Anyone fitted an Air Horn to their van ? (1 Viewer)

[DABurleigh]

If anyone thinks the use of horns is contentious, feel free to start a thread stating the purpose of a flash of your headlights

As a motorcyclist, my airhorns, in my case linked to my auxiliary lights which instantly get wound up to their full intensity with a wake-up fast strobing pattern, are for use the instant I suspect someone might not have yet noticed me and which risks becoming life-threatening. I don't wait until I'm certain of it. Life expectancy depends on seeing and being seen.

A a motorhomer, I envisage using my horn far less frequently. Though, going by my wave return rate, I might need to hit it more often.

Dave

 

[68c]

If anyone thinks the use of horns is contentious, feel free to start a thread stating the purpose of a flash of your headlights

As a motorcyclist, my airhorns, in my case linked to my auxiliary lights which instantly get wound up to their full intensity with a wake-up fast strobing pattern, are for use the instant I suspect someone might not have yet noticed me and which risks becoming life-threatening. I don't wait until I'm certain of it. Life expectancy depends on seeing and being seen.

A a motorhomer, I envisage using my horn far less frequently. Though, going by my wave return rate, I might need to hit it more often.

Dave

We motorcyclists need a powerfull hologram projector to give the illusion of us being an 18 wheel articulated truck, they won't pull out in front of us then.

 

[PaulW2]

We motorcyclists need a powerfull hologram projector to give the illusion of us being an 18 wheel articulated truck, they won't pull out in front of us then.

Yes, it is very dangerous partly because one is actually just not seen. Stop, look, pull out, wham. They look straight at you, then pull out. I'm not even sure there is very much that can be done about it? Lots of studies that show how one only sees what one expects/is conditioned to see.

The noisy stuff sort of works, but mainly when you're filtering/coming up from behind. But it's double edged too. 300 decibel blast of exhaust causing an involuntary twitch on the steering. Not much good making a hell of an anticipatory racket at an intersection though, is it?

The death rate per mile on the road for motorcyclists is something like 18 times higher than for car drivers, and injury rates are also correspondingly higher.

 

[poppycamper]

I am in no way "anti motorcyclist"... used to be one myself...
However I do question why some, when riding a motorbike which has a small frontage area and therefore already more difficult to see, do so dressed all in black and do not use any lights what so ever..
Only conclusion i can come up with is they indeed do have a Death Wish..

 

[Driventemple]

I recommend a Stebel Nautilus air horn. I had one fitted to my last motorcycle, so they are very compact for the output which is astonishing.

It simply replaces the existing horn but you need to insert a relay because of the increased power.

Excellent bit of kit. Top tip, don’t sound it if your vehicle is in the garage!! DAMHIK

That's what I fitted and, yes, you do need a relay!

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[The Old Man]

Is it legal to use an air horn?

Generally in all localities the use of an airhorn or big rig horn in itself is illegal on anything BUT a big rig. If his horn sounds like a freight train it is illegal to use on the highways in most jurisdictions. Again, in most jurisdictions honking a horn for anything other than a safety issue is illegal.

 

[DABurleigh]

I always had empathy for Jeremy Clarkson's solution to cars increasingly becoming an insulated, cosy space with music and detached from the real world outside. Car drivers can keep these, but they must have a 12" metal spike pointing at their chest from the middle of the steering wheel boss. Watch the death and injuries on our roads fall drastically with the increased awareness of the consequences of a lack of attention. Best safety device that can be conceived.

Dave

 

[tacr2man]

Is it legal to use an air horn?

Generally in all localities the use of an airhorn or big rig horn in itself is illegal on anything BUT a big rig. If his horn sounds like a freight train it is illegal to use on the highways in most jurisdictions. Again, in most jurisdictions honking a horn for anything other than a safety issue is illegal.

What jurisdictions are those as UK does not have any special regs covering use of air horns that don't also apply to normal electric horns AFAIK?

