Would this horn fit?

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.

 

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.

 

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

 

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!

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

By "small" I meant physically small. I noted they sound great, which didn't make your edit.

 

Where I live morons wander all over the interstate lanes while talking on their cell phones or fiddling with their cds. I recently saw a woman talking on two cell phones and steering with her elbows. Not kidding.

If you don't need a horn, you are truly blessed.

 

I think the wimpiness of the Prius horn is a real safety issue. Although the times one may need to use the horn may be infrequent, they're oftentimes emergency or semi-emergency situations where it's important that your horn be heard. I think I've had a couple of instances already when I've honked someone on the highway, and it appeared as if the target didn't hear me.

Anyways, if the Camry horn is sufficiently loud, it sounds like it might be a good bet because of its low cost (for a used one) and apparent ease of installation:

 

Hi to all;

I am new to this forum and my Prius is less than 2 weeks old, pkg 6.

Regarding the horn being poor, I just wanted to say that I just went out and adjusted mine. They now sound good and I was thinking of replacing them but the adjustment made a world of difference. I don't know the level of dBs but it sounds to be around 100 would be my guess and before the adjustment maybe 50dB.

So please try adjusting it with the screw on each one, to save a buck.

Cheers
Ray
99 Mercedes C230 Kompressor

 

Hi Godiva;

Yes, you can adjust them with a screw driver. Not sure if it is a phillips or straight. I used a small straight one about 1/8th wide. On the side you will see a screw that is usually painted (black on mine), I screwed mine in CW and could only get to one of them (the easiest one to reach). But it is just a matter of playing with it. Most horns are adjustable from what I recall. I am older than dirt and when we didn't have the money for new ones we tried to make do.

I am still a tight wad and was actually considering ordering one from all the post in here and I thought that it was strange that no one mentioned adjustments. So I went out to my car and removed all the needed plastic and saw right away that they had an adjustment screw.

Like I said I only adjust the one on the drivers side, the other one was a little tight to get to without more work. Being as you probably have the old ones in the garage, try hooking them up to a battery and playing with them. The screw is located on the outer ring, not near the center, if that helps.

I was a little shy to bring it up, thinking that some one must have mentioned it on one of these threads.

Good luck,
Ray

PS: How do you put your pix up by your name on the top left? TIA
A retired 2003 R1200CL BMW bike

 

Thats exactly what I thought you meant. I just wanted to agree and add a loudness reference, 118dB, which is quite loud. Had to toot at somebody yesterday, yeah, they work fine!!

I usually paraphrase down to just the point. The habit comes from a "Talking Heads" lyric in one of their songs ..."Say something once, Why say it again"!!

Hope were ok!!

73 de Pat KK6PD

 

Maybe this will help (photos and instructions for installing new horns):

2004 Horn Install