New Fiamm Horn Install

[Quentin]

I found a set at the local advanced auto parts. I might go w/ Hella Supertones instead, though. Must be due to my Suby background.

Amazon.com: Hella SuperTone Horn Kit, 118 db: Automotive

I did think about just swapping horns w/ my GTI. It at least sounds like a proper horn.

 

[adio3x]

All three of you can do it without a wiring diagram.

Just pop off the cover as shown in the first post and locate your horn. It will look like a black plastic bagel with a single wire going to it. It will be attached to the frame with a flat piece of metal and a bolt.

Undo the bolt, unplug the old horn, plug in the new horn, and bolt it down *tight*. If your horn kit comes with two horns (my Wolo only used one), AND your 4Runner only has one horn, then you have to worry about a jumper wire (or "wiring harness") if... IF... you choose to install them both. If your 4Runner has two horns, then it's just as simple as swapping them out and making sure they both have a clean ground.

I know it seems intimidating, but this is honestly *slightly* more difficult than replacing a lightbulb. The part that most people have a problem with is getting a clean grounding connection, which has been addressed in other posts.

Won't it be quieter with just 1 in there? My kit came with 2 and I was planning on putting both of them in there.

 

[doodman]

Won't it be quieter with just 1 in there? My kit came with 2 and I was planning on putting both of them in there.

exactly my thoughts

 

[SeattleMike]

Won't it be quieter with just 1 in there? My kit came with 2 and I was planning on putting both of them in there.

Adding more horns won't increase the volume, it just adds a second tone. I know this sounds counter intuitive, but decibels are not additive; if you have 2 50dB horns you are not generating 100db of sound, you are generating 50db per horn. Typically, they sell horns in pairs with one having a higher tone than the other for a more appealing sound overall.

 

[Titanpat57]

You got decipwned Mikey...:lol:

 

[SeattleMike]

BS - 2 is definitely louder that 1. Maybe you meant decibels are not linear...

(2) 50 dB horns would be ~53 dB. Keep in mind that a 10dB increase is generally perceived as being twice as loud, so a 3dB increase IS pretty significant.

If you are going to gank Wikipedia for your math you should give them credit:

The human perception of, for example, sound or light, is, roughly speaking, such that a doubling of actual intensity causes perceived intensity to increase by the same amount, irrespective of the original level. The decibel's logarithmic scale, in which a doubling of power or intensity causes an increase of approximately 3 dB, corresponds to this perception.

Be we aren't doubling intensity, we are doubling the source. Which is louder, two identical speakers side by side at volume 5 or one of them turned up to 11? You could have 4 speakers at level 5 and they aren't going to be any louder to the person sitting in front of them. However raising the power/intensity of just the one speaker to 10 will be perceived as twice as loud.

 

[SeattleMike]

FAIL. Gank Wikipedia for my math? It's called a logarithmic scale - pretty basic knowledge.

Please take the time to properly educate yourself on this subject before making any further (incorrect) statements.

I might suggest you start here:

Adding Decibels

FAQ in music acoustics

Either you don't understand the problem or you are failing to apply the math correctly. there is no increase in power, no aligned fields, no increase in pressure, and in this specific case the two horns aren't even pitched identically. From anywhere, the sound will not be louder, just in stereo. Horns don't have volume knobs or variable diaphrams, there is nothing to increase the power or the pressure.

But hey, what do I care? You want to be right, go ahead and be right.

 

[adio3x]

Settle down you two, we just want a diagram and some more info on this jumper harness lol.

 

[Titanpat57]

Please provide a pic of the current horn setup and I'll do a little doodle on the pic, with a full blown case of Visual AIDS.

 

[NTUR4]

Received my horns last week and I can't wait to do the install... I thought all the chatter about the stock horn was funny, until I had to use it. Thanks for the info.

 

[GatorFL]

Installed this today. I've got a Limited, it was about a 20 minute install. Undoing the electrical tape on the wiring was probably the hardest part. Plug and play and the El Grande's sound great. I picked them up at Advanced Auto for $25.