 

[The Old Man]

What jurisdictions are those as UK does not have any special regs covering use of air horns that don't also apply to normal electric horns AFAIK?

No idea, just a C & P from Google as I remember from boy racer days that air horns were banned.

If they are banned that probably means a MOT fail.

 

[Oldrat]

I am in no way "anti motorcyclist"... used to be one myself...
However I do question why some, when riding a motorbike which has a small frontage area and therefore already more difficult to see, do so dressed all in black and do not use any lights what so ever..
Only conclusion i can come up with is they indeed do have a Death Wish..

I cant agree more.

What I don’t understand is riders in camoflage gear

Bur almost every type of clothing, hi-vis or plain black has times when it is either really visible or really not, ie in town Hi-vis is so common that it’s almost invisible to drivers whereas black is excellent for frosty /snowy conditions.

What does work well is a contrast, so a ‘Sam Brown’ cross belt against a black jacket etc.

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[dunnah01]

I think air horns need to be single tone so no General Lee

 

[PaulW2]

I think the twin tone ones are illegal. You get some that play tunes too but that may not be very popular with the neighbours.

Honey, I'm home...

 

[dunnah01]

Surely the louder the horn the more chance whatever you're beeping at will disappear

 

[RobbyMClark]

Had an aftermarket Car Alarm sounder fitted instead of the weedy standard.
Made a few dawdling scrots jump in its day.

 

[Orion]

No idea, just a C & P from Google as I remember from boy racer days that air horns were banned.

If they are banned that probably means a MOT fail.

Reads as a USA Google answer to me as there is nothing in the U.K. Construction & Use or MOT Regs that confirms it. Two tone horns are the ones that are prohibited.

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[Oldrat]

Reg 37 Con & Use Regs​

Audible warning instruments​

37.—(1) (a) Subject to sub-paragraph (b), every motor vehicle which has a maximum speed of more than 20 mph shall be fitted with a horn, not being a reversing alarm or a two-tone horn.

(b)Sub-paragraph (a) shall not apply to an agricultural motor vehicle, unless it is being driven at more than 20 mph.

(2) Subject to paragraph (6), the sound emitted by any horn, other than a reversing alarm or a two-tone horn, fitted to a wheeled vehicle first used on or after 1st August 1973 shall be continuous and uniform and not strident.

 

[Bobbejaan]

I hate to confess to owning one of these in a porsche 944 nearly 40 years ago!

I'm taking the Fifth .... apart from apologising profusely to anyone who used to live in Ethelbert Road, Cliftonville, Margate in the 1970s and who may have sometimes had cause to notice a certain Dixie-playing XS650 with Dunstall exhausts that occasionally visited a certain young lady there.

 

[Blaydon]

Hi folks. I bought a two pitch horn on eBay. It was about £20 as I remember. I took a live from the battery with an in line fire to a relay, and then took a feed from the existing horn as the trigger to the relay. I mounted the horn in the wing space so it was out of the way and sits in an echo chamber.
It works well. Just right for a trip around Rome.

 

[plug]

I am intrigued to know what wet farts sound like on any other day!

Messy

 

[Mick Kennedy]

I had the same issue with our Kontiki horn - far too weedy. It seemed even more silly coming from such a large vehicle. Like most folks, I hardly ever use the horn, but when I do there is a good reason and I want it to be loud, clearly heard and to suggest some sense of urgency. However, my lovely wife disagreed, as she felt a loud horn is a bit ''too rude.'' So we compromised and had a selector switch fitted so that when she drives it is set on the factory-fitted ''polite'' horn, whereas when I drive it is set on the ''childish, testosterone'' horn. Heh, heh! Vive la difference!!

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[PaddyM]

I always had empathy for Jeremy Clarkson's solution to cars increasingly becoming an insulated, cosy space with music and detached from the real world outside. Car drivers can keep these, but they must have a 12" metal spike pointing at their chest from the middle of the steering wheel boss. Watch the death and injuries on our roads fall drastically with the increased awareness of the consequences of a lack of attention. Best safety device that can be conceived.

