thats 110% right
who, me? sure.
No, I used 1/2" ID hose with clamps…the 3/8" ID is just as big, if not bigger, than the 1/2" fittings going into the 1/2" ID hose, so I doubt I lose anything at all. Trust me, it’s loud!
Huh? How is 3/8" ID “just as big, if not bigger, than the 1/2”? It just don’t figure, mon…
Ok, if the hose is 1/2" ID, then how big is the ID of the brass fittings that go inside the 1/2" hose? Maybe 3/8" ID? The ID of my solenoid is 3/8". So, how would there be any reduction when the solenoid and the brass fittings have the same ID?
Unless your 1/2" ID hose accepts brass fittings with an ID of larger than 1/2". I guess those would be “magic” fittings…
NPT hose and fittings are measured by ID so anything rated 1/2" should have an ID of 1/2". In the case of male brass hose barbs, the ID obviously has to be just a bit smaller than 1/2" to allow the barb to fit inside of the hose. And in some cases manifolds, pipe tees, or other couplers can have noticeably smaller ID even if the threads are rated at 1/2" NPT, thus the flow rate will be reduced accordingly. However the same is true for 3/8" ID hose, fittings, manifolds, etc. Nylon tube or vinyl hose and related fittings are even worse because they are measured based on OD thus the actual ID is much smaller for any given size.
A drop down from 1/2" ID to 3/8" ID anywhere in the line will result in 44% less air flow / volume in the line. This is a huge performance drop which is why I invested considerable time and effort to upgrade my system to use 100% 1/2" ID hose and high-flow fittings which have minimal drop. The Milton quick-disconnect fittings that I found are massive, easily 2-3 times larger than the same fittings in 3/8" and they weigh nearly 1 lb. each:
I was initially skeptical of the value in upgrading but I was blown away by the difference it made. My horns had easily double the volume and punch compared to when I was using a few 3/8 adapters and hoses. If you are using Nathan horns then you are stealing from yourself to use anything less than 100% 1/2 ID air hose and high-flow fittings. If your valve solenoid only has 3/8 then time to upgrade to the Shocker XL valve… it will be worth it, I promise… 
No I don’t but I can tell you where I put them lol… Put the 2 smallest ones on the left side in front of the tire (where the windshield washer box is). Second longest bell I put down low sort of running below the transmission firing straight out toward the front. Biggest one is under the hood beside the battery facing down to the ground.
very nice. all my horns are muffled like no other. I had no idea how you fit em all up front. But none of mine are in the engine bay. Thanks
Total cost of my install??? Far far far too much…
MDF 2 x 8x4 sheets
Polished Chequer kicker plate
Spanking new K3’s, 8.5G tank, airlines, dual compressors etc etc
fittings from a plumbing store
accoustic black carpet
LEDs
Stobes
cabling
switches
electric actuators
Black spay paint
Chrome and black HORNBLASTER stickers etc etc
Time taken so far…far far far too long, I think were at about 9 days …three weekends solid, and 7 evenings.
Still working on it. have installed and un installed it completely three times…:eek:
I got my first Jap car show this weekend, so its been mental… but finally tonight I got it to a stage where I’m happy to show it off…
Will post up a complete new picture thread from start to finish when I have a bit more time and I’ve taken some decent pics in the daylight.
My solenoid has a larger ID than the 1/2" barb connectors that connect the hose. I don’t think I am losing any airflow…it’s loud.
If your solenoid has 3/8" NPT ports then the port opening itself may be larger than the ID of some 1/2" NPT barbs, however you still need to use 3/8" connectors on your solenoid and the ID of those connectors will be smaller than the ID of 1/2" connectors. If you are happy with your horn sound and volume then no need to change. I felt the same way and I used a mixture of 1/4" and 3/8" for almost 2 years. But once I upgraded everything to 1/2" high-flow I was blown away by the increase - simply amazing. HB experienced the same thing - see their comments on the Shocker product pages of the website.