 

[tbwill]

Just replaced mine today, don't use my horn much so did not feel the need to go the two horn route so I replaced the existing road-runner horn with a Fiamm AM80S low tone (one half of the El Grande dual horn package). Took all of 5 minutes, not counting looking for the three retaining pins that bounced down on to the skid plate. Sounds much better now.

Tom

 

[gmoney35c]

El Grande install in SR5

This is how I installed the 2 horns. I did not use the relay. Simply made a Y-type wire to split the horn output. I mounted the 2nd horn to the left of the original mount via a open bolt slot under the hood latch plastic cover (did not have a cut or modify latch cover). Here are pics of the process I went thru. Let me know if you have any questions.

 

[453030]

Another successful El Grande install. Thanks TP57 and others!

<a href="http://s84.photobucket.com/albums/k2/MichaelC1000m/?action=view&current=Picture173Large.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k2/MichaelC1000m/Picture173Large.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

 

[Autbond]

If you want a louder horn you should do what I did...... add a TRAIN horn! haha; it is a lot of fun to play with people and especially when someone is tailgating you, in my application at least. Here are the pics:
BTW it is mounted where the spare was; I cannot fit a full size spare anyway, and I have free towing with my insurance so... The tank mounted and the compressor pics also.

 

[snow&surf]

If you want a louder horn you should do what I did...... add a TRAIN horn!

LOL! got a sound clip of these bad boys?!?

 

[RHINOSAUR]

Adding more horns won't increase the volume, it just adds a second tone. I know this sounds counter intuitive, but decibels are not additive; if you have 2 50dB horns you are not generating 100db of sound, you are generating 50db per horn. Typically, they sell horns in pairs with one having a higher tone than the other for a more appealing sound overall.

This is where physics is handy.....it all depends... basically what frequency components are produced by each horn ,the relative timing (i.e are they in phase) and their positioning. This is because waves do not "add up" linearly in space and time.

To make the story short, waves add constructively and destructively (interference) at different locations and at different times and the volume is the average of this so called interference pattern. For example, if the two horns emit the same frequency component (i.e the same tone at the same time) there will be instances where they add up... but if they are different tones they will not add up..... but the end result is a combination of these types of events to generate an over all volume.

so it there will be an increase in volume just not scaled in a usual type of way.

in some sense people discussing the issue above have BOTH been right ...its not a simple concept to understand though.

 

[RHINOSAUR]

I want to be right? Don't get childish on us here - you're the one giving bad information.

2 x horns = 2 x power (W) = 3dB increase. Period. No $5 words needed to explain this 5 cent concept.

This is basic physics, also a simple phenomenon to demonstrate - try it out for yourself.

Are you sure its drawing more current.(I am genuinely asking because I do not know)... cause if it it is not..where is the "extra" power coming from ??? (I am assuming the voltage driving the horn is constant)

 

[san~man]

Are you sure its drawing more current.(I am genuinely asking because I do not know)... cause if it it is not..where is the "extra" power coming from ??? (I am assuming the voltage driving the horn is constant)

I'm not sure that that home-made splitter is providing a constant 12V to each horn. One horn, sure, but two, probably not (hence the inclusion of the Bosch relay).

For the SR5s, I'd recommend using the relay to ensure a constant 12V to each horn. For the limiteds, since there's already 2 horns stock (IIRC), then the relay isn't necessary.

2 x horns = 2 x power (W) = 3dB increase. Period. No $5 words needed to explain this 5 cent concept.

This is basic physics, also a simple phenomenon to demonstrate - try it out for yourself.

Not necessarily. You aren't necessarily providing 2x the power to any one particular horn, or to both horns for that matter. 2x the V to one horn may (but almost guaranteed not to) provide a 3db increase, but there's also a lot of other dependent factors.

In my old car audio days, to provide a 3db increase in sound, you would essentially have to provide twice the power output, i.e. 1000 watts versus 2000 watts. In the case of the horns, you aren't providing 24V, just 12V (assuming you use the relay too).

If I'm wrong, someone please correct me.

 

[EGILL]

Got my Fiamm horns yesterday and did the install today. Took all of 15 minutes. Mounted them like the op did in the first post. I did get in a little rush and broke some of the clips so i gotta pick some up from the dealership.