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Subwoofer Installation in Factory Back Door

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KTL

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Discussion starter · #1 · (Edited)
I wanted to add a subwoofer to the existing back door location since the space is already available and didn't need anything extravagant, just something to fill in the bottom end that the 6.5"s can't do. I know I was limited to a 8" shallow subwoofer, ideally that can be used for free air application. The Pioneer TS-A2000LD2 was my first choice, but didn't want to spend almost full price on it, likewise for the Kicker 48CWRT82, Kicker 48CWRT84, or Rockford Fosgate P3SD2-8. Previous Pioneer TS-SW2002D2 had spec'd for free-air use, so I thought the TS-A2000LD2 would support it too, but as it turned out, it doesn't anymore. These were the parts I used.
After taking the back door panel off, I took some depth measurements of the existing location. The blue numbers indicate the depth allowance without the spacer.
164734


All of those subwoofer listed above will work with the spacer, here's the MB Quart.
164735


There was some clearance issue with the spacer due to how the speaker posts were pointed outwardly, so I had to trim it down a bit.
164736


Originally, I had an 8" speaker grill that I used as a template to make the first hole in the panel.
164737


I thought being in the center would've been good, but as it turned out, the actual position was off to the right. Thus, I enlarged it more and got the 10" grill instead.
164738


The MBQ is a dual 4-ohm, so I wired both voice coils in parallel given it a 2-ohm load. Added the first AMP-like connector for easy plug/unplug.
164739


Subwoofer mounted in the back door. Pulled another section of speaker wire through the boot and added extra AMP-like connectors.
164740


I had the entire interior back lower panel out and routed the speaker wire along existing path.
164741
 
Discussion starter · #2 · (Edited)
There were two locations where I could've mounted the amp, under passenger front or rear seat. Passenger front ended up to be a better location with more room to work with and easier to mount.
164742


I could've just let the amp sit on the carpet, but wanted to brace it so it doesn't move around. Cut up a template using a cardboard, found an old license plate lying around, used a tin snip to cut it up and painted it. The brace would be held in by the rear seat bolts.
164743


The power cable was run along the back wall of the engine bay into an existing grommet that fed inside to the cabin.
164744


Once inside, it's routed along the door sill edge to where the front seat was.
164745


The provided RCA cable was too long, so I cut to length and soldered on a pair of used RCA connectors.
164746


The wiring from the radio was run along the side next to the seat so It won't pick up noise from the power cable. Pulled everything under the carpeting.
164747


Mounted the bass knob by the driver's seat.
164748


Bracing on the amp and amp ground connected by the factory bolts. When the seat is moved back, the RF amp is well covered.
164749


With the grill off, it's obvious the cut wasn't perfect, but once on, it looked ok.
164750


I had tried to find a factory panel that had the cut-out and grill already, but those just aren't readily available. Though the MB Q isn't rated for free-air, but it does add a nice thump, and I don't have it turned up so high to rattle the panel.
 
#3 ·
Love the setup, tried something similar with my 10" Shallow-Mount pioneer but it rattled to much for my liking. I probably also made it wrong. Lol!

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk
 
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Discussion starter · #5 ·
TEKSMRT said:
Love the setup, tried something similar with my 10" Shallow-Mount pioneer but it rattled to much for my liking. I probably also made it wrong. Lol!
Click to expand...
Thanks. If I turn the bass knob all the way up, it will rattle the back door and panel, so I keep it halfway. There are also Loud and Bass increment features from the Pioneer headunit, but I kept them at default (off & 0, respectfully). Having the right enclosure is important, luckily, this MBQ in the back door works. I'm not aiming for SPL anyway, just enough to enjoy the music.

NameofUser said:
Ingenious!!! Good job.

