Upgraded (louder) horn for tow vehicle

[Dennis C]

Has anyone upgraded the horn in their tow vehicle to something louder than the factory horn? I ask because it seems like other drivers often behave badly when they’re close to a trailer in traffic. I realize that nobody wants to be stuck behind a trailer, especially on a two lane road. I believe that many drivers don’t appreciate the fact that a vehicle towing a trailer can’t stop or maneuver as easily as a car. Commercial trucks have loud air horn systems to help warn other drivers and to make their presence known.

There are aftermarket air horn systems available for most pickup trucks and cars, but they’re very expensive. There are also plug-and-play electric horn upgrades available as well as direct drive air horns that cost less. It’s hard to tell which models are good quality and which are cheap, low-quality “upgrades”.

Has anyone here successfully upgraded their horn(s)? If so, what product do you recommend?

I would like to have had a louder horn a couple of times on my last trip.

[AppFan]

An air powered train horn will definitely get their attention. I've been very tempted myself to get one installed. It's amazing the number of folks that would wander close / into my lane when towing a giant 5th wheel.

[Dennis C]

Kleinn makes a very nice train horn kit for GMC trucks that fits under the hood. The compressed air tank sits in the second battery tray, which isn’t used for a battery in 1/2 ton trucks. It looks like a great solution, but I struggle with paying $600 for a horn upgrade.

[SMAirstream]

I installed a motohorn on my F250. It’s smaller and self contained since you don’t need a tank or compressor. I have it wired to a switch so it only works when I have the switch engaged and then honk the horn. I sometimes wish it was a little louder but I didn’t want something so obnoxious that it would wake the neighborhood (or upset the wife).

[BigAl]

before you get one of those "train" horns look into whether it is legal or not. I am sure that where I live they are not.

[mtrescot]

Not an air horn but I did upgrade to a Piaa 85115 Superior 112Db 330Hz and 400Hz Twin Tone Bass Horn, in our Toyota Tundra. Much louder than the standard horn, it has a nice satisfying base to it. Quick install, it took about 20 to 30 minutes.

[oldenavy]

After installing an air compressor on the truck for keeping tires at proper pressures, I put in an air horn. Not a train horn, but it is loud. The horn itself wasn't very expensive since I already had the compressed air available. Mounted it behind the front bumper and wired it into a big red mushroom button on the dash. I don't use it that much but it does come in very handy on those occasions when you need to get someone's attention to avoid a bad outcome.

[SouthForkAS]

I put an air horn an a motorcycle.
Big mistake!
When the horn blew, other drivers were looking for a LARGE vehicle and failed to see my bike.
It may work with your rig (like a large by huge 5th wheel), but keep that in mind. Certain horns give out certain audible cues.
Don't confuse an already confused driver.

[B17drvr]

Where I live, honking at someone will get you shot.

[Olscot]

If you are going to stir up road rage make sure you are prepared to deal with it. In 4 million accident free miles I've found it better to just slow down and put space between myself and the other/offending vehicle. Most aggravating thing on the road is those that honk at others. They usually tend to be driving too fast for conditions or in too big a hurry.

[DAVSCH]

Have to agree with drvr….. horn usage WILL get you shot. No joke. There are gangs out there that will stop you and shoot you as part of their initiation. If they get you to blow your horn they’ll cap you. NO JOKE.

Second, if you need to blow your horn, YOU ARE DOING SOMETHING WRONG. When driving with a trailer, your head needs to be on the swivel 4 to 5 car lengths ahead and behind you. You need to be uber defensive because your acceleration and braking are completely different than a sedan. You have to anticipate the traffic all around and react accordingly long before the situation that puts you in a bind. If you’re not doing that, you’re the one that is wrong. Going around blowing your horn multiple times on a trip just shows you’re not driving correctly.

Sorry, save your money on the horn.

[Dennis C]

Good comments and insight. Thanks.

[richard5933]

I've done this both in my Subaru and in my tow vehicle (Suburban) using an older Cadillac 4-note horn setup.

They are usually on eBay for about $100 and sound like the car horns we're used to from the 'old day' when cars were big and horns were able to be heard a block away. Takes a little time to find places and ways to mount all four of the horns, but wired through a horn relay they work great and get attention.

