[R2D2]

Originally Posted by Darth Sid

The stock horns in my '15 Swift were a pair of small sized Hella units. Not sure what their current draw is but when I installed the Hella Supertone (Red Grill) I installed a relay and 6 sq mm wires. Current draw of those is 5.5-6 Amps each. I don't think the stock horns draw that much. Had you bought genuine Megasonic horns you would not have needed a relay since they only draw 4 Amps each. To be safe I suggest you add a relay. My post about this installation is probably on the previous page.

I agree, the stock horns probably draw about 3A each and the relay (if any) is appropriately rated.

But if you install high power horns of 5-6A each it's best to install a separate relay bypassing the original wiring (whose gauge/cross section is also rated as per OEM specs) and taking a direct connection from the battery terminal. 2.5 sq mm or better should do the job.

Do not take risks with electrical fittings as they can cause a fire hazard. Make sure the tech installs a 15A blade or cartridge fuse on the +ve line less than 12" from the terminal.

I purchased a pair of Hella Red grills many years ago and am still to install them. This thread is acting like a catalyst.

[The Dude]

Hey guys,

I am looking to change the horn of my Grand i10. Most of you must be knowing that it is not that powerful a horn and I have a few questions.
1. Will it affect the warranty (mine is a 3 month old car)?
2. Will it be as reliable as the stock horns of different cars?
3. I would like a horn that is not irritating but loud enough to move out of the way( have been particularly fond of VW horns)
4. Anywhere in Trivandrum for fitting?
5 . Budget of +/- 2K
6. Good brand
7. Waterproof (Car has to see a lot of water)
Any tips would be nice.

Thanks in advance.

[swift_guy]

Originally Posted by R2D2

I agree, the stock horns probably draw about 3A each and the relay (if any) is appropriately rated.

But if you install high power horns of 5-6A each it's best to install a separate relay bypassing the original wiring (whose gauge/cross section is also rated as per OEM specs) and taking a direct connection from the battery terminal. 2.5 sq mm or better should do the job.

Do not take risks with electrical fittings as they can cause a fire hazard. Make sure the tech installs a 15A blade or cartridge fuse on the +ve line less than 12" from the terminal.

I purchased a pair of Hella Red grills many years ago and am still to install them. This thread is acting like a catalyst.

Thank you for the advice. Current horns are 3 Amp
each. Do I still need to get an additional relay? If so, I might switch back to OEM ones instead of this relay and wiring mess.

Originally Posted by Darth Sid

The stock horns in my '15 Swift were a pair of small sized Hella units. Not sure what their current draw is but when I installed the Hella Supertone (Red Grill) I installed a relay and 6 sq mm wires. Current draw of those is 5.5-6 Amps each. I don't think the stock horns draw that much. Had you bought genuine Megasonic horns you would not have needed a relay since they only draw 4 Amps each. To be safe I suggest you add a relay. My post about this installation is probably on the previous page.

Yes I went through that post. Current horns are 3 Amp each (and 6 Amp was for set) and I guess I won't need an additional relay. One thing I didn't understand was that you are using stock low tone horn also? Are you running 3 horns at a time?

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by swift_guy

Thank you for the advice. Current horns are 3 Amp
each. Do I still need to get an additional relay? If so, I might switch back to OEM ones instead of this relay and wiring mess.

Yes, you would need an additional after market relay. It's simple, the OEM factory fitted relay is probably designed for constant load of 6A (so it is designed to carry about 9-10A max assuming a margin of about 50% over max load possible) while your Hellas have a 12A total draw requiring a relay of about 15-20A. Keeping a margin is very important unless you want that relay to fail prematurely.

To install or not is your call really. But I'd recommend it because I am careful about potential electrical fire hazards in the car caused by less than sensible wire & relay sizing and haphazard installations.

Avoid cutting into OEM wire harnesses as much as possible. They are expensive to replace.

[swift_guy]

Originally Posted by R2D2

Yes, you would need an additional after market relay. It's simple, the OEM factory fitted relay is probably designed for constant load of 6A (so it is designed to carry about 9-10A max assuming a margin of about 50% over max load possible) while your Hellas have a 12A total draw requiring a relay of about 15-20A. Keeping a margin is very important unless you want that relay to fail prematurely.

