[OrangeCountyLR714]

My discovery can hardly honk. Do you have that trouble? I mean i'll need to use my horn and all it does is boop booop, when other car horns are forceful and loud. No one takes me seriously when i honk. Is there a replacement for my horn or do I have to deal with this dinky, soft-spoken horn.

 

[Disco]

If you want real serious air horns, you will need to install an air compressor with a reservoir tank. My air horns are Grand Vitesse (220 decibels) but I'm not sure you can get them in the US. However, i'm sure you can pick up a set of air horns from any truck spare parts dealer. Lower down the noise scale there's electric air horns; still louder than what you have currently.
Note: air horns in top left of picture.

 

[TerryS]

Whoa! Driving in CA without a horn is like having a dream you went out in only your underwear. I mean that in a bad way, as I'm certain that there are many who love going out in only their underwear. I live on 15 acres, more than a thousand feet to the road, and my wife won't even let me walk out to the barn in my shorts.
In CT we check our horns maybe once a year. I can't remember the last time I honked mine (horn).

I do remember checking it once, several years ago and to my surprise, dismay, no, dare I say ALARM, they didn't work. For less than a $20 bill, I got a brilliant pair at NAPA. (110 DB if you must know) I don't use them much, but like the .357 in my wifes purse, it's just nice knowing they're there.

I believe that there should be a national policy of checking your horn, say, once a month. Since they test the air raid sirens at 11AM on the first saturday of the month, that would be a good time to do it. No sence making a bunch of noise when there isn't any already there. ( That's the Scottish in me, we don't like to stand out in a crowd) In keeping with California's need to have the most stringent regulations conceivable, The horn testing policy can be ammended to every half hour when the car is in use, and every other hour when it is parked.
On the other hand, I believe if you don't change it daily, you should at least check your underwear everyday!!

 

[Gordo T]

In CT we check our horns maybe once a year. I can't remember the last time I honked mine (horn).

Terry, from my experience, CT drivers prefer sign language rather than some auditory means of communication. I assume this is desired as most drive just under the speed of sound when on the road. In self defense, when driving in CT, I keep my eyes closed.

A border Scot.

 

[John]

The controlled testing of your horn sounds a great idea but what happens when some merchant banker has it in for you. It would be difficult for the police to determine a disregard for the law with randon horn use. :drive:

 

[TerryS]

Gordo,
I'm not psychic, but I'm guessing you're refer to driving through one of the bigger villages, like Hartford (buggers can't even steal the name without misspelling it). The need to drive at those speeds is a derivative of the fact that certain ethnic groups have become so adept at stripping cars, they can even do it when the cars are moving. Not a problem for me, though. Firstly, I avoid driving in the 'village', and secondly, those little shits can't even figure out what I'm driving so they have no idea where to sell anything they could possibly get off the 110 (assuming the bolts aren't too rusted up)

We took the 110 up to Springfield the other nite to take my daughter out for birthday dinner at the Student Prince. On the way back down 91, we got a casual flip off from a 'lady' in a civic. I put the pedal down (yay 4.2) and drove alongside, with wife, and 4 eleven year olds flipping her right back. We start'em early here. It was actually funny and I couldn't catch my breath to scold them if I even wanted to.

 

[TerryS]

John,
Most Merchant Bankers, and ALL Lawyers do not deserve advanced warning, just run them down. We call them "Speed Bumps".

 

[John]

Sorry TerryS, I should explain . If you know what the "apples and pears" are in cockney rhyming slang, then you should be able figure out what a "merchant banker" is. Your posts have given me a good belly laugh today. People keep walking by my office and can't work out why I am in fits of laughter. :clap:

 

[Carlos]

TerryS always come up with something good to laugh about.I keep checking every now and then throughout the day, when I get stressed at work , just to ease a bit of stress by reading his comments.
Carlos

 

[Carlos]

Orange County:
Check on the inside part of your grille on both sides with another person honking inside the truck.You should get a honk of your two horns, the low-noted one and the high-noted one on both ends of your grille.It seems to me that one of them is not working, probably the high-note one.
Carlos

 

[TerryS]

Orange County:
Check on the inside part of your grille on both sides with another person honking inside the truck.You should get a honk of your two horns, the low-noted one and the high-noted one on both ends of your grille.It seems to me that one of them is not working, probably the high-note one.
Carlos

NO NO, He's got it all wrong! YOU get in the truck and get someone ELSE to stick their head in front of the horns (That's what mothers-in law are for, make them feel needed and most times they don't hear crap anyway)

 

[Disco]

Or the alternative solution. A bumper/window sticker....." Horn Broken, Watch For Finger"

 

[Adam in NYC USA]

My solution in my Discovery.....