Yeah I dunno. Im using 5/8 air hose. Now I dont exactly know the ID and OD but I know my solenoid valve has a 1/2 opening and takes 1/2" pipe thread. My fittings as far as hoses are concerned is 1/2" on the thread side and 5/8" on the hose side. I have no significant bends in my hose and so far its air tight. What does that mean if I half 1/2" - 5/8" hose fittings? Am I shooting MYSELF in the foot? What is the inner diameter of the fitting if the thread size is half inch? Its a pretty big hole I know that much. I can see all the guts and crap inside the valve.
The ID of any fitting depends on the type of fitting. The OD might be 1/2" or 5/8" NPT but the ID can vary. Some fittings are referred to as “high flow” which means they have the biggest ID possible for a given size. If you shop around and look at hundreds of fittings like I did then you will see a big difference. The 1/2" Milton connectors I posted above are about 2-3 times larger than the other 1/4" and 3/8" connectors which I had been using previously. I will post a comparison photo when I get the chance.
If you are using 5/8" ID air hose with 1/2" fittings then you must be making up for the size difference by tightening your hose clamps down tight. This may work but it won’t be ideal. Would be better to switch to 5/8" fittings or just use a 1/2" hose.
took me about 2-3 hours to install it on my Jap car, was not really that hard… i expected it to be harder actually, but installation went smooth, not to mention it was extremely satisfying
the cost: 1000 euro so far, but I might need more gallons of air for my -to arrive- K3
Well Im using compression fittings that are 1/2 pipe thread and 5/8 for the the hose. I dont use hose clams. COMPRESSION. See pic. 
You know what I mean? with the ring inside? I didnt know about the high-flow fittings. I did all my research right here on this forum so I guess I must’ve missed it, but to RE-DO what I’ve done? after fighting with leaks and everything? Heck No. Im good. lol.
I take it you have shockers, just guessing but you will need a whole re-vamp for a K3. hoses, valve, and fittings. AND AIR if youre running smaller than a 5 gal.
There are two issues to be concerned about - air line size and fitting reduction.
Nylon hose or tube is rated based on OD so your 5/8" type B nylon tube actually has an OD of 0.625" and an ID of 0.441". Then the compression fittings reduce the air flow even more because the brass inserts go inside the tube and a portion of the tube is compressed inwards when tightened, so the actual ID of your air flow path is probably somewhere between 0.3" and 0.4" depending on the number and type of fittings used.
Rubber air hose suffers from a similar size drop due to fittings but it is measured on ID to start with so the actual ID will be greater with air hose when compared to tubing, especially since you do not need to use compression fittings and the barb connectors retain their ID when tightened.
I realize it is a real pain in the a.ss to replace your tubing. I have completely removed and re-installed my system at least 3 times and at one point my lower back hurt so bad that I wasn’t able to get up off the creeper. But after having upgraded to an air line with a true ID of 1/2", I can tell you that the improvement in volume and tone were well worth it. And it wasn’t that hard to prevent leaks - I just used loctite medium (blue) from the start and no leaks were found.
Where did you get your pressure regulator?
One other issue to consider: if the regulator you are using is not a high-flow regulator then it could be restricting the air flow rate as well. I avoided using a regulator in my setup for this reason. If your pressure switch cuts off at the desired psi then you shouldn’t need to use a regulator anyway.
Ok, i see what you mean, but, If Im using 5/8 OD air hose, I still have almost 1/2" of ID left on the hose. But, what is the ID of the pipe thread part? Like the hole on my valve that takes 1/2" pipe thread? It seems bigger than a half inch opening.
McMaster-Carr www.mcmaster.com I have the 1/2" 225 CFM. The part no. is 4959K53
Im using a regulator that flows at 225cfm. I feel like thats enough. My desired psi is 200. My pressure switch cuts off @205. Its harmful to the horn to run more than 150 psi. So I keep 200 in the tank (since my tank is so small) and I keep 150 on the valve, ready to honk. The thing is, is everything you do is gonna cause some restriction. Every bend in the line, every fitting and every elbow you put. As far as Im concerned since Im runnin 150 psi out of an available 200, if Im being restricted, I can bump the pressure up till im satisfied, KNOWING that I have more than I really need, but have it in case I need it. Trial and Error I guess.