WEAK Horn - upgrade or mods recommendations?

[mountainair26]

I've seen a lot of comments about how weak the horn can be on the 5th gens. My 2010 SR5 is no different. The last straw came today when some guy in front of me was staring in his lap at his cell phone and it took three times for me to get his attention, each horn tap going from a tap to laying on it. I don't want to install a compressor and a train horn, but anybody have a good recommendation to replace the single little horn that comes stock? Are the dual hella 90mm's a decent choice? Do the models that are actually shaped somewhat like a horn instead of a disk offer any advantage?
I don't mind some wiring work or building a little harness with a relay, but at what point does this offer an advantage? The one puny little wire going to the single stock disc horn doesnt look like it could transfer much current, I just dont want to hack up a wiring harness and not be able to replace it with something better. Any thoughts appreciated, thanks

 

[jamoc]

I had HELLA horns on my STI. They were loud. Simple install. Has anybody installed on 4runner?

 

[Auntie Soshul]

Many folks have added Fiamm or Hella horns to their 5th gens using this write up that can be found in the modification stickies:

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/59265-new-fiamm-horn-install.html

 

[04rnr]

https://hornblasters.com/
:bravo:

 

[Nick B]

I gotta say the horn on my 2010 TE is an embarrassment. The horn on my daughters Civic sounds more manly.

 

[diodia]

I had HELLA horns on my STI. They were loud. Simple install. Has anybody installed on 4runner?

Have HELLA horns on mine. Night and day difference, and pretty much a direct bolt on (need to add a grounding wire).

 

[gdvan01]

https://hornblasters.com/
:bravo:

Damn, that'll do the trick...

 

[4Runner fun]

Have HELLA horns on mine. Night and day difference, and pretty much a direct bolt on (need to add a grounding wire).

X2 on HELLA two sets, both trucks and they work well direct bolt on you can see the chrome ones thru the grill on the black truck.

 

[Mass 4runner]

I fixed the horn on my 2010 by trading it for a 2019

 

[Nick B]

Can someone post a link to a Hella model that’s plug n play ?

 

[davem]

I dont know but on my 14 SR5P the stock dual horns arent bad at all. I took them off and swapped in a pair of red Hella supertones and just plugged them in. Sounded like shit, meeep meeep. WTF ! So i did a temp wiring job and just touched the + battery post and loud as f#*!. but i lost the Hella relay and bought a regular 4 pole relay and i couldnt get them to work. No how no way. Plug the factory wires up to them and meeep meeep, WTF. So back in the box they went.

 

[sandcrawler]

I've seen a lot of comments about how weak the horn can be on the 5th gens. My 2010 SR5 is no different. The last straw came today when some guy in front of me was staring in his lap at his cell phone and it took three times for me to get his attention, each horn tap going from a tap to laying on it. I don't want to install a compressor and a train horn, but anybody have a good recommendation to replace the single little horn that comes stock? Are the dual hella 90mm's a decent choice? Do the models that are actually shaped somewhat like a horn instead of a disk offer any advantage?
I don't mind some wiring work or building a little harness with a relay, but at what point does this offer an advantage? The one puny little wire going to the single stock disc horn doesnt look like it could transfer much current, I just dont want to hack up a wiring harness and not be able to replace it with something better. Any thoughts appreciated, thanks

welcome to one of the strange quirks of the earliest production 5th Gens! for some reason, Toyota emasculated them with that "meep, meep" horn. they soon swapped it out for a real horn, which is why owners of later models don’t understand what you're talking about. don’t fret, many of them got a secondary air injection pump clogging their engine bay in the bargain. :wink2:

Many folks have added Fiamm or Hella horns to their 5th gens using this write up that can be found in the modification stickies:

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/59265-new-fiamm-horn-install.html

this right here will solve your problem.

 

[04rnr]

Damn, that'll do the trick...

BTW I do still have and use the stock horns, the air horns are just in addition to,,,, added those to the compressor and tank I use to airing up after wheeling.

