Kansas

Maybe it has been a coincidence but an increasing number of distracted drivers, usually playing with their phones, have been drifting into my lane and not showing much response when I sounded my horn.

So ... I spent a few minutes on yesterday's holiday to add two extra horns to my 2000 LS400. The two extra horns - see the arrows in the attached photos - are from a 1990 LS400 I bought new over 21 years ago. I replaced the horns on the 90 early on with improved, louder versions from Lexus and the old horns have been stored in a box for 20 years.

The original 90-91 LS400 horns were a bit wimpy with sort of a European beep-beep sound that was very different from the louder horns that were installed on the LS beginning in about 1992.

Although the 90 LS400 horns weren't all that loud, I was interested only in supplementing the horns of my 2000 LS400 and not in blasting anyone's ear drums out. I once put a set of Hella Supertone 118 db horns on my 90 LS400 but they were pretty obnoxious and I didn't leave them on very long.

I assumed I would have to power the extra 1990 LS horns from the battery using a relay but they and the original horns seem to operate at full volume just by tapping the power for the 90 LS400 horns into the OEM horn wires on the 2000 LS. I'll add a relay and power the 90 LS horns from the engine compartment fuse box if I notice any volume degradation or have any blown fuses.

I bought the two power wires and connectors to use for the extra horns from a local salvage yard -- less than $3.50 total for both. From what I can tell, Toyota horns from the last few decades receive the same male connectors. Mine came off a 96 and a 97 Camry.

Anyway ... there was plenty of room to mount the extra horns and a couple of convenient bolts to mount them on near the inner side of each headlight. I used a few washers as spacers to move the driver side extra horn forward to clear A/C components and I will probably buy a longer bolt so that the bolt threads make more secure contact.

The quad horns are noticiably louder but don't seem obnoxious - at least not to me. I hope they get the attention of the increasing number of people who can't seem to put down their phones while driving.

RA40

iTrader: (6)

LOL...I've thought of this too.

ThomasGS4

iTrader: (19)

Sound clip!

ChrisG1000

I wasn't sure where this was going based on the title.
Phew! I'm releived.

I won't even make any ******* jokes. ;-)

Supralaju

LOLLOLlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

billydpowe

iTrader: (1)

good job Jim, thanks for the heads-up ideas, and good photos

Kansas

You are going to have to use your imagination for now. It's not like I'm going to do "horn tests" in my driveway and bother my (other) geezer neighbors ... and I live about 100 yards from the police station and city hall. The 90 LS horns are maybe 75% as loud as the 00 LS horns. I don't understand the physics but putting the two sets together doesn't seem to result in 175% of the volume of the 00 LS horns alone. It's more sound but mainly a fuller sound in more frequencies -- four distinct pitches instead of two.

Hmmm ... I have a set of Stebel air horns and their compressor stored somewhere in the basement ... used them on my Triumph Spitfire in the 60's ... wonder if they would fit?

billydpowe

iTrader: (1)

simmer down Jim.

dashan

New definition of the word "horny"
Someone wants something so bad that she/he cries/murmurs like Kansas' lexus.

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

i plan on throwing supertone's in my car, though to be honest unless someone cuts me off i can get away with just downshifting

LiCelsior

iTrader: (32)

supertones are crazy loud but doesnt really fit with the luxuryness of the LS. train horns work a great ton .

Kansas

There is plenty of room for the much larger 118 db Supertones but you will likely need to use a relay as I had to do on my 90 LS. The Supertones apparently draw far more amps than standard Lexus horns and the ones I had (which my wife apparently sold at a garage/moving sale in 1999 WITHOUT MY PERMISSION) sounded very weak when powered by the OEM horn wires.

I took the red grills off my Supertone horns and painted them black so they wouldn't show through my 90 LS grill but of course a lot of people want their Supertones to show.

As I think I mentioned in the past, there is a perfect terminal in the underhood fuse box of my 00 LS for powering aftermarket horns, lights, etc. It's located at the very upper left of the fuse box as you face the car -- rearward of the lower bank of relays on the left side of the fuse box.

deanshark

It's good to have a louder horn in an emergency b/c of all these "kids" with the loud music and distracted driving. (Damn, I sound like my father) Hey, I used to be one of them. When I was 17 I had the loudest car stereo in town, and that was way before subs became popular. But the horn, in the 2 years I owned my LS I think I used the horn maybe 4 times. What does blowing your horn at someone do when they make ya mad? Absolutely nothing, except taking a chance the other guy has a road rage problem and he comes and smashes your car.
But, good job Jim, giving it a different sound.

Kansas

I agree. Earlier this year a middle aged guy driving one of the larger pickup trucks (Ford F250?) gave me the finger and screamed at me while he was driving the wrong way on a one way exit out of a shopping center. My guess is that he didn't realize that he was on the wrong side of the median but he was angry when I honked as I swerved out of his path.

One reason I'm having so many close calls is that I have been living by what is starting to seem like a permanent construction zone at the intersections of 87th Street, I-35 and I-69 between Lenexa and Overland Park Kansas. Anybody who lives on the Kansas side of the Kansas City metro area likely knows what I am talking about -- it's been under construction for YEARS!

My daily commute to work starts off dodging dump trucks (I just got a new $1700 OEM windshield because of one) and driving south on I-69 in a 55 mph "work zone", narrow 2-lane (each direction) stretch between temporary concrete barriers with poorly marked lanes. To make it more "interesting", the temporary lane barriers and lanes are moved occasionally to change the traffic pattern.

And then there is the 87th Street corridor near all the construction where there are up to 5 lanes in each direction and the lane lines are so worn away that only us "natives" know where the lanes are supposed to be. It's worse on a bright sunny day when what is left of the lane lines becomes about invisible. Visualize "bumper cars".

The road system around me is going to be great if it ever gets done. But I'm wondering if I will live to see it.

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

maybe find a random car that has a louder+lower horn? i would 100% run a quietish train horn if i was running on air, but otherwise don't care enough to make it work with its own compressor.