Installing a 150 dB air horn; Can you hear me now!?

Discussion in 'Clarity' started by KentuckyKen, May 23, 2019.

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  1. Cash Traylor

    Cash Traylor Well-Known Member


    Kentucky, just found this post - You just went up in forum ranking by an order of magnitude for this upgrade! Guess your rock-concert gunner's ears are still useful in selecting some acoustic devices! :cool::Do_O

    I thought of this kind of thing too, however mostly for the youtube value when the techs pull out from the service bay into the dealer drive through and always give a little honk before crossing the threshold.. would have been worth it's weight in GOLD!!! I tells ya'!

    Now that you have one installed, you owe us a video of the techs driving your car and giving the dealer mandated honk before leaving the bay...

    Cheers,
    Cash
     
    KentuckyKen likes this.
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  3. Back in the 1980's a friend of mine put a semi tractor trailer horn under the hood of her 1978 Mazda GLC.. Same idea, but the GLC was so tiny it was even more of a surprise, and it was absolutely hilarious!
     
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  4. Elm

    Elm New Member

    Do we have a hall of fame for best threads ever? It needs this thread.

    ps...when you get within 50 feet, the sound of freedom can be loud too.
    Screen Shot 2019-05-30 at 9.37.37 PM.png
     
    Last edited: May 30, 2019
  5. sniwallof

    sniwallof Active Member

    I think the thread is really funny, however FWIW, these air horns are probably technically illegal in NY: the car horn "shall produce a sound sufficiently loud to serve as a danger warning but shall not be used other than as a reasonable warning nor be unnecessarily loud or harsh".

    Also, 150 dB is way past what can permanently damage hearing (without hearing protection, time of exposure is a factor too), but it's still fun to read the thread and see the install.

    We don't use horns much in suburban/rural upstate, NY, other than maybe to tap it when someone is distracted when a light turns green. I don't even know what the clarity horn sounds like :)
     
    Last edited: May 31, 2019
  6. sniwallof

    sniwallof Active Member

    What are the sound levels like in the cockpit? What hearing protection do you use/need?
     
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  8. fotomoto

    fotomoto Active Member

    I've been holding off on responding to this thread because I feel this is simply a passive-aggressive form of simple physical assault. These are sonic pressure waves that physically hit the ear drum for tremendous force at close range. It's as simple as that and trying to justify it in the name of safety is rather weak argument that falls into the same category as "loud pipes save lives" mantra we motorcyclists use. There's good reason why "noise makers" aren't allowed at sporting events or enclosed areas.

    Locally, we have at least 3-4 lifted trucks with these train horns driving around blasting these things for fun just to watch people jump and/or their reactions. Yeah, real funny guys.

    Adding an aftermarket horn that's a few dB's higher or has a better tone is fine. Train air horns? No. Adding better headlight bulbs? Yes. Adding huge and improperly aimed light bars? No!

    Just my 2cents.
     
  9. 2002

    2002 Well-Known Member

    I think we trust KentuckyKen to honk responsibly. But yes you are right the type of people who sneak up behind someone a few feet away and blast them with a train horn is going beyond just being a joke. The service bay situation is a concern, might be good to disable it before taking in for service.
     
  10. JulianClarity

    JulianClarity Active Member

    Huh, I also wanted to complain about the wimpy horn, which sounds like I am driving a Fiat 500, but I can live with it.
    You are really an interesting guy, have fun with your scary horn!


     
  11. Elm

    Elm New Member

    Cockpit noise is mostly due to wind over the canopy. I don't recall the cockpit noise levels or frequencies anymore - I believe it was around 100dB. The helmets have ear cups to provide hearing protection plus hold the radio speakers next to the ear. Most pilots would also wear yellow foam ear plugs - I liked the plastic plugs. The disadvantage of also wearing plugs was you had to turn the radios to max volume to hear the calls. When the F-22 came along noise cancelling feature was introduced to the helmets. On the first test flights the noise cancellation was wired backwards so instead of being 180 out of phase it was in phase and doubled the noise.
     
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  13. KentuckyKen

    KentuckyKen Well-Known Member

    OK, here’s my reply to the posts concerned with whether or not my cheap air horn is terrorizing people or endangering their hearing, neither of which I am inclined to do.
    I knew when I bought this for only $35 that it wouldn’t really put out 150 dB to some one 10 feet away. (You get what you pay for folks) I just wanted something better than the pathetic Roadrunner “meep-meep” horn the car came with.

