Just bought a Kicker C15 Subwoofer and I plan on mounting it in the cargo area in place of the spare. I'm using a sheet of wood to replace the current spare cover and I am wondering if the subwoofer should be enclosed, or if it will be fine just face mounted to the spare cover...


If it makes any difference, the mounting depth on the speaker is 7 3/8"

I've never heard of anyone doing this. Most subwoofers have recommended enclosures and ports but if you think it sounds good I don't see why not. It might rattle the board depending on the subwoofer and how tight you cut the board and OFC make the the subwoofer will fit. Goodluck!

Well, it doesn't matter if you face the sub into the enclosure or out of it, but you're going to need to seal the box so it's airtight and would want to fill it with something for dampening the sound (fiberglass insulation) since the steel in the hatch isn't an ideal sub box.

DearestNameless said:

I've never heard of anyone doing this. Most subwoofers have recommended enclosures and ports but if you think it sounds good I don't see why not. It might rattle the board depending on the subwoofer and how tight you cut the board and OFC make the the subwoofer will fit. Goodluck!

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Well, I've done some thinking and thought it would be a good alternative to having a box hanging out in the back while keeping a custom look...

I'm sound dampening the area, and the board will rest on dense foam supports... Hopefully it shouldn't rattle too much!

I'll post some pics when I get into the project...

Youre really gonna wanna seal the box. Just build one down inside the spare tire well. Its not hard and wont cost very much at all. Use 3/4 MDF wood or, if you want a little more air space, fiberglass it. Fiberglass might cost a little more in the end but its worth it.

jdodds said:

Youre really gonna wanna seal the box. Just build one down inside the spare tire well. Its not hard and wont cost very much at all. Use 3/4 MDF wood or, if you want a little more air space, fiberglass it. Fiberglass might cost a little more in the end but its worth it.

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Okay, that's the answer I was looking for!

Is it worth porting, or will it be fine sealed?

i would just seal it up tight because if it is a 15 kicker you will wanna seal it good and tight because if there is really and air gaps you might lose some bass

I dont mean to sound like an ass, but judging by the simple questions your asking it sounds like you should let a professional do it. All subs need enclosures built to a specific measurment to get the most out of it. If you wanted to just drop it in the floor board you should have at least looked for a free air sub. Theres only one way to learn though and thats doing it on your own.

Austin26372 said:

Okay, that's the answer I was looking for!

Is it worth porting, or will it be fine sealed?

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a 15" kicker comp requires more air space then the area the spare tire was, a 10" 300wrms sub would work ok in that area, keep in mind you need to make the entire thing air tight in order for the sub to work, and if you mount the sub backwards you need to reverse the polarity of the magnets. Call kicker and find out how many cubic feet your sub needs in a sealed enclosure. My old 12"kicker comp required 1.75 cf, a 15" sub will require much more.

Venting the sub is a bad idea, ported enclosures are specially designed to reflect the sound waves and ported enclosures require about 3x more volume then sealed ones, and that space is to small already.

Specs (per the manual):

* Nominal impedance [Zn], ohm - 4 or 8
* Resonance Frequency [fs], Hz - 21.7
* Power Handling Watts, Peak (RMS) - 500 (250)
* Sensitivity [SPLo], dB @ 1W, 1m - 90.2
* Effective Excursion [EXmaxTM], in (mm) - .45 (11.53)
* DC Resistance [Re], ohm - 3.32
* Mechanical Q-Factor [Qms] - 11.20
* Electrical Q-Factor [Qes] - .397
* Total Q-Factor [Qts] - .383
* Equivalent Volume [Vas], ft3 (L) - 9.61 (272.33)
* Net Displacement, in3 (cc) - 199 (3257)
* Outer Frame Diameter, in (cm) - 15 3/8 (39)
* Hole Cut-Out Diameter, in (cm) - 13 7/8 (35.2)
* Mounting Depth, in (cm) - 7 3/8 (18.8)
* Sealed Compact (Minimum Enclosure Volume) - 2.25 ft3 (63.7L), Power Handling = 250W RMS
* Sealed SQ (Maximum Enclosure Volume) - 5.0 ft3 (141.6L), Power Handling = 250W RMS
* Panel Dimensions for Compact Sealed Enclosures using 3/4" (1.9cm) thick MDF: volume 2.25 ft3 (63.7L), Panel A 17.25" by 17.25" (43.8cm by 43.8cm), Panel B 17.25" by 15.75" (43.8cm by 40cm), Panel C 15.75" by 15.75" (40cm by 40cm)

Looks like your not going to have enough room, unless you raise the level of the floor it self.

Okay guys, thanks for the advice!

Game plan: Looks like I'm going to just play it by the book and build my own enclosure to the Kicker specs. 1" MDF, liquid nails, poly-fil, etc.

I decided better sound quality reigns over looks!

you could do something like me but with a single sub

^looks good, making a false floor is a great way to get the volume you need. If you can even seal off part of it and cut out an amp rack recessed into the floor, I'd suggest getting a grill for the sub if you actually use your trunk,its pretty easy to tear a cone, here's a pic of what I did with my amp






I was thinking about putting plexiglass over the amp but I'm afraid it'll overheat

Raising the floor is gonna be the easiest way to gain the volume you need. Like the other guy said, you can do an amp rack in there too. I just did one last weekend on a friends RX-7. No subwoofers though. All hes running are some pheonix gold components. After we got them tuned right, they sound better than most homebrewed aftermarket setups youll hear. No need for subwoofers with these.




I need to quit working for free for this guy. 4 hours of my time for a pat on the back. Its mostly cause I had nothing better to do.

I could always just build the box, and if I wanted to later, I could add a board on top to create a false floor to custom mount the amp... And add a few logo's!

I don't really see a point in building a box, I spent 40 bucks in materials just to build mine, It came out ok but you can get them so cheap online and matched to the specs you need, If I were you i'd buy one untll you figure out what you want to do, and get the time to do it right

ttetzner said:

I don't really see a point in building a box, I spent 40 bucks in materials just to build mine, It came out ok but you can get them so cheap online and matched to the specs you need, If I were you i'd buy one untll you figure out what you want to do, and get the time to do it right

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I get the material for free, so I'm taking advantage of that... I'm taking a week of vacation, I'll do some drawing and find out exactly what I want.

Too many choices.

wow that first picture looks very clean!

Hey guys, I'm planning on installing an amp and subwoofer in my 97 GS Eclipse. I was wondering how you guys ran the power wire from the battery to the amp? Did you drill through the firewall, or were you able to run it through a pre-existing hole? I don't want to drill into my firewall, and was hoping you guys knew of a good spot to run the wire through. Please be specific, I've already looked around, and have not found any obvious places that would work well.... Thanks!

Let me google that for you

First link

Definitely build your own pre-fab boxes are cheap for a reason. Get some 3/4" MDF, 100% silicone, screws if you don't have a nail gun, wood glue. Spend some time designing so you can have something you can enjoy for years.