 

[theothereng]

I have the Hella Sharptones, and they are much better than OEM (which were inaudible to idiots). There's a video on youtube that features a subaru with the differences in pitch between the two models. I think Antman or someone else did a instruction write-up with pictures. Big thing is just making a ground. Otherwise, it's plug and play with some electrical tape.

 

[mountainair26]

What's the threshold for adding a relay? Most of the horn sets I'm looking at say a max of around 6a at 12v, so I'm guessing a relay isn't necessary, but just thought I'd ask. Can that one little puny wire going to the single disc horn really supply anything like 5a? I know it's only for the split second of hitting the horn, but its like 22ga wire or something ridiculous, and now likely a little corroded just from being 8yrs old

 

[mountainair26]

I did check out hornblasters.com, those are really sweet. I just don't wanna get a horn that I have to finance for several years, and will shake the door panels off and cause spinal fluid to seep out of my ears while I'm going down the road. Looking for the loudest within reason around $40 for the set or so.

 

[Pathfinder!]

I did check out hornblasters.com, those are really sweet. I just don't wanna get a horn that I have to finance for several years, and will shake the door panels off and cause spinal fluid to seep out of my ears while I'm going down the road. Looking for the loudest within reason around $40 for the set or so.

I want a horn so powerful it will be like releasing the kraken on those around me and alert the gods to my presence.

 

[Soneill]

I've seen a lot of comments about how weak the horn can be on the 5th gens. My 2010 SR5 is no different. The last straw came today when some guy in front of me was staring in his lap at his cell phone and it took three times for me to get his attention, each horn tap going from a tap to laying on it. I don't want to install a compressor and a train horn, but anybody have a good recommendation to replace the single little horn that comes stock? Are the dual hella 90mm's a decent choice? Do the models that are actually shaped somewhat like a horn instead of a disk offer any advantage?
I don't mind some wiring work or building a little harness with a relay, but at what point does this offer an advantage? The one puny little wire going to the single stock disc horn doesnt look like it could transfer much current, I just dont want to hack up a wiring harness and not be able to replace it with something better. Any thoughts appreciated, thanks

Funny you say that my 2011 horns are loud as F@$k!! Wonder why your and other are quiet.

 

[mountainair26]

Just to follow up. I added the fiamm free-way blaster set and am pleased with what I wanted to accomplish. I just used the stock harness split into two without cutting anything. I made a small harness that clipped into the stock wiring, but spit into two connections on the horn + end using good crimped connections sealed with grease and marine heat-shrink. The tone is hugely improved and the volume (from what I can tell in the cab) is mildly increased, although I'm not 100% sure how much louder it is outside. If I wanted full volume, I could go the whole independent relay and larger gauge wire from the battery route, which I may do some day. But as is, it took about 30 mins and was well worth the upgrade. Its a shame these come with a single disk horn made for a motorcycle at best. At least I can get people's attention in traffic when necessary, but I wouldn't call it a true "freeway blaster" without the relay and power direct from battery due to somewhat thin stock wiring.
Thanks for the help everybody. I'd buy the fiamm freeway blaster set again, and I've been using it about a month or so without issue. Takes a bit of finagling to fit under the plastic shroud since its two different shaped horns replacing a single disc horn, but nothing too crazy if you know how to make crimp connections and have common sense about grounding the horns, pointing the bell downwards to avoid water flowing in, etc. Other write-ups are pretty much identical to mine. Stock horn was a real safety issue in my opinion and made me feel emasculated on a daily basis, in addition to being a micro aggression against other drivers when often a full blown attention grabbing-aggression was warranted.

 

[codeman870]

I wired my HELLA horns in using the factory wires, rather than run a new relay and fuse/switch, but they were really just plug and play. I did cut some plastic piece so that they would fit better. I got the red ones and the tone reminds me of the old school BMW horn.

Part way done with the wiring

Installed