Something to consider, add sound deadening (ie Dynamat) to that hatch sheet metal.
Click to expand...
Thanks. Yes, that is something I will consider down the road. I had looked at it before, just didn't realize it can get quite costly! :oops:
 
#7 ·
One thing I would do differently with the speaker spacer is paint the edges to prevent rot. MDF wood acts as a sponge when it comes in contact with water. The spacer seem to work out well and does not seem to stick out that much.
 
Discussion starter · #8 ·
The spacer material I used isn't MDF, but solid wood (not sure of type). I had painted it silver before to somewhat match the overall vehicle color, however, since I had the panel hole cutout snafu, I repainted it black so the gaps would be less visible. The Amazon adapter ring is actually 1/2" thick, the speaker spacer I used is 3/4", which luckily with the speaker over it, didn't push out on the panel as much.
 
#9 ·
Really like this and would love to do it because it doesn't take up any room in the hatch. But, why the "Extra back door panel picked up from a salvage yard"? Is that just so you can return to stock if you decide to sell it?
 
Discussion starter · #10 ·
I think it was mainly because if I f'd it up badly, I'd have a backup so not to make the same mistake. The panel was only $30 since the yard allowed me to walk around and dissemble it myself. I had thought about returning everything back to stock if I do sell the vehicle, but given the work I've put into it and the V6, I'd probably keep it as long as possible. I still like the fact there are no modern sensors that would annoy me while I'm driving.
 
Discussion starter · #11 ·
Here's a picture of the panel's back, and there is actually a trace of what it appears the factory grill would clip onto. This was with the 8" grill cutout, so if I had originally shift it to the left by that edge, the cutout would be just right since that's what I ended up doing.
164836
 
#12 ·
KTL said:
Here's a picture of the panel's back, and there is actually a trace of what it appears the factory grill would clip onto. This was with the 8" grill cutout, so if I had originally shift it to the left by that edge, the cutout would be just right since that's what I ended up doing.
View attachment 164836
Click to expand...
We cut those holes for the speakers by stamping with a hydraulic press. You did us proud with your installation! (Former Toyota supplier plant employee)
 
#13 ·
Can't tell from the photos....did you bolt the spacer to the vehicle metal or use metal screws? Thanks. Also did you put silicon between the spacer and the metal? Does anyone recommend doing this? I see articles that say to and others that don't mention it.
 
#14 ·
FYI for anyone about to do this install following this info. The subwoofer and subwoofer adapter/spacer ring that he provides links for above are not compatible. The adapter ring fits the vehicle, but does not fit the speaker. The hole in the adapter 4irng is about 3/8" to small to allow the sub to flush mount. To clarify I am not talking about the speaker post issue, I am talking about the diameter of the back of the sub. Therefore it is a huge pain and you might as well build your own spacer or find a different sub. Also this sub is not rated for open air and provides almost zero base when installed in the back door. You can crank it up and get some, but then it will rattle the door structure. This is after installing dynamat and putting additional foam supports inside the door to control vibration. Even though I hate having a sub box in the way when loading the cargo area, I will probably be returning to my kicker cx series 10" box.
 
Discussion starter · #15 ·
Tribe01 said:
FYI for anyone about to do this install following this info. The subwoofer and subwoofer adapter/spacer ring that he provides links for above are not compatible. The adapter ring fits the vehicle, but does not fit the speaker. The hole in the adapter 4irng is about 3/8" to small to allow the sub to flush mount. To clarify I am not talking about the speaker post issue, I am talking about the diameter of the back of the sub. Therefore it is a huge pain and you might as well build your own spacer or find a different sub.
Click to expand...
The description for the adapter ring clearly states it's for the Kicker 8" sub because it's already pre-drilled for 8 screw holes. I would assume whoever wants to use it would know that it may not be completely compatible and need some modifications to have the baffle fit over the spacer. The point is the adapter ring DOES fit the factory mounting holes in case someone doesn't want to measure and cut out the spacer specifically for the shallow sub they want to use. If it's a huge pain, then this setup wasn't meant for you. I would've thought these pictures would show you the work that's needed.