To install or not is your call really. But I'd recommend it because I am careful about potential electrical fire hazards in the car caused by less than sensible wire & relay sizing and haphazard installations.

Avoid cutting into OEM wire harnesses as much as possible. They are expensive to replace.

Oops, I think I did not make myself clear. I have not got Hellas but some local-made horns which look similar to Roots Megasonic. They (i.e. the local ones I have) have a total draw of 6 Amps max. (i.e. 3 Amp each horn, 6 Amp for set). So I think the stock relay would be enough, what do you think?

But as you said, that there is a potential fire hazard without a relay, I am thinking of going back to stock horns. Installers here don't know how to add a relay without cutting OEM wires, and doing it as a DIY would be a tedious task. The local horns aren't very loud anyway, they have a heavier "bheep" sound as opposed to the irritating "peenp" of stock.

[Darth Sid]

Originally Posted by swift_guy

Yes I went through that post. Current horns are 3 Amp each (and 6 Amp was for set) and I guess I won't need an additional relay. One thing I didn't understand was that you are using stock low tone horn also? Are you running 3 horns at a time?

Oh, yeah... When I was done fitting the new horns and completed the wiring, I realised the stock low tone was still installed and connected. I was too lazy to remove that so I let it be. New pair runs on my wiring and the stock low tone on the stock wiring. Three horns. No cutting was done anywhere. Took me an hour to remove the new horns and their wiring and the 100/90W setup before I took the car for its second service. Then another hour to put all of it back on afterwards.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by swift_guy

Oops, I think I did not make myself clear. I have not got Hellas but some local-made horns which look similar to Roots Megasonic. They (i.e. the local ones I have) have a total draw of 6 Amps max. (i.e. 3 Amp each horn, 6 Amp for set). So I think the stock relay would be enough, what do you think?

Buddy, can I be honest with you? IF and that's a big IF those locally made horns are accurately rated for current draw then get a relay fitted. Believe me, you do not want a fire hazard in your car. I believe in erring on the side of caution.

Save yourself future inconvenience and get a pair of Hellas/Roots/Bosch/Denso horns. These are OEM suppliers and quality is good. Thing is, they are not very expensive, and these suppliers rate their horns pretty accurately.

Installers here don't know how to add a relay without cutting OEM wires, and doing it as a DIY would be a tedious task. The local horns aren't very loud anyway, they have a heavier "bheep" sound as opposed to the irritating "peenp" of stock.

OEM wires don't need to be cut if one does this job in a methodical manner. Just use spade connectors of a size that matches those fitted at the factory. No need to splice/solder/twist-and-join wires. Unfortunately most folks in India do not take safety seriously. It's a mind set. If your auto electrician does not know how to do this take it to someone who does.

But if there's absolutely no one who can do a good job with the wiring then stick to your OEM horns.

[swift_guy]

Originally Posted by R2D2

Buddy, can I be honest with you? IF and that's a big IF those locally made horns are accurately rated for current draw then get a relay fitted. Believe me, you do not want a fire hazard in your car. I believe in erring on the side of caution.
...

OEM wires don't need to be cut if one does this job in a methodical manner. Just use spade connectors of a size that matches those fitted at the factory. No need to splice/solder/twist-and-join wires. Unfortunately most folks in India do not take safety seriously. It's a mind set. If your auto electrician does not know how to do this take it to someone who does.

But if there's absolutely no one who can do a good job with the wiring then stick to your OEM horns.

Sure thing sir. I will switch to OEM horns this weekend. In NCR, auto electricians are too lazy to care for our cars and do the wiring as I will direct them to. They will definitely splice somewhere and I will be at loss. Too much wiring (like connection from battery terminal) means raised eyebrows of service advisors. One fellow reminds me everytime that "Saar your warranty is void" seeing the power cable for the amp from battery terminal. Truth is that no wires are cut and I can change back to normal in minutes.

I got tempted and took this local-made set for 500 bucks and the seller gave a demo comparison also, in which these sounded heavier (not louder) than Roots Megasonic. Let's not take chances for these small things when I have spent six big ones on the car.

