Air horns

Body, Paint, Interior and Trim questions and answers

Moderators: timk, Stu, zombie, Andrew, -alex, miata

C+C

Air horns

Postby C+C » Thu Feb 01, 2007 10:01 am

Hi guys,

Am looking at changing the pissy stock horns for something with a bite, preferably air horns similar to most euro cars.

Is there any specific attachments, fitment issues, types that i ought to know about, or are they fairly universal.

i have an SE, and will taking off the front bumper shortly (for an i/c upgrade), so is this best way to replace it.

Thanks in advance

C+C

User avatar
Andrew
Speed Racer
Posts: 2630
Joined: Wed Apr 23, 2003 11:00 am
Vehicle: NC

Postby Andrew » Thu Feb 01, 2007 4:30 pm


User avatar
Wuey
Fast Driver
Posts: 284
Joined: Thu Apr 24, 2003 11:00 am
Vehicle: NB SE
Location: Melbourne
Contact:

Postby Wuey » Thu Feb 01, 2007 6:04 pm

Come on Andrew! Aren't you going to blow your own trumpet this time? Show us what you have!

I installed a pair of made in Italy Narva air horns in \"parallel\" with the stock feeble meep-meep horn. They are from K-mart for $25. Cheap as chips. This way, the stock horn will still sound if the air-horns go \"pfffffff\" as they can be temperamental in cold weather. The oil in poor quality or poorly installed or maintained air horns can freeze up and bind the rotors, but mine has never given me any trouble so far. Installing the horn motor in the warm engine bay helps.

The air-horn relay that feeds the motor is connected using a thick 12-gauge wire with an inline 30A fuse tapped directly onto the main 12V bus under the main fuse box in the engine bay.

The relay can be triggered using the spare unused horn wire in the NA. This ensures both sets of horns are trigged at the same time. The stock horn will usually sound a split second before the air horns. Warning: If you wire the relay that connects to the 12V terminal of the air horn motor using the stock horn wire, you are likely to keep blowing the 20A fuse if you step on the brake pedal while using the horn at the same time. The stock horn shares the same circuit as the stop lights. Besides, the stock horn wire is too thin as the main 12V feed to the air horn motor. This wire is only good for triggering the relay.

There is plenty of room in the NA engine bay for the horns and the motor near the air-filter and its intake. Try to heat shrink or tape the main wire at critical areas to prevent short-circuit.

My horns can wake up the deaths in a graveyard. Andrew's trumpets will make them scramble back into the graves. :mrgreen:


Image



Image



Image
Last edited by Wuey on Thu Feb 01, 2007 7:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Image 2004 SE

User avatar
Andrew
Speed Racer
Posts: 2630
Joined: Wed Apr 23, 2003 11:00 am
Vehicle: NC

Re:

Postby Andrew » Thu Feb 01, 2007 7:07 pm

Wuey wrote:Come on Andrew! Aren't you going to blow your own trumpet this time? Show us what you have!



:oops:

My setup looks like this -

Image


and sounds something like these when connected

8)

User avatar
MasterZ
Fast Driver
Posts: 254
Joined: Tue Oct 24, 2006 8:47 pm
Vehicle: NA6 - Turbo
Location: Albion Park Rail (Near Wollongong)

Postby MasterZ » Fri Feb 02, 2007 9:08 am

watch this vid on the site that Andrew posted
http://www.hornblasters.com/video.php?pic=42
1992 Mazda MX5 Turbo | 2004 VW Golf GTI | 2010.5 VW R36 Passat Wagon | 1985 Mazda HBES 929 13b Turbo | 1987 Mazda RX7 FC3S Turbo | KE20 Corolla Coupe

C+C

Postby C+C » Fri Feb 02, 2007 9:34 am

c'mon fellas....... nothing too loud and big :)

i would prefer something hidden away and doesn't play nursery rhymes

thanks for ideas though

User avatar
Alf
Racing Driver
Posts: 578
Joined: Thu Apr 24, 2003 11:00 am
Vehicle: ND - 2 GT
Location: Frankston, Vic
Contact:

Postby Alf » Fri Feb 02, 2007 11:20 pm

Also check out this thread

I recommend the genuine Stebel Nautilus air horn, fits like a charm in place of one of the existing horns even on the SE with its intercoolerette.

