dahoseman Posted February 5, 2013 Share Posted February 5, 2013 I see that some people have built their own spare tire subwoofer enclosures. I'm interested in something that fits in the spare tire, but I'm curious about whether anyone has installed a drop-in spare tire powered subwoofer? Examples: 1. Pioneer TS-WX50a or TS-WX50 (no longer made) 2. Bose unit in the Nissan Murano 3. Bose BassBox in the Porsches and Audis 4. Or something like this guy did http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=582503 If anyone has any experience with any of those, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts. First and foremost, I don't want to give up any storage space, hence the spare tire sub. I don't want any groundshaking bass, but I've noticed that the factory underseat sub in my new-to-me OBXT doesn't have the frequency response that I'd like and bottoms out as well. I did my standard test (Lost Highway Soundtrack - Smashing Pumpkins - Eye) and was disappointed with the range. The factory sub is pretty decent, but there are notes that are completely dropped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dahoseman Posted February 5, 2013 Author Share Posted February 5, 2013 Has anyone been in anyone else's car and heard one of these? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
compsurge Posted February 5, 2013 Share Posted February 5, 2013 Someone on here had it under the floor panel in teh spare area with a spare installed. I found it before in a 4th gen, but here is a 5th gen: http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/my-totally-hidden-subwoofer-install-163093.html Look at the Sound Ordnance B-8PT underseat sub. It might fit the bill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Donated Too sigmafour Posted February 6, 2013 I Donated Too Share Posted February 6, 2013 I have two of those - one under each seat. they are seriously solid and strong units... highly recommend them! LOUD and reliable... daily use for the last two years, no faults, no sonic problems, no rattles (except the bass). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dahoseman Posted February 6, 2013 Author Share Posted February 6, 2013 I was considering the B-8PT, but I doubt it would fit under the seat completely. If I'm putting something under the seat, I need it to fit completely under the seat and not impede foot room. I actually have people in the back and anything that sticks out will get smashed by feet, ski boots and other gear. I actually bought a Kicker 11HS8 Hideaway, which is essentially the same size as the B-8PT (14-1/4"W x 3-1/4"H x 9-3/8"D VS the 8PT's 9-1/8"W x 3-1/4"H x 13-7/8"D). I'm sending it back because the electric seat slowed as it went over it and it stuck out behind the passenger seat when I test fitted it. From looking at the dimensions, the SO unit must stick out about the same. If I'm missing something or did something wrong, let me know. For now, the most simple and practical design seems to be MDF board over the spare with a 10" sub sitting in a cutout. http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=582503 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
underground000 Posted February 6, 2013 Share Posted February 6, 2013 ^Sound Ordnance kinda fits. yes it fits under the passenger seat and does not stick out, fits with carpet, does not pass rear seat bolts. but the passenger seat does not go all the way back and some passengers might not have enough room (my friend who is about 5'5 ish cant stretch legs. Tried playing around with fitment under passenger's seat with no success. Cant mount it under my seat because I have OEM Navi... I do have the MTX RE-Q pair with this and it does sound good/fills in the bass. no its not hard hitting bass 5eat downshift rev match:) Powder coated wheels: completed:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dahoseman Posted February 6, 2013 Author Share Posted February 6, 2013 Thanks for that info. Wow, if someone who is 5'5 ish can't put the seat back far enough to stretch legs, then that's a deal breaker for sure. I'm not sure how the B8PT and Kicker fit so differently if the only real dimensional difference is 5/8" in length. The Kicker was definitely in the way of my foot space when I put it under the passenger seat and sat in the back seat. I imagine that would be annoying after being in the backseat for several hours on a trip. Do the driver's and passenger's seats have different dimensions under the seats? I'm looking for options, but I have two overriding directives with any of my mods: 1) Must not interfere with storage space or passenger space 2) Must appear stock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
underground000 Posted February 6, 2013 Share Posted February 6, 2013 yea, well for the 4th gens.... the passenger's seat has less leg 'stretch' room. i dont know exactly how tall my friend is and 5'5 seemed kinda right... def not under 5' I never fit right in my passenger seat. stiff, not enough lower thigh support and not enough stretch room (when it went all the way back) and I'm 5'11 5eat downshift rev match:) Powder coated wheels: completed:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
