My Jeep recently stumbled into a fair bit of mud. After the fun was over it was time to clean it up. Once the Jeep was clean and I was headed inside for the night, I locked my doors. When my horn chirped it sounded like it was underwater and barely there. Oops. I guess I got a little aggressive with the power washer. It didn’t get better with time.
Time for an upgrade. I’ve never been overly impressed with the factory horn. I appreciate overkill but are a little over the top for me. I’ll be happy somewhere in-between. I looked at buying a set of used Dodge RAM truck horns but couldn’t find any I trusted to be operational.
While researching options I ran across on this video of PIAA Sport Horns on a Jeep JK.
I thought it sounded pretty good. A quick google search found it on Amazon for a reasonable price. I wouldn’t have to worry about air lines, different relays or space under the hood. Sold.
Specs
- 115 decibels
- 2 horns, 400HZ and 500HZ
- Works with any 12v setup
- Easy install
- No modifications to the Jeep
If you have basic hand tools, and are comfortable around wiring, this install is a piece of cake.
Stuff you’ll need that didn’t come with the new PIAA horns.
- Vice grips
- wire striper/crimper
- Voltage Tester
- 14-16 ga female wire connector
- 3′ of 16 ga wiring
- Quick Splice Electrical Connector
- Split loom
The new horn body is a similar width as the OEM horn.The horns opening is slightly larger than the stock unit. The new horns have a plastic splash shield covering the opening which the stock horns didn’t have. Since my stock horn is being replaced due to exposure to water this seemed like a good idea.
Here is the original stock horn. A single torx bolt holds it in place. There are 2 wires that connect to the horn, positive and negative.
The wiring is pretty straightforward. Have a friend honk the horn while you use a test light or volt meter to determine which wires are positive and negative. The positive terminal on the horn is the one closest to the mounting bracket. Splice and connect your wire from the positive stock wire to the positive terminal on the horn. Do the same for the negative connection. The second horn can be wired in series to the first.
The first horn can mount in the factory location. The second horn will be close by but will need a little more wire to reach.
Clean up your install with split loom for a professional look.
The second horn uses a bolt on the side of the engine bay. The horns mounting bracket needs to be bent to fit the space. Use vice grips to bend the metal into a Z shape.
That’s it, pretty easy.
It sounds pretty good. It’s louder than the stock horn but not by much. The tone is the biggest change. It sounds like it means it. My wife was afraid to lay on the horn. So, here’s a video of a few of friendly chirps. I’m sure if I need to gets someones attention it will do the job quite well.