Wasn’t Clarkson , was an academic economist .

Gordon Tullock - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[A S R]

Yes.
I’ve put a nice, extremely loud pair of air horns on my Fiat Ducato based motorhome. It’s made a huge difference. No point having a quiet horn is there!

 

[JohnFX]

This would be my choice....

Goodness the old Klaxon horn had one on my car many years ago added extra not standard fitment

 

[dazandandrea]

Denali sound bomb.
Fitted one to my motorbike a few years ago.
Fantastic bit of kit.

 

[Platelet]

As a motorcyclist I have fitted the Denali Sound Bomb, which is an all-in-one twin tone (both at the same time) air horn. It’s very compact and 120db, so gets people’s attention when needed.

Denali SoundBOMB 120dB Horn

Denali SoundBOMB 120dB Horn from the UK's leading online bike store. Free UK delivery over £25 and easy returns on our range of over 80,000 products.

www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk

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[4dogsnigel]

This works well !

 

[dobbyt]

A few months back I was thinking about fitting air horns on our van, but was put off after watching and reading reviews by the time delay between pressing the horn button and the time it takes for the air compressor motor to spin up and sound the horn, plus with us being British and not using the horn as much as other nations, through lack of use the fan element of the air compressor has a habit of sticking and failing to operate when you likely to most need i

When I was a lot younger and Aston Martin brought out the Lagonda I seem to remember they had a switch for the horn labeled Town and Country. This activated a quieter or louder air horn as selected.
Oooo I that was cool and I was inspired. So I thought I would apply that idea to our MG Midget until I realised there was a time delay in the air-horn and I didn't need the switch!

I simply wired them both in parallel and got a more adaptable result.

In town, a tap of the horn button gave a polite beep from the original horn while in the country both horns blared when the button was held and the Midget roared!

 

[stuartholmes]

Why would you want one.. my horn gets used once a year by my MoT Tester..
IMV horn blasters are a very inconsiderate and impatiently "look at me " sort of driver.
If a pedestrian "should"attempt to step out in front of you then your "weedy wet fart" is more than enough..
Or are you the sort who picks up your work mate at 5.30 in the morning, sitting outside his house with your big, sorry, small truckers twin horns waking up the whole street..

I wanted the loudest horn on earth when I was in my Smart, doing about 55 in motorway lane 2 overtaking a long lorry & trailer when some other lorry in decided he should overtake us both & when level with me decided he should be in lane 2. Left hand drive lorry so probs had a moment of thinking he was somewhere foreign. ('Foreign' to us I mean, 'home' to himself.)

I promise you don't want to be in a Smart or anything else when two giant lorries come together around you in a display of excessive affection.

Bought a louder horn at the earliest opportunity.

 

[stuartholmes]

Reg 37 Con & Use Regs​

Audible warning instruments​

37.—(1) (a) Subject to sub-paragraph (b), every motor vehicle which has a maximum speed of more than 20 mph shall be fitted with a horn, not being a reversing alarm or a two-tone horn.

(b)Sub-paragraph (a) shall not apply to an agricultural motor vehicle, unless it is being driven at more than 20 mph.

(2) Subject to paragraph (6), the sound emitted by any horn, other than a reversing alarm or a two-tone horn, fitted to a wheeled vehicle first used on or after 1st August 1973 shall be continuous and uniform and not strident.

''... not strident''!!! WTF does that mean! And what is the point of a 'non-strident' horn? Surely the point is to be heard.

Since there's no mention of a 'x db at x metres° rule I think we'll be fine with LOUD!

 

[Waspie1954]

I want to replace the weedy horn on my Citroen Relay, it sounds like a wet fart on a tuesday
I am thinking small truckers twin horn but where is the existing one fitted as I cannot find it?

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