2010 horn replacement

I would say you are wrong. Shortly after buying my Prius, I had at least 3 situations where other cars were oblivious to my Prius and were poised to run into it. In each case, I blew the horn and the other drivers did not seem to hear it at all. After those genuine experiences, I swapped out my horns for louder ones --- and in two subsequent episodes, my horn has been loud enough to alert the other drivers and avoid an accident.

 

Thanks, I just ordered mine.

UPDATE: FWIW they shipped the same day I ordered them (from Sigma).

 

Care to elaborate?

EDIT: Never mind, I just found this:

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...ota-premium-horns-installed-2.html#post950777

Sounds like more than I want to deal with...I'll probably have my mechanic install them.

 

Yep. That was me. Initial estimate: $3,500 damage. Though his insurance will cover the repair costs, I still have many lost hours of dealing with the issue, and I'll be without my car for 5 to 10 days.

The driver was a very nice man, fairly recently retired. At first, he claimed he hadn't seen me or heard my horn. The longer we talked and the more he thought about it, the more he realized that though he hadn't seen me, he had heard my horn at just about the time he hit me. He wasn't trying to ignore me or trying to just zip out of his parking spot. He was trying to be considerate to another driver, and he just didn't see or hear me. Had my horn been a bit louder, stronger, or otherwise different, he would have taken account of it sooner.

My incident in the parking lot happened on a calm, clear morning in a small suburban town. There was no loud background noise, but the fact is the horn did not have enough "uumph" to break through.

This is what I'm looking for!

 

Here is what I found trying to install the Wolo Bad Boy (supposedly the same as Stebel Compact) in my 2010.
First, the Wolo is MUCH heavier and larger than the stock horn, which is about the size of a small ashtray, mounted on about a four inch bracket/stalk. There is little clearance to get at the bolt holding it on, but I was able to get in there by removing the two bolts and ten snap fastener that hold the top of the front fascia on.
The weight and size of the Wolo means it has to be securely mounted in a spot that doesn't cause other problems, like rubbing against one of the cooling radiators, or the fascia itself. I was not able to readily find any place to put the Wolo. I test-fitted it on the original stalk (too flimsy and could work loose and damage radiators). I also looked at the bracket (unused in my II) that holds the front radar collision avoidance unit, but the Wolo isn't an easy fit there, either.
Long story short, I think I'm going to return the Wolo to Autozone and look for something like what's on there now, only louder and lower in tone. It would be nice to find two Toyota horns that are "plug and play," using the same snap connectors and fitting the original stalk mounts. Are the Toyota Premium Horns (Camry) mentioned earlier in this thread direct plug-in replacements?
I just want this to be easy - rather not have pull the whole fascia, drill holes to mount a heavy compressor, etc., etc.
Thanks for any help.

 

OK, problem solved. Took the Wolo back and got the Fiamm Freeway Blasters. One high and one low tone, 19.95 each at Advance Auto, so total was the same as the Wolo Bad Boy.

These are smallish horns and, most important, fit exactly in the factory positions and plug into the factory harness. 10 amp ratings, too.

I am beyond happy - they sound, together, like the Toyota Premium Horn pair, and less than half the cost. Direct plug and play, and 20 minutes total to install.

Highly recommended.

http://www.fiammamerica.com/Product.asp?ProductID=156

http://www.fiammamerica.com/Product.asp?ProductID=155

No real challenges here - remove the top bolts and plastic retaining clips (after taking the small clipped piece above the front fascia off), reach down inside and use a 12 MM open wrench to remove the old horns and stalks, saving the bolts and washers. Then use the included silver colored new stalks and the included nuts, and bolt 'em on (I used lock washers to help keep them in position). Clip the positive lead and jumper the neg as per instructions (jumpers included) and you're good to go. It's a very intuitive install.

Loud and a nice note. Sounds like a real car now. 40 bucks all in.

Edit: digging around on Google and found them even cheaper - be sure to get both high and low tone - under 15 bucks, total. Amazing!

Signaltone Fiam Electric Horn High Note Freeway Blaster 72102-22

Edit 2: btw, those dimensions are not right - these things are maybe 3X3X4 inches, don't know how the official site has them as so big - maybe they're measuring them with the stalks.

 

I ordered the Compact Italian Air Horn and have been very happy. The only thing I noticed is that air horns are not good for a "short friendly toot". There's a split second of "spool up", so a quick tap ends up sounding like a sick goose. However, a firm press is very satisfying.

 

Thanks for sharing your experience and advice! I would
like a "real" horn sound, the current horn is pretty wimpy.
But, I also want something easy to install, and it sounds
like these fit that bill.

Some questions:

Are these obtrusively loud? (that would be too loud for me)
Is their "short tap" behavior good? (I do mostly short taps)
Would it be "good enough" to install one and not both?

 

John, the best way I can describe the Fiamm Freeway Blasters is that they sound like a quality American horn on a full size car. They are not overly loud, but they most definitely get your attention.
And, yes, they are practically "bolt-on" and "plug-and-play." I didn't have to cut a single wire, upgrade a fuse, or move anything to make them fit.

Edit: oh yeah, short taps work great too, and I would replace both of the "meep-meep" horns on the Prius. It's just as easy when you're in there, and the two tones, hi-lo, together sound like my old 69 Chevy - real nice note together. When I hooked the first one up and listened to it by itself, it wasn't nearly as nice.

 

OK, I put up a short video where you can see where the horns go (kind of) and hear them.

That's driver side, and you can make out the jumpered neg. lead that they include, then just clip the positive factory leads - they fit!

 

Downrange: thanks for the helpful video and Ryder link. Ordered the horns from Ryder this morning. $21.55 including shipping. Not a bad price to get a '69 Chevy-type honk.

 

LeeB, no prob. The Fiamms are made in the U.S.A., too, for whatever it's worth to you!

 

I'm currently using Mitsuba Air Bullet horns from Japan then I was able to get hold of these...




it sounds like these

 

Hi Chris, I just received the truck version of this horn for my prius but I've been unable to get it to work. I was wondering if you have any photos or a video of how yours was installed available? I've taken the front of my car off twice now and am getting very frustrated .
I'm sure I need to hook up the relay that came with it but I have no idea where to hook it up to the power supply.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

 

I figured it out by checking out another how to about installing a fog light kit. Will post a short video in a bit for reference.

 

Here's a link to my video posted on youtube:
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_fAM9I4-L4]YouTube - Stebel Nautilus Truck Horn 2010 Prius[/ame]

 

Man I had to use my horn today for the first time in the Prius (first time in a few months) and man was I surprised at how wimpy it was! I used to kid around with my friends but I didn't think it was this bad. They're not loud at all. The lady nearly backed into me before she realized that the horn sound was right behind her. Looks like I'll be ordering some new horns though haha

 

That's the way I've felt since I've had my car as of june last year. People are definitely thrown off with the truck horn on my car now