[Darth Sid]

Originally Posted by swift_guy

Sure thing sir. I will switch to OEM horns this weekend. In NCR, auto electricians are too lazy to care for our cars and do the wiring as I will direct them to. They will definitely splice somewhere and I will be at loss. Too much wiring (like connection from battery terminal) means raised eyebrows of service advisors. One fellow reminds me everytime that "Saar your warranty is void" seeing the power cable for the amp from battery terminal. Truth is that no wires are cut and I can change back to normal in minutes.

I got tempted and took this local-made set for 500 bucks and the seller gave a demo comparison also, in which these sounded heavier (not louder) than Roots Megasonic. Let's not take chances for these small things when I have spent six big ones on the car.

Even I don't trust electricians to do these simple jobs cleanly. I stay in NOIDA and did the horn installation on my Swift and Duke myself. I even did the whole HID retrofit on my Duke myself. Wiring a set of horns is actually the simplest DIY job you can do since the circuit is so basic. Reverting the wiring before taking the car to a service centre doesn't take much time. It took me one hour because I have to take the bumper off to get to the horns.

[rakesh_r]

Originally Posted by The Dude

Hey guys,

I am looking to change the horn of my Grand i10. Most of you must be knowing that it is not that powerful a horn and I have a few questions.
1. Will it affect the warranty (mine is a 3 month old car)?
2. Will it be as reliable as the stock horns of different cars?
3. I would like a horn that is not irritating but loud enough to move out of the way( have been particularly fond of VW horns)
4. Anywhere in Trivandrum for fitting?
5 . Budget of +/- 2K
6. Good brand
7. Waterproof (Car has to see a lot of water)
Any tips would be nice.

Thanks in advance.

You can buy the horns that come on the Creta (they come with the VW type). You can ask your HASS to do the installation. In that way,you don't loose on the warranty.
Regarding waterproof,you will have to locate a good place inside the engine bay since the ones that come in the Creta though are certified waterproof do not perform well if water gets inside.

[swift_guy]

Originally Posted by rakesh_r

You can buy the horns that come on the Creta (they come with the VW type). You can ask your HASS to do the installation. In that way,you don't loose on the warranty.
Regarding waterproof,you will have to locate a good place inside the engine bay since the ones that come in the Creta though are certified waterproof do not perform well if water gets inside.

Does Creta come with trumpets?

Trumpets aren't the best choice when 'waterproof' word is considered.

[rakesh_r]

Originally Posted by swift_guy

Does Creta come with trumpets?

Trumpets aren't the best choice when 'waterproof' word is considered.

The creta comes with nice and loud sounding trumpets and yes,have agree in the water resistant part.
PS-I have been using Seger trumpets on my swift since 3 years.Installed them at the same place where the stock horns were.Still going strong even when the car had seen the worst of the Mumbai Monsoon.

[Sheel]

My Hella red grills were acting up and I thought, it is the end of the road for them. Went to my trusted electrician and he opened them up, cleaned the points and it is working as new.

As per him, if next time round it stops working, he will change the points with the ones on roots [they fit and roots is available]. Points are available for [approx] Rs. 200+ for a pair.

I believe once a year, horns too require a visit to its service center

[saadat1992]

Originally Posted by rakesh_r

You can buy the horns that come on the Creta (they come with the VW type). You can ask your HASS to do the installation. In that way,you don't loose on the warranty.
Regarding waterproof,you will have to locate a good place inside the engine bay since the ones that come in the Creta though are certified waterproof do not perform well if water gets inside.

I'm not sure about Hyundai, but Toyota refused to install Innova's horns in my car even when I offered to pay them. They said it was against the norms to do so.

[Jag4]

Hello all, I own a 2012 Hyundai i20 Crdi sportz model which has been running on Hella Red grills since Day 1. After about 4 years of usage, the Airbag Warning light came up on the dash recently. The horns run on the stock wiring with the stock relay.

Upon further investigation by the Hyundai Service center folks I was told that due to the usage of 'High Powered' Horns the switch next to the Airbag Sensor has gone kaput so I need to revert to stock Horns and get the sensor replaced for approximately Rs.2000.Red grills are rated @ 55w vs stock horns @35w(Last I checked).

Now I wanted to confirm if anybody else has ever faced a similar issue in their cars since there are a lot of Airbag equipped variants of every vehicle these days.