    So here are screen shots of the sound levels using the free Decibel X app on my iPhone 7.
    I can tell you that the sound proofing on the car is quite good with the horn volume greatly reduced inside so no worries there.
    Inside with windows up: 77 dB
    1E1023C3-54E3-45B9-AF13-36C01AB23DFA.png

    Outside, I took the measurement standing as close to the hood as I could as I reached in the open window to honk the horn.
    That’s only 103 dB but still quite loud and I only use a short toot at pedestrians which is not as bad. Only idiot drivers get the full treatment.
    So please give me a break.

    0CC36E17-DDD9-484D-88FC-BFBD289BB41D.png
     
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  14. Cash Traylor

    Cash Traylor Well-Known Member

    Break given, I think in all online information sharing systems when the conversation is text only, people miss the communication as humans need the intonation and kinesiology of body language to gather all relevant meaning possible.

    I've fallen into the annoyed AND annoying category on forums before and will again. That's the curse and blessing of venues such as these. I live in Texas, we like things big and the trucks around here are bigger and louder. Ken, I would have installed 4 of those horns and had no problem unleashing them on the driver that just decided to make the lane crossings for an exit 50 feet too late, in front of me, all while texting on their phones, idiocracy is an assault too...

    No worries here, best wishes and cheers!

    Cash
     
    KentuckyKen likes this.
  15. Elm

    Elm New Member

    Even if it doesn't play dixie, this horn modification is proof positive if it's worth doing; it's worth over doing!
     
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  16. skyler33

    skyler33 New Member

    I see it’s been a while, but I wanted to drop in and thank you for sharing your experience and the valuable advice, it's super helpful! I think the idea of adding an air horn is genius - it's bound to get more attention from other drivers, which can be a lifesaver sometimes.
     
  17. megreyhair

    megreyhair Active Member

    I hope you won't get sue for giving unexpecting people heart attack.
     
  18. Robert_Alabama

    Robert_Alabama Well-Known Member

    I do agree that the OEM horns produce an anemic "meep, meep" that I couldn't accept when I first heard it. I purchased these and are pretty happy with them. They sound like the horns on a normal car or truck (not a scooter). I've had no trouble getting attention with them. Sometimes they are still ignored, but that is the other driver choosing to do so, not because they didn't hear them. The connectors on the OEM wires are smaller, so you need adapters to fit the new horns, or you will have to juryrigg something. I'll post a link to those as well (you will need two, one for each horn). It may not matter a lot, but pay attention to which side the low and high frequency were removed from and put the new ones back in the same position.
    https://www.ebay.com/itm/325478693446
    https://www.collegehillshonda.com/product/0S18.html
     
    BrianRC likes this.
  19. skyler33

    skyler33 New Member

    Just wanted to share that I recently decided to give my car an upgrade too. I purchased a railway horn at https://bosshorn.com/, and I must say, I was really impressed. They had such a large selection to choose from, and the quality of the horns was top-notch. I didn't encounter any problems with the installation or using the horn. It's been an excellent addition to my car, and I'm loving the attention it gets.

    LMAO
     
  20. A couple of weeks ago I saw a diesel VW Beetle that had a 3’ tall, 4” diameter smokestack protruding from the hood that actually spewed smoke. That might be a great mod for a Clarity with a train horn, although one would need to have the ability to generate smoke, or maybe steam. Of course the look wouldn’t be complete without a set of balls hanging off the back.
     
  21. insightman

    insightman Well-Known Member Subscriber

    Wouldn't those balls require a warranty-voiding trailer hitch? However, the smoke stack, train horn, and trailer hitch would be fine for Clarity owners who didn't purchase an extended warranty.

    I wonder if Lionel sells this in a gallon size?
    upload_2023-10-21_13-3-17.png
     
  22. Certainly the balls could be attached elsewhere.

    Does the installation of a hitch void either, or both, the factory warranty or the VSC? Or, would an owner need to actually tow a trailer to void the warranty?
     
  23. insightman

    insightman Well-Known Member Subscriber

    All the ones I've seen have been on the trailer hitch, but googling showed they can be attached to other locations.

    While googling, I found a set of truck nuts made for places (South Carolina) where it's illegal to display on your vehicle "any sticker, decal, emblem or other device containing obscene or indecent words, photographs or depictions."

    upload_2023-10-21_17-0-34.png
     

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