Cheers,
Alf
2015 ND MT GT Crystal White Pearl Mica (pic to come)

User avatar
JBT
Speed Racer
Posts: 7946
Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2003 11:00 am
Vehicle: NC
Location: Brisbane

Postby JBT » Sat Feb 03, 2007 10:19 pm

Now you see them.........................

Image


Now you don't :)

Image
Image

User avatar
pcmx5
Racing Driver
Posts: 1648
Joined: Thu Apr 24, 2003 11:00 am
Vehicle: ND - 2
Location: Geelong Vic.
Contact:

Re:

Postby pcmx5 » Sun Feb 04, 2007 11:29 am

C+C wrote:c'mon fellas....... nothing too loud and big :)

i would prefer something hidden away and doesn't play nursery rhymes

thanks for ideas though


I have"Crazy Reds "airhorns bought from him in America(he is on the Marketplace at Miatanet).

Easy to fit , good sound, no trouble in 3 years.

I do have socks over the trumpets to stop junk getting up them as they are mounted low.

Peter.
.Now ND2 Roadster prev NC2 Recaro's ,BBS wheels,full exhaust, Tiens NA 1.6.NA 1.8 LE(106RWKW)NC1,NC2.ND 1.5 .

User avatar
ampz
Racing Driver
Posts: 814
Joined: Fri Sep 23, 2005 9:56 pm
Vehicle: NA6 - Turbo
Location: siiiidaneeey
Contact:

Re:

Postby ampz » Sun Feb 04, 2007 3:15 pm

MasterZ wrote:watch this vid on the site


I Can't believe they blasted a policeman!

ROFLMHO :lol:
Huh?

User avatar
Andrew
Speed Racer
Posts: 2630
Joined: Wed Apr 23, 2003 11:00 am
Vehicle: NC

Postby Andrew » Sun Feb 04, 2007 5:16 pm

Make sure you get the 'compact' Nautilus think it would fit better in the OEM space rather than the standard one.

User avatar
Andrew
Speed Racer
Posts: 2630
Joined: Wed Apr 23, 2003 11:00 am
Vehicle: NC

Postby Andrew » Sat Feb 24, 2007 12:15 pm

I blew a 10amp fuse with my Nautilus the other day...lucky it was on the additional relay circut i'd installed....so i read the instructions and it required a 20amp fuse :oops:

BTW Auto Barn (in Frankston) stock them. $48.99 for the standard and $59.99 for the compact. 8)

G M Fude

Postby G M Fude » Sat Feb 24, 2007 1:36 pm

Or if you're not from the southern suburbs, East Coast Auto Spares in North Road, East Bentleigh. $47.50 for the standard ones (in the cardboard box), and $54.99 for the compact (in the blister pack).

Andrew, where did you take the power from for the horns? I'm still finding may way around under the bonnet of an MX-5.

User avatar
Andrew
Speed Racer
Posts: 2630
Joined: Wed Apr 23, 2003 11:00 am
Vehicle: NC

Re:

Postby Andrew » Sat Feb 24, 2007 1:45 pm

G M Fude wrote:Or if you're not from the southern suburbs, East Coast Auto Spares in North Road, East Bentleigh. $47.50 for the standard ones (in the cardboard box), and $54.99 for the compact (in the blister pack).


Thats where i purchased mine from 8)

G M Fude wrote:Andrew, where did you take the power from for the horns? I'm still finding may way around under the bonnet of an MX-5.


Give me a minute and i'll go and take some pics for you.

User avatar
Andrew
Speed Racer
Posts: 2630
Joined: Wed Apr 23, 2003 11:00 am
Vehicle: NC

Postby Andrew » Sat Feb 24, 2007 1:59 pm

Ok here goes -

Power comes from the fuse box under the bonnet, the black wire in the middle of the picture -

Image

...it then runs through an inline fuse (not picuured) that i blew and onto the relay -

Image

I used the trigger from the OEM horn to switch the relay and provide power to the new horns along with an earth.

The horn in then tucked up infront of the radiator using a custom bracket -

Image

Image


Return to “MX5 Body, Paint, Interior & Trim”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 150 guests