Hello from Adam in NYC :drive:

I own a 1996 Discovery that I bid and won on eBay. So I got the horns on.... that's right....eBay. I was surprised at the price I paid ($20.00) and that is for a set of Ames (3 metal horns) that can serviced should they need repair. That is amazing.

Cool.

I did not want to start running out of space installing the Ames airhorns. I looked carefully and decided to pull out the jack and move it to the back. I relocated the new auto alarm and installed the compressor and the horns in the new space.

Not that I need to go deaf with Buells like Disco. I already work in an ambulance and it does enough to my hearing.

Maybe this post will give you some ideas. :rellye :

 

[OrangeCountyLR714]

How? & How Much?

i dont know where to start. do i go to the dealer and ask them to upgrade my horns or go to a parts store and buy them or do i try ebay, buy them and get someone to install them? About how much money am i looking at here?

 

[Disco]

Dealer? stay away from LR dealers. Search around for the aftermarket horns you desire. Do a search on the web. Electric horns are not that expensive.

 

[Strazzman]

Who needs horns when your wife (terryS) has a .357 in her purse. If that doesn't attract their attention they must have been hit and are already dead. Only hope they were speedbumps (lawyers) :clap:

 

[Adam in NYC USA]

A quick Overview of Installing New Horns

i dont know where to start. do i go to the dealer and ask them to upgrade my horns or go to a parts store and buy them or do i try ebay, buy them and get someone to install them? About how much money am i looking at here?

Since you did not state some important points (skill level, bravery, familarity with your car) I will try to go thru the gambit.

You have to ask yourself a few questions:

Am I able to do this modification by yourself?

If you don't want your way around some simple electrical wiring, you can get someone to install it for you for $20 to $30 on the street to more if you are doing a radical install. If you want cheaper, bring your own tools and prepare to get dirty.

What kind of Types of horns are here?

There are electrical equilivent replacements where you just do a swap of the horn elements (behind the grill surrounding the radiator). Check out the models made by Wolo and Hella.That includes those electric model of airhorns that have the electrical connector and don't need the compressor.

I have a musical upbringing, so I am used to a sweet metal sound for my horns. I guess that came from my dead uncle, who every time he got a car installed airhorns. I prefer the metallic sound of metal horns than the abrasive-sounding plastic horns.By the way, wolo has the wav files on their website if you want to hear them.

Why mention it? Listen to the horns if you can. If you don't like them, don't buy them.

By the way, My local autostore had a demo horn display and it was great but then they removed it. Afterall, do you want to work in an enclosed space with some idiots kid playing with auto horns (grin)?

I am of the old school (the 1970's). If I want airhorns, I will drop in airhorns that operate off of an electrical compressor and don't use a gas reservior. If I want a truck or locomotive sound, then you will need a heavy system: heavy duty compressor, reservior and BIG horns.

Where am I going to put the air horns and stuff?

My favorite question. You could

1. take apart the front of the car (I don't have a garage, so that is always a Witch),

2. find a new way to hide it (look at all the spaces under the vehicle and remember if you go off-road, those spaces will fill up with crud.

3. Find a space in the engine compartment that won't affect safety nor damage the airhorns.

My suggestions for your project:

Do you want it?

Stand in front of the vehicle and look around. Take photos of everything.

Take your time when by yourself and deconstruct the job. If you don't know what to do, get an elmer (mentor, someone who will work alongside you).

Enough of blowing my horns(s), blow yours (grin) :drive:

 

[ME=DISCO]

I would say definetely go with a air horn they are relatively cheap for a ok one but on ebay you can get some really nice air horns like semi horns and what not....pretty cool.....i love ebay :drive: :drive: :drive: :clap: