Want a subwoofer but like your trunk? The solution!

[DSMGrasshopper]

Ok now I don't claim to be the first to think of this or even the first to do it even though I couldn't find anyone in this forum who had done it. After that's been said, on to the solution!

So you want a sub so you can rock out, but you also use your trunk from time to time and don't want to give it up. You can have a custom sub box made but that is expensive and we don't all have deep pockets. Heck you couldn't even afford a Kicker, you had to go with a Jensen off eBay. (That's me anyway but I like rock and metal so it is plenty )

Maybe it could replace your spare tire and be out of the way of everything! But who knows when or where you'll find that sharp nail on the road late at night.

So now it seems like you're SOL, but wait! Mitsu gave us rear seats for 3 year olds and midgets! Surely you won't be sacrificing anything by putting a big nasty hole in your seats right!? But you'll have to reinforce the back of the seat with 3/4 inch wood because you don't want to rattle your seats to pieces and sometimes your girlfriend's cute little sister rides with the both of you to Dairy Queen and whatnot.

So without further ado... the picture!

Let me know what you all think! (Besides the fact that I could have taken more care with making sure the pleather was tucked in nice and neat.)

 

[DarthBulk]

+1 for creativity.

 

[Talesin]

I'd recommend fitting a heavy steel grille over it to protect the cone (I toss backpacks and crap in the back seat all the time), but aside from that, that's a very nice solution to the standing problem. Way better than that 1G that moulded the entire trunk into an enclosure for a single speaker. :b Hell, with a little creative fabrication, you could probably figure out a way to set up a proper sealed enclosure on the other side, if you're an audiophile.

Could also probably give a nice massage while you're parked somewhere.

 

[DSM4me44]

Could also probably give a nice massage while you're parked somewhere.

How does it sound thou compared to the box in the trunk?

 

[PieEyedPiper]

More pics?
Maybe a how-to?

I like the idea, good job!

 

[RedTurboEclipse]

How does it sound?

More pics also, how it looks on the other side.

 

[Atuca]

creative, I havn't seen anything like that. I too would like to see the othe side of the speakers, and would recomand tuckng that leather a bit cleaner, it kinda takes the awsome affect away when i see the mashed up leather around it. Get it clean, and tell the rest of us how you did it.

Grats!

 

[DSMGrasshopper]

Well I enjoy how it sounds. I'm not huge on car audio I just wanted more bass so I can't really give pro's and con's vs the conventional sub box. But I would assume it would please most people. I'm even glad I bought a less powerful sub because it isn't too much for rock and metal. Besides I'm not trying to impress people as I drive by.

***
Randy Rice: Look at my Accord! I have a loud system in my car and a 747 wing on my trunk so it is cool now! And that's not even to mention my 2.2 Liter V-TEC with two count 'em TWO Turbonators!!!

Lenny Lexus: Rice...

Randy Rice: Yeah whatever! I'm running 8 second ET's with 189 mph traps in the 1/4!!!

Lenny Lexus: (rolls eyes and walks away)

***
(venting)

I knew I should have taken pictures of the whole process. Darn! I wasn't sure if it had been done or not, or if people wanted to commit to a sub that much. But I will go into detail on the install another night this week and post more pictures.

Anywho I'm glad to be getting positive feedback and the protective grille is a great idea. I tend to sling things back there too.

 

[Talesin]

Now I'm curious as to what a turbonator is, though I'm pretty certain I don't want to know. :b

And yeah, hit up Guitar Center or the like... for their PA rigs, they have super-strong CNC cut matte black grid type steel grilles... won't have to worry about any of the small folk in the back throwing an elbow into the speaker, and could still use it as a (albeit uncomfortable) 'third seat' in a pinch.


edit- Yep, I didn't want to know. I wonder how many people actually believe that BS.

 

[DSMGrasshopper]

Awesome we just got a Guitar Center here last summer.

Oh Turbonators.... they're electric "turbochargers" that you install right after your air filter. Its a little fan that is supposed to give 1-2 pounds of boost and about 35 hp all for $75. Riiiight! Sounds about a useless as a screen door on a submarine to me.

 

[myeagleneedmods]

I had an idea like that, but I never had subs to go through with it, so +1 for making it happen.

 

[DSM4me44]

The new eclipses have a sub there and it sounds pretty decent.