Tribe01 said:
Also this sub is not rated for open air and provides almost zero base when installed in the back door. You can crank it up and get some, but then it will rattle the door structure. This is after installing dynamat and putting additional foam supports inside the door to control vibration. Even though I hate having a sub box in the way when loading the cargo area, I will probably be returning to my kicker cx series 10" box.
Click to expand...
I beg to differ on "zero base" since I actually have felt it from the music that I've been listening to. Is it tremendous? No. Will it rattle? Sure. But the music has become more enjoyable for me. There aren't many 8" free-air, shallow sub that will fit in the back door, but I took a risk since I didn't want give up rear cabin space. You do what suits you and if the Kicker box is it, then let it be.
 
#16 ·
KTL said:
I wanted to add a subwoofer to the existing back door location since the space is already available and didn't need anything extravagant, just something to fill in the bottom end that the 6.5"s can't do. I know I was limited to a 8" shallow subwoofer, ideally that can be used for free air application. The Pioneer TS-A2000LD2 was my first choice, but didn't want to spend almost full price on it, likewise for the Kicker 43CWRT82, Kicker 43CWRT84, or Rockford Fosgate P3SD2-8. Previous Pioneer TS-SW2002D2 had spec'd for free-air use, so I thought the TS-A2000LD2 would support it too, but as it turned out, it doesn't anymore. These were the parts I used.
After taking the back door panel off, I took some depth measurements of the existing location. The blue numbers indicate the depth allowance without the spacer.
View attachment 164734

All of those subwoofer listed above will work with the spacer, here's the MB Quart.
View attachment 164735

There was some clearance issue with the spacer due to how the speaker posts were pointed outwardly, so I had to trim it down a bit.
View attachment 164736

Originally, I had an 8" speaker grill that I used as a template to make the first hole in the panel.
View attachment 164737

I thought being in the center would've been good, but as it turned out, the actual position was off to the right. Thus, I enlarged it more and got the 10" grill instead.
View attachment 164738

The MBQ is a dual 4-ohm, so I wired both voice coils in parallel given it a 2-ohm load. Added the first AMP-like connector for easy plug/unplug.
View attachment 164739

Subwoofer mounted in the back door. Pulled another section of speaker wire through the boot and added extra AMP-like connectors.
View attachment 164740

I had the entire interior back lower panel out and routed the speaker wire along existing path.
View attachment 164741
Click to expand...
looks like nice work... how did it sound.?
do all rear doors have this cut out even without factory sub?
i have not taken mine apart to investigate yet.. but would change my plans if worked well.

Thanks
B.
 
#17 ·
KTL said:
The description for the adapter ring clearly states it's for the Kicker 8" sub because it's already pre-drilled for 8 screw holes. I would assume whoever wants to use it would know that it may not be completely compatible and need some modifications to have the baffle fit over the spacer. The point is the adapter ring DOES fit the factory mounting holes in case someone doesn't want to measure and cut out the spacer specifically for the shallow sub they want to use. If it's a huge pain, then this setup wasn't meant for you. I would've thought these pictures would show you the work that's needed.
Click to expand...
I don't think you are following what I am saying. This sub is a larger diameter than the hole in the spacer. Therefore to properly mount you would have to completely recut the inner circle of the spacer. If someone is going to go to that much effort they might as well make their own spacer since it would be easier to cut from a solid piece rather than modifying an existing hole.
 
#18 ·
KTL said:
I beg to differ on "zero base" since I actually have felt it from the music that I've been listening to. Is it tremendous? No. Will it rattle? Sure. But the music has become more enjoyable for me. There aren't many 8" free-air, shallow sub that will fit in the back door, but I took a risk since I didn't want give up rear cabin space. You do what suits you and if the Kicker box is it, then let it be.
Click to expand...
If you are Ok with rattle on a sub install then you are one of the few people that are. Which is fine, but most people aren't going to be ok with that so I want them to be aware before they start this project. As for the amount of base it provides, there is very little. I have my rear speakers replaced with kicker CX series speakers and they provide more base running off of Kenwood deck power than this sub does in open air running off 250 watts. I wish that wasn't the case. I am not wanting deafening base. I just want some good lows to supplement those kicker speakers, but this didn't provide that. I may try another sub first since I have already run the wires and put the spacer in and see if I get better results.
 
