[ThreeShark]

Hey guys, just bought a 2009 Rav4 as my first car. I have the non JBL and no navigation model. I am looking to put a sub in the car. I don’t want to lose any cargo space. I was looking for the storage area in the cargo area to put the sub. I’m wondering where did you guys put your subs and amp and what are your setups. Pictures are very helpful. Thanks ❤

 

[Hoop4]

Hey guys, just bought a 2009 Rav4 as my first car. I have the non JBL and no navigation model. I am looking to put a sub in the car. I don’t want to lose any cargo space. I was looking for the storage area in the cargo area to put the sub. I’m wondering where did you guys put your subs and amp and what are your setups. Pictures are very helpful. Thanks ❤

Four 15's take up a lot of space. Gotta break an egg to make an omelet.

Just kidding. Which amp, sub and box are you checking out?

I've thought of putting a compact amp in the useless plastic organizing bins under the cargo area. The unused spare tire area is utterly massive under the cargo mat. You could get a small-medium sized box down there and lose no cargo space! The 4.3 would probably be the best of all RAVs for this project.

 

[ThreeShark]

Four 15's take up a lot of space. Gotta break an egg to make an omelet.

Just kidding. Which amp, sub and box are you checking out?

I've thought of putting a compact amp in the useless plastic organizing bins under the cargo area. The unused spare tire area is utterly massive under the cargo mat. You could get a small-medium sized box down there and lose no cargo space! The 4.3 would probably be the best of all RAVs for this project.

Yeah this is where I was looking to put it but I need to fin the what sub/box/amp I will be using

 

[Hoop4]

Yeah this is where I was looking to put it but I need to fin the what sub/box/amp I will be using

If you end up needing a very compact amp check out
Punch 400 Watt Full-Range 4-Channel Amplifier | Rockford Fosgate ®

Power Marine 400 Watt Class-ad 2-Channel Amplifier| Rockford Fosgate ®

The TM400X2ad is a 400 Watt 2-channel amplifier with high efficiency Class-ad technology and a conformal coated pc board designed for motorsport and marine applications.

rockfordfosgate.com

They do get warm compared to traditional amps but I've ran the little amps hard in high temperatures unimaginable to Canada and not overheated them. Highly recommend. But I do suspect a traditional sized amp will fit fine. Some plastic removal may be needed but in my experience those hidden cargo trays are too far back and buried in cargo mats to be accessible.

 

[ewilda100]

My biggest recommendation like you guys already said... as long as you don't have the 3rd row seats would be putting it in that huge storage space under the trunk. That is exactly what I did and full built a custom fitted fiberglass box down there. Takes some time and energy but worth every minute and absolutely love it. When I load the trunk I can easily just close the panel, still get some bass, and all my storage space. Here is a few photos of what I did. I also have a post about it on my car instagram page @wild_rav4 that has a couple of progress photos.

 

[Hoop4]

My biggest recommendation like you guys already said... as long as you don't have the 3rd row seats would be putting it in that huge storage space under the trunk. That is exactly what I did and full built a custom fitted fiberglass box down there. Takes some time and energy but worth every minute and absolutely love it. When I load the trunk I can easily just close the panel, still get some bass, and all my storage space. Here is a few photos of what I did. I also have a post about it on my car instagram page @wild_rav4 that has a couple of progress photos.
View attachment 177558 View attachment 177557

The goodness keeps coming from your Rav! And you have auxiliary reverse lights too An ewilda build thread coming up? Or maybe list mods in signature

 

[ewilda100]

The goodness keeps coming from your Rav! And you have auxiliary reverse lights too An ewilda build thread coming up? Or maybe list mods in signature

hahaha I really should for all the people that want to know and have questions. I just hate starting forums just about me lol. I've definitely put some work into this RAV though and have for sure had some fun with it and still am!

 

[Richsadams]

hahaha I really should for all the people that want to know and have questions. I just hate starting forums just about me lol. I've definitely put some work into this RAV though and have for sure had some fun with it and still am!

Sounds great! (See what I did there? ) I’d love to hear the details myself!

 

[ewilda100]

Sounds great! (See what I did there? ) I’d love to hear the details myself!

Let me know what you guys want to hear! I just don't know where to start so start asking away and I'll answer what I can!

 

[Richsadams]

Let me know what you guys want to hear! I just don't know where to start so start asking away and I'll answer what I can!

Guess I'm looking for guidance to get a little more oomph out of ours. It has the JBL system with the sub in the back door. I'd like to replace the head unit but continue to use the OEM amp to power a sub, something like you've done, if that's possible. Or at most, use the bass line out from the JBL amp to an auxiliary amp and then to a sub setup like yours. I'm fine with replacing the mids and tweeters (using bass blockers or crossovers as needed.). However I'd rather not install a whole new system if I can avoid it. I don't want to rattle the mirror, just have a better, more solid and less muddy base than we have now.

TIA for any more advice!

 

[ewilda100]

Guess I'm looking for guidance to get a little more oomph out of ours. It has the JBL system with the sub in the back door. I'd like to replace the head unit but continue to use the OEM amp to power a sub, something like you've done, if that's possible. Or at most, use the bass line out from the JBL amp to an auxiliary amp and then to a sub setup like yours. I'm fine with replacing the mids and tweeters (using bass blockers or crossovers as needed.). However I'd rather not install a whole new system if I can avoid it. I don't want to rattle the mirror, just have a better, more solid and less muddy base than we have now.

