Would this horn fit?

[Godiva]

Can anyone tell from the picture whether this horn would fit in the Prius in place of the current (whimpy) horn?

[Rokeby]

Godiva,

Can't tell from the pix how big it is. In the Q&A section the same question is
unanswered.

That said, unless the horn/compressor is bigger than a 6-pack it will fit
between the radiator and bumper. One of the OEM horns mounts near the top
of the radiator. Room is hard to find here. But there is lots of room at the
bottom of the radiator. I suspect that you'd have to remove the center section
of the lower grill to get the horn in and have room to manipulate your
hands/tools.

There are a number of "new horn" threads that have pictures of the area at
top and bottom of the radiator.

BTW, the second OEM horn is crammed into a really tight spot at the top of the
radiator on the pax side. The aforesaid pix show the layout.

[Joekc]

I just replaced my OEM horns with the PIAA horns (available from Amazon.) They fit fine, but they're pretty small. Even so, it was a chore in the heat and humidity, and I came away with bruises on my arms. They sound great, though.

One thought: How are you going to wire the horn/compressor? The wire going to the OEM horn is very small, probably 22 gauge or smaller (and it has no ground wire), and I doubt it would handle the load. So you might have to do some additional wiring -- maybe not -- I just don't know.

The dimensions of your proposed horns are: 2-1/2" W x 4-1/2" L x 4-1/2" H. I'm pretty sure these would not fit without relocating at least one. I am almost positive you could not put these in without removing the grill, etc.

As I said, the horn replacement is a bit more of a chore than it seems due to the tight space. You might want to take the above dimensions and make sort of a mockup to check the fit before you order. And the chromes cost $15 more -- is this really important for hidden horns? Good luck.

[Godiva]

Okay. It was a thought. The present horn is just so whimpy. But I am not going to go to the trouble of rewiring, etc. If it was a simple swap in/out yes. But looks like not. So I'm abandoning the idea.

[Patrick Wong]

I understand that some Prius owners have installed Camry horns to beef up the sound.

[Joekc]

Originally Posted by Godiva

Okay. It was a thought. The present horn is just so whimpy. But I am not going to go to the trouble of rewiring, etc. If it was a simple swap in/out yes. But looks like not. So I'm abandoning the idea.

Nah, don't give up. The OEM horns DO sound wimpy, so wimpy I think they might be a safety factor because of the high noise levels in other modern cars. You really need to be heard.

Go to Amazon and search on PIAA horns. These sound like "normal" horns from American cars (2 tones). These will fit without doing any rewiring or re-locating, but like others here I extended the "hot" wire a few inches so as to relieve the strain on the original wire. The ground wire simply goes under the original bolt when you attach it since the OEM horn is grounded through the car frame. It's a slightly annoying task, but certainly nothing beyond the range of someone who's had middle school shop class. Try it!

[Godiva]

Originally Posted by Joekc

Nah, don't give up. The OEM horns DO sound wimpy, so wimpy I think they might be a safety factor because of the high noise levels in other modern cars. You really need to be heard.

Go to Amazon and search on PIAA horns. These sound like "normal" horns from American cars (2 tones). These will fit without doing any rewiring or re-locating, but like others here I extended the "hot" wire a few inches so as to relieve the strain on the original wire. The ground wire simply goes under the original bolt when you attach it since the OEM horn is grounded through the car frame. It's a slightly annoying task, but certainly nothing beyond the range of someone who's had middle school shop class. Try it!

Okay. I was looking for something I could use to replace the current horn using existing wiring, etc. I didn't want to have to rewire or do a lot of modifications. This sounds doable.

I'm looking at getting a 2009 and planning on what I want to do to upgrade it beyond what I did with my current car. Better horn is on the list.

[KK6PD]

Originally Posted by Joekc

I just replaced my OEM horns with the PIAA horns (available from Amazon.) They fit fine, but they're pretty small. Good luck.

Small they may be, but the 118 dB of sound this horn puts out is quite a bit louder than the stock Prius horns. I installed them about a month ago. Very Simple install!! they bolt to the same mounting holes and if you carefully massage the wiring, the existing plug will fit. You can also make a simple jumper from parts from AutoZone etc!!! A 6 inch jumper would be more than long enough!!

They are about $50 for the pair from Amazon.com

Good Luck

73 de Pat KK6PD

[mingoglia]

I don't think I've ever used my horn in the 10 months I've owned my Prius. Am I doing something wrong?

[lwnboy]

Exactly, I've used the horn on my twice in 8 years on my Tacoma and it was to wave at a friend.