Discussion starter · #19 ·
Tribe01 said:
I don't think you are following what I am saying.
Click to expand...
I understand completely what you're saying. I'm saying sub manufacturers aren't going to design their basket around a spacer, there may be some standard requirements for an 8" basket, but sometimes, the tooling or metric/standard scales don't always align perfectly. So it will not be a perfect fit all the time, some modification may be required. I used the spacer as a template to cut out my own, while it fit the 8" Kicker sub I had used in my other vehicle ('12 HL), but the MBQ 8" didn't sit flush, I also had to enlarge the hole diameter as well as cutting notches to fit the speaker posts through. That's how I solve this problem, and posting the pictures to help others who may want to try it out.

Tribe01 said:
If you are Ok with rattle on a sub install then you are one of the few people that are. Which is fine, but most people aren't going to be ok with that so I want them to be aware before they start this project. As for the amount of base it provides, there is very little. I have my rear speakers replaced with kicker CX series speakers and they provide more base running off of Kenwood deck power than this sub does in open air running off 250 watts. I wish that wasn't the case. I am not wanting deafening base. I just want some good lows to supplement those kicker speakers, but this didn't provide that. I may try another sub first since I have already run the wires and put the spacer in and see if I get better results.
Click to expand...
It rattles when I turn the bass knob (45-Hz) up too much, but that's what volume control, eq settings, and gain adjustment are for. I don't blast my music, just comfortable enough to enjoy it, so I rarely hear the rattles. Again, everyone is going to have different experiences depending on what setup you have. The sub has a big presence compared to the Pioneer coax's in my doors. Your Kickers obviously have better low bass extension compared to my Pioneers, so this 8" setup isn't likely what you want.

BounceBuggy said:
looks like nice work... how did it sound.?
do all rear doors have this cut out even without factory sub?
Click to expand...
Thanks. My Pioneer coax's are better than factory speakers, but it had lacked the low end extension, and with this setup, it filled that low end quite nicely. If you have better speakers in the doors, then, you may be disappointed like Tribe01 after having gone through all the trouble. I'm pretty sure all the spare-tire back door has this factory hole there, not sure about the Sport SAP version that doesn't have a spare. The panels are pretty easy to detach since they're all held in by clips. There's only the back door light connector that you'll need to detach, which you can actually pry it out first from the passenger side edge before removing the panel.
 
#20 · (Edited)
KTL said:
I wanted to add a subwoofer to the existing back door location
Click to expand...
I admire the work that you put into this. To me there is plenty of low end even with the factory subwoofer (connected to the OE JBL/Harman Kardon amplifier).

I also hate if anything rattles when listening to music, I hear that daily on Hondas :)

What I didn't like on the OE system was a pronounced "hump" at 9kHz (that some people used to mp3 from phone trough in-ear headphones like) and lack of real top end (14kHz-20kHz).
I measured this audio curve with a sound generator app, and the microphone of my phone. That's why I have replaced the front door factory "tweeters" with 3.5" JBL GTO329 coaxial speakers (premium line, 3 ohm). Yes, those are a bit larger than the panel cutout, but I left it as is. They filled nicely the mid-top end.

Tribe01 said:
I have my rear speakers replaced with kicker CX series speakers
Click to expand...
Do you have the factory amp? If so... do those speakers have 3 ohm coils?
Personally I am looking at the JBL Club 620F series (3 ohm/55W/92dB) or Infinity Reference REF-6532ex series (3ohm/55W/93dB).
 
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