Honk!!!

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Jena

Member
Joined
Oct 12, 2010
Messages
9
Do any of you know what the honk sounds like? I thinks the lower the pitch the less offense it sounds.
 
solardude said:
i believe most (if not all) car horns in the United States are set at the key of F.

Really? Thats interesting. Has any one seen a video with the Leafs horn sounding off. I guessing it comes with a car alarm also. how does that sound too?
 
solardude said:
i believe most (if not all) car horns in the United States are set at the key of F.

I've had many cars and every one had a different 'key'. Some were 'deep' sounding, some were in the middle, and some were very high.
 
Jena said:
I guessing it comes with a car alarm also. how does that sound too?

Most factory car alarms do not have a sound. They only cut the ignition. That is my preferred method; an audible alarm from a car does nothing to stop the crime, it only pollutes the air.
 
I tried the horn at the local dealer in town.* The Leaf horn isn't loud enough and a bit wimpy sounding :-(
I'm afraid it won't be commanding enough at freeway speeds.

Replacing the horn will be the first mod I do to the car. I've replaced the horns on both of my 1st gen Insights and our Toyota Tacoma with 2009 Honda Ridgeline horns. Now people can hear the horns on the freeway.

*Nissan made a special stop for 1hr 30 min on the way to load the car onto a semi heading to an LA show. The dealer let us try all the buttons, touch screen features, fold the seats down, etc., just short of not test driving or getting a ride in the car.
 
gasmiser1 said:
I tried the horn at the local dealer in town.* The Leaf horn isn't loud enough and a bit wimpy sounding :-(
I'm afraid it won't be commanding enough at freeway speeds.

Replacing the horn will be the first mod I do to the car. I've replaced the horns on both of my 1st gen Insights and our Toyota Tacoma with 2009 Honda Ridgeline horns. Now people can hear the horns on the freeway.

*Nissan made a special stop for 1hr 30 min on the way to load the car onto a semi heading to an LA show. The dealer let us try all the buttons, touch screen features, fold the seats down, etc., just short of not test driving or getting a ride in the car.

A long time ago (before we had much noise pollution ;) ), I had a VW Rabbit and it had a barely audible horn so I had my mechanic put in duel air horns. People thought a truck was coming! :lol: But it was much safer!
 
One thing I really liked on the Volt (one of the only things) was a little chirping sound that the horn would make as a "pedestrian warning beep" by pulling in the left stem on the steering column (like flashing high-beams in most cars). Hopefully the Leaf will have that type of system as well, as that could be very useful.

I, too, like having a loud horn and many newer cars seem to have wimpy ones. I added twin air horns to my Murano, and it helps a lot. What I always say is that if I have to honk at someone, it had better be loud enough to make them want to change their underwear. :lol:
 
gasmiser1 said:
I tried the horn at the local dealer in town. The Leaf horn isn't loud enough and a bit wimpy sounding :-(
I'm afraid it won't be commanding enough at freeway speeds.
OK, I'll bite. What "commands" do you ask your horn to issue at freeway speeds? How do you avoid road rage responses to them?

So far as I can remember, I have never, in 55+ years of driving, used my horn at freeway speeds.
 
planet4ever said:
gasmiser1 said:
I tried the horn at the local dealer in town. The Leaf horn isn't loud enough and a bit wimpy sounding :-(
I'm afraid it won't be commanding enough at freeway speeds.
OK, I'll bite. What "commands" do you ask your horn to issue at freeway speeds? How do you avoid road rage responses to them?

So far as I can remember, I have never, in 55+ years of driving, used my horn at freeway speeds.
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In the Bay Area, it seems to be a daily event to tap the horn to alert lane wanderers to let them know that you're in their blind spot.

I don't hit the horn with aggressive hot heads that cut me off. That is a recipe to start road rage.
 
gasmiser1 said:
planet4ever said:
gasmiser1 said:
I tried the horn at the local dealer in town. The Leaf horn isn't loud enough and a bit wimpy sounding :-(
I'm afraid it won't be commanding enough at freeway speeds.
OK, I'll bite. What "commands" do you ask your horn to issue at freeway speeds? How do you avoid road rage responses to them?

So far as I can remember, I have never, in 55+ years of driving, used my horn at freeway speeds.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
In the Bay Area, it seems to be a daily event to tap the horn to alert lane wanderers to let them know that you're in their blind spot.

I don't hit the horn with aggressive hot heads that cut me off. That is a recipe to start road rage.

Agreed. Many times I've used my horn on the freeways here in Seattle. People too busy drinking their starbucks and talking on their phone while looking something up on their laptop. Oh, yeah, and leaving one or two brain cells in charge of the whole driving thing. You need a horn that can at least be heard in those conditions, and with cars getting more and more soundproofing, you need a louder horn these days to get people to hear it.