compsurge Posted February 6, 2013 Share Posted February 6, 2013 Thanks for that info. Wow, if someone who is 5'5 ish can't put the seat back far enough to stretch legs, then that's a deal breaker for sure. I'm not sure how the B8PT and Kicker fit so differently if the only real dimensional difference is 5/8" in length. The Kicker was definitely in the way of my foot space when I put it under the passenger seat and sat in the back seat. I imagine that would be annoying after being in the backseat for several hours on a trip. Do the driver's and passenger's seats have different dimensions under the seats? I'm looking for options, but I have two overriding directives with any of my mods: 1) Must not interfere with storage space or passenger space 2) Must appear stock Yes. There is a cross bar support under the passenger seat. Give it a look. Another thing: remember when torquing the seat mounting bolts to hand thread them most of the way first. If they are hard to turn, move the seat a bit with your hands. This will prevent you from stripping the threads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
underground000 Posted February 6, 2013 Share Posted February 6, 2013 use a 6 point socket and preferably a torque wrench, if not then make sure the bolt is on tight 5eat downshift rev match:) Powder coated wheels: completed:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dahoseman Posted February 6, 2013 Author Share Posted February 6, 2013 So did you remove the crossbar to fit the SO unit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
compsurge Posted February 6, 2013 Share Posted February 6, 2013 So did you remove the crossbar to fit the SO unit? I don't think you can remove it (welded assembly) . It's is the seat rail. My guess is removing it will cause all kinds of issues with binding when sliding and possibly safety. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hookedontronics Posted February 6, 2013 Share Posted February 6, 2013 i've done several for multiple people. here are a couple i've done. All have been for imprezas http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h135/jacobennis/Subaru%20Audio/closeupofsubandenclosure.jpg http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h135/jacobennis/Subaru%20Audio/wideshot_zps608b630f.jpg http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h135/jacobennis/Subaru%20Audio/IMG_0653.jpg http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h135/jacobennis/Subaru%20Audio/e13f5786.jpg http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h135/jacobennis/Subaru%20Audio/5cc0ee83.jpg http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h135/jacobennis/Subaru%20Audio/79cdf02d_zps0ab71b86.jpg http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h135/jacobennis/Subaru%20Audio/IMG_0054_zps25692830.jpg http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h135/jacobennis/Subaru%20Audio/IMG_0053_zpsfac1c32e.jpg http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h135/jacobennis/Subaru%20Audio/sub1s_zpse2d27810.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dahoseman Posted February 6, 2013 Author Share Posted February 6, 2013 I do like the spare-tire idea. No chance of it getting crushed by feet/boots/gear, which would happen if I had something sticking out from behind the seat. Just to give an idea, I have to have all-weather floor mats, otherwise the the carpet gets chewed up, gouged, and mauled. If anything sticks out even an inch from behind the seat, it better be able to withstand a hammer pounding on it. That space is essentially unused, so I wouldn't mind just dropping in an old Polk DB10 in there that I've had lying around from an old Dodge Diesel truck box. I'm thinking of just making it essentially "ported" as the guy on NASIOC did. The spare tire IS the box and the punched-out spare tire holes act as ports. Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grovlet Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 Stereo Clarity - Legacy Specific Spare Tire Sub Box Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hookedontronics Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 I'm thinking of just making it essentially "ported" as the guy on NASIOC did. The spare tire IS the box and the punched-out spare tire holes act as ports. Thoughts? You can't call that a ported enclosure, it's not even close. What you esential would want with that type of setup would be a "free air" subwoofer, one that is made to be used without an enclosure. All that is, is a sheet that holds a subwoofer. Ported enclosures have to be carefuly designed and build to specification to sound optimal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dahoseman Posted February 19, 2013 Author Share Posted February 19, 2013 Thanks for all the info. I decided to go ahead and make a MDF cover with fiberglass box and modify the stock foam insert. The fiberglass is still curing and I need to seal the foam insert back to itself, but here's the rest of the setup. Even without a fiberglass box, it has already improved the sound. For "quick connects" I grabbed a $4 Walmart trailer wiring harnesses kit and combined 2+2 wires on each side so that I can quickly and easily connect or disconnect the sub from up top if I need to get to the tire. Not fancy, but simple, cheap, and functional. Also interesting, I tapped into the stock subwoofer wiring for audio input. I had thought that the stock subwoofer had hi-level inputs (like my old Forester), but it turns out that they are low level on mine. I didn't realize that some models had hi-level and others have low-level. http://legacygt.com/forums/C:%5CUsers%5CSteven%5CPictures%5CiPod%20Photo%20Cache%5CIMG_0184.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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