Nautilus horn on Speed3

[BSTD3]

Hey Guys:

Has anyone tried installing this air horn? I bought one for my 07 MX-5 and love the sound. Was wondering if anyone tried this in their Speed3?

http://www.thompson-automotive.com/Air_Horn.html

The horn works on a 12 volt circuit and draws only up to 18 amps.
Anyone tried this or know if it would work in a Speed3 (or regualr 3 for that matter)?

TIA

 

[Rotus8]

Hey Guys:

Has anyone tried installing this air horn? I bought one for my 07 MX-5 and love the sound. Was wondering if anyone tried this in their Speed3?

http://www.thompson-automotive.com/Air_Horn.html

The horn works on a 12 volt circuit and draws only up to 18 amps.
Anyone tried this or know if it would work in a Speed3 (or regualr 3 for that matter)?

TIA

I have one and it works great. In fact when my son heard it, he had to get one too to put in his pickup.

 

[BSTD3]

Rotus:

Was the install difficult? Where exactly is the horn located?

 

[Rotus8]

Rotus:

Was the install difficult? Where exactly is the horn located?

It was not too difficult, but does take some time. The original wimpy horn is mounted on the driver's side in the front fender. I didn't want to put the Nautalus there because of tight clearances with my CAI so I put it in the same location but on the passenger's side. I made a bracket with a simple piece of strap steel with two 3/8" holes in it, plus a small hole to mount the relay. I put the bracket on an existing bolt on the frame and attached the horn with the bolt that came with it. The relay also came with the horn.

The wiring was a bit of a pain for me. I added a fuse to the fuse panel next to the battery and ran a large wire to the relay across the top of the radiator. I also connected a wire to the original horn wire and ran that to the relay.

If you don't have a CAI it will be a lot easier to mount it in the same place as the orignial horn. You can use the original horn wire directly to the relay and run a much shorter power wire from the fuse box.

 

[BSTD3]

Thanks for the info Rotus8. So this horn is not just a plug and play item? Just inplug the stock horn and install the Nautilus and reconnect the stock wiring to it?

Where you able to install the horn without removing the bumper cover? Is it just a matter of undoing the screws on the belly pan and reaching up from below?

Sorry for all the questions...

 

[Rotus8]

Thanks for the info Rotus8. So this horn is not just a plug and play item? Just inplug the stock horn and install the Nautilus and reconnect the stock wiring to it?

Where you able to install the horn without removing the bumper cover? Is it just a matter of undoing the screws on the belly pan and reaching up from below?

Sorry for all the questions...

The Nautilus draws too much power for the stock horn wiring, so you do have to add a relay and a power feed to it.

I installed mine without removing the bumper, just ramps. I removed the belly pan and undid the screws for both corner splash shields for access.

 

[SHAGwagn]

subbin

 

[MX6toMS3]

Are there any kind of plug-n-play type horn upgrades? I really hate the one it comes with - I doubt anyone would pay attention to me, let alone hear it.
I had an aftermarket on my mx-6 but I don't remember what it was and I didn't install it.

 

[benzo]

i have one installed on my speed. I just wired it seprately of the factory horn. You should install some sort of fuze(obviously). Just ran power to the horn from battery and had an switch mounted in the console for the horn. Located the horn behind the grill to that plastic piece that the hood latch is mounted to. Pretty sweet sounding horn. I am actually thinking about installing another one.

 

[Rotus8]

Are there any kind of plug-n-play type horn upgrades? I really hate the one it comes with - I doubt anyone would pay attention to me, let alone hear it.
I had an aftermarket on my mx-6 but I don't remember what it was and I didn't install it.

I put in a pair of Hella High/Lows first. They don't require any extra wiring, just hook up to the stock wire. But I prefer the sound of the Nautilus so I went to the next level.

I've got the Hellas in a box somewhere if anyone wants them we could make a deal.

 

[BSTD3]

Rotus8:

got any pics of the hellas?

 

[Rotus8]

Rotus8:

got any pics of the hellas?

Sure thing.

 

[MX6toMS3]

Sure thing.

How much are you wanting to sell them for, including shipping to texas?

 

[BSTD3]

Hey guys, you dont need the relay. Since the car has airbags the horn from factory has a relay. I have install over 5 sets already in every one of my cars and no relay is needed if it has an airbag in the steering wheel.
Just for you to know.

Nonopr:

So are you saying the Nautilus horns do not need the relay? Can you just plug in the factory Speed3 harness off the OEM horn to the Nautilus horn WITHOUT issue?

 

[Rotus8]

Nonopr:

So are you saying the Nautilus horns do not need the relay? Can you just plug in the factory Speed3 harness off the OEM horn to the Nautilus horn WITHOUT issue?

The Nautilus does need a relay. The stock horn has a relay, but only a 15 amp fuse with wires to match. The Nautilus draws 18 amps and needs a 20 amp fuse. You can put a 20A fuse in the place, but then you will burn up the wires in time.

 

[Rotus8]

How much are you wanting to sell them for, including shipping to texas?

MX6toMS3 - check your PMs.

 

[BSTD3]

The Nautilus does need a relay. The stock horn has a relay, but only a 15 amp fuse with wires to match. The Nautilus draws 18 amps and needs a 20 amp fuse. You can put a 20A fuse in the place, but then you will burn up the wires in time.

Hey Rotus8:

I bought the Nautilus for my 2007 MX-5 and it was basically unplug the OEM horn and plug in the new one. It also came with a 20A fuse to replace (which I did). Would the wiring be that much different between the MX-5 and Speed3? BTW, I didn't have to use a relay when installing my horn in my MX-5. Wonder what the wires (amps) are in the MX-5?

 

[Rotus8]

Hey Rotus8:

I bought the Nautilus for my 2007 MX-5 and it was basically unplug the OEM horn and plug in the new one. It also came with a 20A fuse to replace (which I did). Would the wiring be that much different between the MX-5 and Speed3? BTW, I didn't have to use a relay when installing my horn in my MX-5. Wonder what the wires (amps) are in the MX-5?

The MX-5 probably has a relay, most do these days. What size fuse did you take out to replace with the 20A? Manufacturers these days use wire sizes as small as possible due to weight and cost. The size of the wire is gaged to the fuse size. Putting a larger size fuse means that the wire could burn up before the fuse blows. A horn generally is not run for a very long time so you will probably get away with it if you don't lean on the horn.

The other potential problem you can have with a wire size that is too small is at high current there will be voltage drop in the wire and you won't get full voltage at the horn. This can cause the compressor to run slowly and may shorten the life of the brushes.

This whole thing is not too big a deal, but if you can it is always better to do it the right way.

 

[BSTD3]

Rotus8:

I replaced a 15A fuse on my MX-5 with the recommended 20A fuse from Thompson Automotive http://www.thompson-automotive.com/Air_Horn.html

I asked the vendor specifically if this horn would work in the Speed3, and he mentioned it shouldn't have any issues. That prompted me to start this post and ask questions. I think I may purchase another Nautilus air horn and give her a go on the Speed3. thanks for all your input...

 

[Rotus8]

How much are you wanting to sell them for, including shipping to texas?

I listed them in the FS section for $10 plus postage.