TIA for any more advice!

Totally! Biggest thing I could recommend for getting your speaker/sub and all sounding better is taking some time, removing all the door panels and adding some Kilmat or similar butyl material behind the speakers. This will definitely make everything sound much better especially with the JBL system I would say you need to upgrade mids and tweeters if you add butyl behind it all.

With the sub, since it is just built in and there is no sealed or ported box to it you are not going to get any crazy bass like you said. Even if you were to just get a single 8 inch sub and tuck that away somewhere or possibly a 10 inch it will give you some much clearer bass. If you do that I would almost say take out the factory one lol.

Getting a new head unit I would make sure it gives you the capability to tune fading and all of your speakers. Essentially you'd want to remove all the low notes from your midrange and tweeters and have the sub focus on those and at higher volumes it will be much more defined and you won't lose the music to a staticky sound... at least that it what mine did stock.

 

[KTL]

Guess I'm looking for guidance to get a little more oomph out of ours. It has the JBL system with the sub in the back door. I'd like to replace the head unit but continue to use the OEM amp to power a sub, something like you've done, if that's possible.

I had installed an 8" in the factory back door location since mine never had one. It can only accept a shallow type due to the depth that I had measured. You could try to change the OEM to something better, but you'll need a 2-ohm DVC, since that's what the JBL sub channel output.

I'm fine with replacing the mids and tweeters (using bass blockers or crossovers as needed.). However I'd rather not install a whole new system if I can avoid it. I don't want to rattle the mirror, just have a better, more solid and less muddy base than we have now.

You don't need to spend a fortune to replace the speakers, I had changed the factory to Pioneer coaxes at first, but finally settled on the JBL GTO, powered by an older Alpine 4-ch that is fed through an aftermarket Pioneer headunit. You could replace the speakers and should see an improvement in sound quality.

I can turn up the volume to 90% without any distortion or rattling (depending on music), but would like to add some Kilmat or Dynamat later on.

 

[Richsadams]

I had installed an 8" in the factory back door location since mine never had one. It can only accept a shallow type due to the depth that I had measured. You could try to change the OEM to something better, but you'll need a 2-ohm DVC, since that's what the JBL sub channel output.


You don't need to spend a fortune to replace the speakers, I had changed the factory to Pioneer coaxes at first, but finally settled on the JBL GTO, powered by an older Alpine 4-ch that is fed through an aftermarket Pioneer headunit. You could replace the speakers and should see an improvement in sound quality.

I can turn up the volume to 90% without any distortion or rattling (depending on music), but would like to add some Kilmat or Dynamat later on.

All good advice. I've stuck to either JBL Club or Rockford Fosgate speakers and had pretty good results.

Totally! Biggest thing I could recommend for getting your speaker/sub and all sounding better is taking some time, removing all the door panels and adding some Kilmat or similar butyl material behind the speakers. This will definitely make everything sound much better especially with the JBL system I would say you need to upgrade mids and tweeters if you add butyl behind it all.

With the sub, since it is just built in and there is no sealed or ported box to it you are not going to get any crazy bass like you said. Even if you were to just get a single 8 inch sub and tuck that away somewhere or possibly a 10 inch it will give you some much clearer bass. If you do that I would almost say take out the factory one lol.

Getting a new head unit I would make sure it gives you the capability to tune fading and all of your speakers. Essentially you'd want to remove all the low notes from your midrange and tweeters and have the sub focus on those and at higher volumes it will be much more defined and you won't lose the music to a staticky sound... at least that it what mine did stock.

I've used FatMat Rattletrap Sound Deadener over the years. It does a terrific job of making a "normal" vehicle sound like a million bucks while keeping unwanted sounds out. Think refrigerator when you close the door.

Thanks guys!🙏

 

[mcmexican]

ewilda100
very nice work!! Definitely in agreeance with making use of the storage underneath. I went sealed box (like the balance) and had room for a capacitor and compact amp to feed my sub. I pull the mat over when I'm carrying groceries and suck in the back but saves the use of the full back if I'm moving anything big (as you can see by the dents in the grill).

 

[WI_Hedgehog]

I'm working on this myself, have all of the interior removed except the door panels...they're next.

I see guys here putting JL Audio and Focal in...WTF. It will never sound "great." The most you can hope for is "really, really good, relatively speaking" so match your components accordingly.

Think about listening to a quality sound system. Are you picturing yourself in a sewer pipe? Oversized tuna can with a monkey banging on it like a steel drum? Because that's basically what any vehicle is, a tiny, cramped, unsuitable listening space with lots of reflective surfaces most of the drivers (speakers) are firing at instead of the listener.

From an engineering perspective, the first thing you want to do is get rid of the monkey. I don't know if you noticed this, but it's PRETTY LOUD inside a RAV4, and without changing out all the glass it's always going to be imperfect. However, it's better to cut the road noise down to a manageable level than to try to overpower it. There are several threads on this, some going into pretty good detail on what to expect.

Next, read up on SPL and plan out a system that's not going to tax your alternator. Please. We can do so much better with so much less.
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