 |
|
HORN |
| Pictures |
Fiamm horn |
| Notes |
Your horn system comes with two horns, a low and high pitch horn. Each combines to give your horn a
distinct sound. You will probably want to convert both the high and low horn for the best improvement. |
Ben Lin
Ever honked your horn at someone and were disappointed with the really weak, wimpy sound that came out?
Even worse when the person you honked at barely notices, kind of laughs, then continues on his way?
Unfortunately, this is probably a common scenario for most Legend owners, due to the fact that almost
all Japanese cars have a really wimpy horn. For some reason, Japanese horn manufacturers haven't quite
caught up to their American and European counterparts. The solution for us Legend owners would be to
replace the horn with a European or American horn. I opted for the European one, because they offer
the same volume as an American one, but with a more refined sound. Good choices in a European horn are
late model Mercedes, Lexus, BMW, Audi, Volvo, SAAB, and certain Volkswagen units. They all have their
own distinct sound, but unless you hear them back to back, you won't notice the difference. Not wanting
to pay dealer prices for a new horn (at least $100 for both high and low tone), I tested several horns
from various manufacturers. I finally settled on an Audi horn from a junkyard for the quite affordable
sum of $25. Installation took a couple hours, and now my Legend has a much more authoratative sounding
horn. It's a great improvement over the stock horn in both sound and volume. Although I'm fairly
satisfied with the Audi horn, your satisfaction will depend on you trying out enough horns before you
buy, and picking out one that you like.
|
|
David Rarick
I had to honk at someone the other day, and I felt like a girl whining about someone pulling my hair
or something. It was time for new horns. Jim Trinh, Andrew Gibbons and I went to a Pick And Pull last
weekend, looking for some Fiamm horns from an old Audi. The pickings were pretty slim, so I ended up
grabbing a pair of Delco/Remy horns out of an Oldsmobile. Old Caddies will also use the same horns.
Both horns have a long flat piece sticking out of the back, with one corner having this little "notch"
bent over (to keep it from turning). Lay the piece on the cement and hammer that bent piece flat. I've
found that removing the battery (don't do it if you don't have the radio code!) makes the next part
much easier.
Clip the wires going to the horn next to the battery, leaving a few inches sticking out of the harness.
Unless you really want to remove the bumper, just reach down in there to unplug the other horn. Now, as
you may or may not have noticed, the Delco/Remy horns ground on the chassis, so solder/wire nut/whatever
a long piece of wire to the positive lead that was going into the horn near the battery. Fish this
through towards the grille. Now, I'm going to assume that every second generation Legend looks like
mine ('95 Coupe) between the radiator and the grille. In the top corners of the radiator (just below
the structural member of the car), there are two bolts that hold the radiator in place. These bolts just
happen to fit through the holes in that flat part on the horns, and they make the perfect ground
connection!
If you were smart enough to clip the connectors off of the original horns (for the positive leads),
just splice them into that long piece of wire we fished earlier. You can go ahead and form a "Y" with
this wire (is this in series or in parallel, I can never remember). Mount one horn on each side of the
radiator, angling them down so that they don't catch water. This also puts the horns right up behind
the grille, which give you incredible projection.
I no longer feel like my car is a little girl crying because someone pulled her hair. Now, it's more
like some 6'4" inmate named Bubba screaming, "Get the f*%k out of my way!"
Note: If you decide to paint the horns (I recommend the paint used on charcoal grilles, as it has a
very matte finish and you'll never have to worry about the heat generated under the hood), make sure
to mask over the holes in that flat part. Otherwise, you'll never get a good ground connection. This
frustrated the hell out of me for the better part of 2 days until I figured it out (thwaps self in
head).
|
|
Eric Wong
This is a must do upgrade, but a lot of work. I don't know who designed this horn for this tremendously
large vehicle, but it needs to go. I have always been disappointed with the sound of this high pitched,
weak factory horn. I was referred to a German junkyard, by Ben Lin, where I found the horn that I would
feel proud to press when someone cut me off on the road. Germans sure can make horns.
|
|
Jim Trinh
I think it's Japanese culture that dicticts the horn decible, for Easterners always want to be polite
and not obnoxious like those Americans. Well, every time I hear Vivian (that's my Legend) roar, she
squeaks. I press on that horn button and this high pitch eek comes out. I'm rather ashamed when I have
to honk someone, especially after they see a fixed up Legend, with a tiny little voice attached. Well
no more dammit!
I went to the 'Pick-N-Pull' junkyard around San Jose and found a working horn from some European car
(at least I hope the car was European because it was so disassembled I couldn't tell what kind of car
it was) for only $8. It was a Fiamm trumpet style horn. Instead of installing it in the factory horn
positions, I kept the factory horns there and just disconnected them. Then using the horn wires I
hooked up the new horns (both high and low) and installed it in the front, inside part of the bumper.
This makes for good protection against water and puts the loud horn right up front for better
projection. To boot, I bought another another 'Highway Blaster' Fiamm horn from the local auto store
for $7 and hooked that up too. Three 65+ decibal horns, now that's gotta get some needed attention!
The horn definately sounds more aggressive and louder than the original Honda horn. People who have
made fun of Vivian shall laugh no more. I've fixed that now and I'm very happy with this new horn. I
highly recommend this modification to anyone that is displeased with the Honda horn. This is a cheap
and easy upgrade that makes a world of difference.
|
|
Tom Truong
Athena (that's my ride) was a 3,500 pound goddess with a tiny bark. She would make people laugh whenever
she tried to yell at someone. Well, with the help of Jim Trinh, I went to the junkyard and found myself
a Spartan trumpet style horn from a late model Audi. I liked the sound of the Spartan because it reminded
me of a school bus wail. So I brought it home and installed it (against the front bumper like Jim did).
Now Athena roars with the best of them!
|
|
|
