Horn Upgraded on Gen1 R1S

[DJTeePee]

Horn upgraded using the @RealWheelsEV upgrade kit. My son did the work and said, "It was pretty straightforward." He followed the upgrade instructions posted here.




After-install test videos below

1st Test




Outdoor Test

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[perryinflight]

Gen1 or Gen2? Eager to find something that works for G2, but haven’t found much available yet.

 

[runningdenver]

there are lots of threads about upgrading the horn. I did mine this time last year - later gen 1. The later gen 1s (from memory March 23 on, although double check) are VERY easy to do yourself. You just remove a few screws from the passenger front wheel well, use this to split the existing cable:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09HQFVG92?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

Have the old horn on one splice, and add another like this on the other, and find an attach point and attach.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000VU51C6?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

It took me less than 10 minutes, cost less than $30, and the horn is much more suited to a 3.5 ton vehicle now !

 

[Magicbus]

I was honking my gen 1 OEM horn at a deer the other day (didn't bother him but made me feel better) and I had to open my window because I couldn't hear my own horn!

 

[Mathme]

I've had the Real Wheels Kit for over a year now. It's easy to install and has held up well. No longer a member of the whimpy horn club.

 

[Ldiggs910]

Hey guys

New to all this Rivian talk here

picked up my 2025 R1S dual motor performance Dec 2024 which was delivered with faulty surround sensors and map light/ hazard panel.

A good horn in NYC is essential and I’d already noticed, mine was single trumpet sounding and weak, more suited for a Chevy Nova than a bigboy suv.

When I took it for service, they gave me a Launch Edition Quad R1S and sure enough I was forced to use the horn and to my surprise… it was a normal appropriate sounding horn!

so my next communication with the service center was to add “broken horn” to the list of complaints to be addressed.

Lo and behold upon pickup, service explained that Rivian vacillated back and forth between dual and single trumpet horns on different iterations. So my setup isn’t defective, simply an unlucky/insufficient horn recipient.

I’ll definitely be looking into this upgrade

 

[R1TandMe]

So this video is for a gen1 since there are two batteries. How is the installation on a gen2

 

[DJTeePee]

Gen1 or Gen2? Eager to find something that works for G2, but haven’t found much available yet.

Gen 1

 

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

I knew it was gonna be good when I saw the trains in the background in the video thumbnail. ?

 

[Glembi2]

I knew it was gonna be good when I saw the trains in the background in the video thumbnail. ?

Being mistaken for a train is a compliment!

 

[SoCal72]

Before owning a Rivian, I read about people complaining about the wimpy horn. I thought, really?
Then I got my R1S one and used it the other day and wow, super disappointed.I don't think anyone listening to music their car would hear it at all. Went on this thread hoping someone had a replacement option. Good Luck and hope no one ever needs to use it soon

 

[Tango45]

Well, since we're talking about horns... I did the @RealWheelsEV upgrade a while ago and the wife hates the sound. Has anyone replaced the horn that comes in the kit with anything else? Still looking for volume, but a change in tone would probably do it. I've been delaying doing something about it, but one of my frunk lights is out and so I have to chase that down anyway. I'm just not sure if I can slap on a new horn from amazon/autozone/etc.

 

[OneTakeWyatt]

there are lots of threads about upgrading the horn. I did mine this time last year - later gen 1. The later gen 1s (from memory March 23 on, although double check) are VERY easy to do yourself. You just remove a few screws from the passenger front wheel well, use this to split the existing cable:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09HQFVG92?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

Have the old horn on one splice, and add another like this on the other, and find an attach point and attach.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000VU51C6?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

It took me less than 10 minutes, cost less than $30, and the horn is much more suited to a 3.5 ton vehicle now !

The link on Amazon has multiple horns. Did you get the high tone, the low tone, or both?
Video of how it sounds now?

 

[runningdenver]

The link on Amazon has multiple horns. Did you get the high tone, the low tone, or both?
Video of how it sounds now?

I got the red one, the 'high tone only', and paired that with the existing single tone horn to create a louder dual tone. This is the thread I used. See the photos about halfway down page 4 from Haloeyes. If you have the horn on the passenger side, this is a very simple way to change it. Turn the wheel, remove 6 or so screws, and you're right there.

https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/...ics-video-sound-clip.22096/page-2#post-467574

 

[OneTakeWyatt]

I got the red one - the 'universal high tone', and then paired


I got the red one, the 'high tone only', and paired that with the existing single tone horn to create a louder dual tone. This is the thread I used. See the photos about halfway down page 4 from Haloeyes. If you have the horn on the passenger side, this is a very simple way to change it. Turn the wheel, remove 6 or so screws, and you're right there.

https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/...ics-video-sound-clip.22096/page-2#post-467574

Fantastic, thank you so much! Got my R1S-G1 in June ‘23 so I’ll check the horn location this weekend. Hoping it’s the easy location you identified.

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