUCH LOUDER and deeper sounding horn. It is worth adding more wiring to your engine bay. The Wolo "Bad Boy" claims to be twice as loud as any OEM car horn. For a Fit, that is much more than true.

[claymore]

Good suggestion REAL horns really draw a lot of juice unlike our beep beep ones.

[yeamans17]

I recently installed a set of Hella Supertones. They come with a red "grill" so I pulled that off and flat blacked them to blend in in the lower grill. They're rated at 118db each, one is 300 watts while the other is 500. They are quite loud, I would recommend them to anyone interested in upgrading. Just be warned they'll run you $60 for the pair.

[claymore]

Did you have to run a new heaver power wire or relay to get them to work?

[manxman]

Did you have to run a new heaver power wire or relay to get them to work?
With the amperage that he quoted, he would just about have to use a relay. Hella is a really good brand for lights and horns. If I had not found what I wanted from Wolo, I would have looked at the Hella line next.

Thanks for the info., yeamans17.

[claymore]

It's a bitch when I was recently in the states I stopped at 3 different Honda dealers trying to get the Accord horn but nobody had one. They all looked at me strange when I asked for one and they said what model accord and told them I don't have an accord I just want to buy the horn. I even gave them the part number that was in the freaky thread and still they couldn't find one.

I even told the guy to pull it up on his screen and in one place the dumbass working the parts counter couldn't even pull up accord horns section on his terminal. finally I got one guy to pull up the screen and i pointed to one with low tone and................ "I don't have any I could order one but it will be 5 days to a week for it to come in" needless to say I was only going to be there for two more days and had to pass. :(

[manxman]

John,
Here's a suggestion for your next U.S. visit. Let some of us know what kinds of products you would like to buy here and take home with you, before you come to the states. We can shop around for you and let you know what store has your stuff in stock. If there is a several week lead time, maybe your family members can order it for you so that it is delivered before your visit.

[claymore]

Well finally installed the low Accord horn. It's VERY EASY to do and I think most of our members should have no problem doing it. On my other than USDM one I had to bend the stock bracket a bit with a large pair of pliers so the new horn wouldn't rub against the frame rail.

Other than that it's as easy as unbuttoning the front half of the wheel well plastic liner taking out 5 pop in clips and one screw. Then unbolt the stock horns one 12mm bolt and unclip the stock wire by squeezing the clip latch and pull it off.

To put it back just start the bolt and then bend the stock mounting bracket just a bit so the horn doesn't rub then tighten the bolt and re-connect the new horn and test it out.

One thing I found strange is the stock meep meep horn is lower amps at 3 amps vs the 4 for the accord horn but the meep horn has a HIGHER DECIBEL rating of 110 vs the accord horn at 108.

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i178/sylop729/horns.jpg

[manxman]

For sooznd and other GE Fit owners, the horn on 2009-2011 Fits is located right behind the front grille. All you have to do is remove the black plastic "mushroom" clips all around the plastic bridge/cover behind the hood latch, pull off the bridge, and the horn is right there to the right of center. When replacing the cover piece, be sure to put the mushroom clips back in exactly the same holes they came from. They all look the same but they aren't. If you put one into the wrong hole, it will be ruined.

[claymore]

Well bad news today. While on my drive a car started coming into my lane right next to me and I had to give a long blast on my new accord horn to let him know I was right there next to him and then ...............the horn stopped making noise. He looked up from HIS @!#%^*()&*^% CELL PHONE and missed me.

BUT now my horn didn't work. Got home shortly after and checked the horn fuse and sure enough the 10amp fuse was popped. I only had a 25 in my spare stuff and tried it with a short beep and the horn works again. Will be getting a new 10amp fuse in the AM to see if it was a fluke or the new horn draws more amps than the meep horn when you use it for more than a short beep.

Anybody with the Accord horn pop a fuse?

[manxman]

As I posted in the beginning of this thread, use a RELAY.

[macbuddy]

As I posted in the beginning of this thread, use a RELAY.

I've been worried about not using a relay, ever since I added a pair of Fiamm air horns last year. Luckily they have worked so far, but I think a relay is in order. In an emergency situation, I'd hate to have the fuse blow instead of the horns!

[claymore]

Bought a new 10 amp fuse and popped it in and gave the new horn a good long workout and it is working just fine again. It's only rated for 4 amps so the stock 10 amp fuse should work just fine.

The problem with using a relay with a new hot wire directly from the battery is now you have a potential live wire in the engine bay ALL THE TIME. If that wire ever shorts there is a great potential for fire unless you fuse it right near the battery.

[manxman]

The relay is mounted as near to the battery as possible. Only the heavier gauge than stock hot wire for the horn(s) goes FROM the relay to the horn(s). No more dangerous than the hot lead going to the starter motor, or the one coming from the alternator to the battery.

The proper use of a relay is much safer than losing the horn function because you have overloaded the weak, small gauge stock horn wire.

[manxman]

I've been worried about not using a relay, ever since I added a pair of Fiamm air horns last year. Luckily they have worked so far, but I think a relay is in order. In an emergency situation, I'd hate to have the fuse blow instead of the horns!
Macbuddy, with a relay, your aftermarket twin horns will be even louder.