[2012FB]

I typically add an auxiliary horn to the truck, but since it requires a drive relay and extra wiring I have not had time to get to it.

I disagree with the if you are driving properly you never need a horn. Just last month on 40 east of Albuquerque I was next to a semi and he started drifting over. There is traffic behind me so I am laying on the horn and started carefully slowing down and moving half into the center median before he finally either saw me or heard me and quickly returned to his lane. My wife was yelling doesn't he see or hear us. Should have put the horn in already. It is on my list. The trucker shooting me never entered my mind while trying to keep from getting run off the road.

[foobar]

Originally Posted by Dennis C

Has anyone upgraded the horn in their tow vehicle to something louder than the factory horn? I ask because it seems like other drivers often behave badly when they’re close to a trailer in traffic. I realize that nobody wants to be stuck behind a trailer, especially on a two lane road. I believe that many drivers don’t appreciate the fact that a vehicle towing a trailer can’t stop or maneuver as easily as a car. Commercial trucks have loud air horn systems to help warn other drivers and to make their presence known.

There are aftermarket air horn systems available for most pickup trucks and cars, but they’re very expensive. There are also plug-and-play electric horn upgrades available as well as direct drive air horns that cost less. It’s hard to tell which models are good quality and which are cheap, low-quality “upgrades”.

Has anyone here successfully upgraded their horn(s)? If so, what product do you recommend?

I would like to have had a louder horn a couple of times on my last trip.

Dennis, it needs to play the intro theme for Star Trek in order to be taken seriously on the road.

[Dennis C]

Haha… just like the movie

[foobar]

Originally Posted by Dennis C

Haha… just like the movie

Yeah, just like the "RV" movie

[richard5933]

Originally Posted by DAVSCH

Have to agree with drvr….. horn usage WILL get you shot. No joke. There are gangs out there that will stop you and shoot you as part of their initiation. If they get you to blow your horn they’ll cap you. NO JOKE.

Second, if you need to blow your horn, YOU ARE DOING SOMETHING WRONG. When driving with a trailer, your head needs to be on the swivel 4 to 5 car lengths ahead and behind you. You need to be uber defensive because your acceleration and braking are completely different than a sedan. You have to anticipate the traffic all around and react accordingly long before the situation that puts you in a bind. If you’re not doing that, you’re the one that is wrong. Going around blowing your horn multiple times on a trip just shows you’re not driving correctly.

Sorry, save your money on the horn.

There are times and places where horn usage is not ideal or maybe even a bad idea, but there are also times when using a horn to get another driver's attention is necessary.

I've been driving commercial trucks and buses for decades, and I fully get the head-on-a-swivel thing. Driving defensively is key, no doubt.

But, there are going to be people on the road who have their heads in their laps texting or doing something other than paying attention to driving, and it is simply not always possible to know ahead of time when they'll need a wake up call.

Just today while towing our 25-ft Excella, we approached zipper merge in a construction zone and an SUV positioned himself so I was in his blind spot, and then he proceeded to start merging into me. I had nowhere to go safely, but luckily my horn is load enough to be heard. Crisis averted and he pulled back into his lane and pulled in behind me.

There's no shame in having a good horn and knowing when it's appropriate to use it.

[JJTX]

Originally Posted by AppFan

An air powered train horn will definitely get their attention.

Illegal in many states.

[Countryboy59]

Originally Posted by B17drvr

Where I live, honking at someone will get you shot.

Depends on the situation. I drive through some of the worst neighborhoods in the country and, although I don’t overdo it sometimes it’s necessary to use the horn. Most frequent situation is to prevent someone from merging into the side of my trailer (yes, there are people who think a turn signal will clear traffic). People will sometimes sit halfway through a very short green light with their head in their phone. Sorry, I’m not going to just sit through multiple light cycles while someone checks their phone. You need to be smart about it though. Honking at a lowered Civic with a fart can exhaust or a middle aged male in a newer 4x4 might not be the smartest thing to do.

A simple air horn setup is fine. Nothing too crazy. Make sure you can still use the normal horn if needed.