I can't tell you how many people completely ignored the horn in my wife's car. They simply didn't hear it. Start pulling into your lane, you honk, and they never even notice. I finally replaced her horn with a simple $20 one from Napa that ended up being twice as loud as her OEM one.

I feel that a loud horn is a necessary safety requirement. Fortunately, those are usually very easy to swap out, or add to, and I don't think the Leaf will be any different. Would be nice if it's built with a good one, but if not it won't be expensive to upgrade (I assume).
 
I've never had to use my horn when driving at freeway speeds. It's called defensive driving. Don't drive in somebodies blind spot. Either pull up right next to them or stay far enough behind to let them in front of you if they lane change. I realize from watching other drivers that letting somebody in front of you is very difficult, but if you teach yourself to allow it, it makes driving much more pleasurable (for everyone).
 
palmermd said:
I've never had to use my horn when driving at freeway speeds. It's called defensive driving. Don't drive in somebodies blind spot. Either pull up right next to them or stay far enough behind to let them in front of you if they lane change. I realize from watching other drivers that letting somebody in front of you is very difficult, but if you teach yourself to allow it, it makes driving much more pleasurable (for everyone).
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Agreed, however in the congested sections of the Bay Area, even using defensive driving techniques may require the daily horn tap to avoid a situation :cool:

Hopefully with the Leaf, I can do a "horn mod" that won't be too difficult.

(My 2001 Insight horn was located under the front bumper and required removal of the bumper to gain access to the horn. I used the wiring schematic to locate the wiring colors and splice in the new horn, rather than removing the old bumper. The new horn location is on the top radiator support unobstructed with a straight shot forward for the full sound of the horn. Works like a charm.)
 
johnr said:
It would be fun to get an air horn for my bicycle :twisted:

I have a plastic one on my recumbent that is really loud when I need it! If you push easy, you can get a quieter sound; push it all the way, and it is LOUD when you need it. It takes 80 psi to fill and lasts a long time. AIR ZOUND is the brand.
 
An 18-wheeler next to me or a surface street had what sounded like a locomotive horn, much more than the usual semi-truck. Just about blew me out of the car.

+1 on driving in the SF bay area, I have to beep someone away from changing lanes into me a few times a year.
 
DeaneG said:
+1 on driving in the SF bay area, I have to beep someone away from changing lanes into me a few times a year.
I guess I put all my remaining brain cells to work figuring how I can slow enough without getting rammed by the guy behind me, edge to the far side of the lane without scaring the guy on the other side of me, look for an opening to switch lanes, and keep a firm two-handed grip on the steering wheel. No time to move my thumb to the center of the wheel and find the area I can squash to make the horn go off.

Of course, I guess it also helped that most of my freeway driving was on weekends. I usually lived close enough to my work that I could use a commute route off the freeways. [Exception: Two years from Cupertino to Page Mill Road on 280. I hated it!]
 
If everybody adjusted their mirrors correctly this would reduce the blind spot tremendously. Many people have their side-view mirrors adjusted so they can see straight back and see part of their car. This is not optimal as it duplicates part of what you can see in the rear-view mirror and enlarges the blind spot in the process. Fortunately there's a better way. Since I started adjusting them differently I've noticed my blind spots are almost non-existent and I feel much safer.

http://www.smartmotorist.com/car-accessories-fuel-and-maintenance/adjusting-your-mirrors-correctly.html
http://www.websiterepairguy.com/articles/household_tips/adjust_mirrors.html
http://www.wikihow.com/Set-Rearview-Mirrors-to-Eliminate-Blind-Spots
http://blog.motorists.org/how-to-adjust-your-side-view-mirrors/
http://www.cartalk.com/content/features/mirrors/
 
johnr said:
If everybody adjusted their mirrors correctly this would reduce the blind spot tremendously. Many people have their side-view mirrors adjusted so they can see straight back and see part of their car. This is not optimal as it duplicates part of what you can see in the rear-view mirror and enlarges the blind spot in the process. Fortunately there's a better way. Since I started adjusting them differently I've noticed my blind spots are almost non-existent and I feel much safer.

http://www.smartmotorist.com/car-accessories-fuel-and-maintenance/adjusting-your-mirrors-correctly.html
http://www.websiterepairguy.com/articles/household_tips/adjust_mirrors.html
http://www.wikihow.com/Set-Rearview-Mirrors-to-Eliminate-Blind-Spots
http://blog.motorists.org/how-to-adjust-your-side-view-mirrors/
http://www.cartalk.com/content/features/mirrors/

Yep! I told people on here in another thread a long time ago about adjusting their side mirrors to completely eliminate the blind spot. I never have to look back/turn my head, which is unsafe. Years ago, the article I read said to use your rear-view mirror first, then the side mirrors. It gave the procedure on how to adjust them. Most people probably will find that the placement is all the way out or close to that.
 
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