 

[DSMGrasshopper]

AHH! Crap that's right! I knew I had seen it done somewhere! I drove my friend's, or rather acquaintance's, '07 Eclipse. Now I just feel like I'm trying to copy the new Eclipse. Oh well I still would have done it because I like 14 cubic foot trunk! I'll just say they got the idea from me! Lol. Just kidding folks.

 

[ROOKIE1]

2007 Spyders have the sub there . Coupes are in the hatch .

 

[Talesin]

Checked the turbonator website... they aren't even the cheapass 'electric superchargers' made out of dustbusters. They're just a set of fixed louvers that supposedly make the air spin in the pipes. And while their intended operation may be accurate from a physics standpoint (the more motion, the less resistance), there's a hell of a lot that isn't taken into account, like the throttle body, seperate intake runners, or increased intake resistance generated by having that blockage there.
If you were filling a bottle, you'd want to have spinning water going into it for maximum flow.. reduce chaotic turbulence by setting up your own motion set.

Damn, now I'm curious how one of those things would affect turbo operation, counter to or with the compressor rotation. Logically, one way (with) would allow the turbo to spool faster as the air is already trying to turn in the 'correct' direction, though overall flow would be reduced. Counter would allow each vane section to take a larger amount of air, but given the added resistance would slow spool time.
Probably would do right next to nothing, realistically speaking. To get the effect that they're trying to push, you'd need to have your intake runners 'rifled' or otherwise altered to spin the air within each individual runner as it enters the cylinder, and compensate for the additional drag with adjusted valve timing. Which still would be likely to do next to nothing, given our dual intake valves, which would set up turbulence and screw up any 'scavenging' flow generated. Might help on a Starion though, but who really knows.

 

[RedTurboEclipse]

So you lose your split fold seats?

Where did you mount the amp?

 

[VPrime]

Looks really cool... But what if you have to "haul" some thing and need to fold the seats down

 

[olmytsi]

I personally think that looks like ass. I would never do that to my nice tan leather seats. Plus i like being able to fold or remove my backseat whenever i want to.

But yes, very creative nonetheless. Perhaps a smaller subwoofer would look a lil better.

 

[RedTurboEclipse]

Another idea, seeing as you said your not really a big bass head..

Get some nice 6x9s for the rear, and since the 6x9 enclosures in the 2g SUCK, you will have to modify them a bit, seal them better, also going with "nice" 6x9s usually mean deep mounting depth--which goes with modifying our 6x9 enclosures because when I mean they suck, it also goes to say the mounting depth is limited.. usually for base/entry/cheap 6x9s.

Get a nice amplifier to amp them, they should produce some good bass, enough for the average joe.

You get to keep your split fold seats unhacked, your trunk is all there, no one will know you have aftermarket audio speakers, and perhaps no more comments of looking like "ass" like the previous comment above ^^^^^

There are also some custom trunk jobs which retain most of the trunk space. Do a search and you will see. Since you are a GS-T you already have an advantage there with the lower trunk without having to do a few things like us GSX guys. People have mounted a sub on either side, looks very clean. Of course more work, but comes with a lot of benefits depending how you look at it.

Just throwing out some ideas out there. Maybe you could show us some more pics at different angles, how it looks from the back and when the seats are down, where you mounted the amp, etc.

 

[DSMGrasshopper]

You thought a lot about that Turbonator Talesin. My guess is it does jack squat.

I can still fold down my seats as one with no problem. It doesn't flex or anything. After I cut the whole I put the seats back in and finished the install inside my car. If you are worried about putting the seats down to haul something larger you might only have to consider a different location to mount the amp. My sub only sticks out of the back an inch or two at the very most but maybe that is because it isn't high quality stuff. I assume depth has something to do with quality if quality 6x9's are deeper. Maybe a bubbled grille could be put on the back to protect it.

In any case I have an S10 too so I don't have to worry about it. It was a good solution for me and anyone else who wants to cut up perfectly good pleather just for something to do!

It will look a lot cleaner once I pull in the extra pleather so it isn't bunched up and do something about those carriage bolts. Any ideas on the bolts guys?

More pics coming tomorrow.

 

[Talesin]

Oh, I'd be the first to second that, Grasshopper. I just regard it as important to think through *why* something is crap and won't work, than simply dismiss it out of hand.

 

[TRBOBLU]

Looks pretty good. If only I had backseats I might be able to install a sub

 

[DRated]

That's innovative. Anothe idea would be to take an extra fold down seat and drill a hole big enough for maybe an 8" or 10" sub. Place the sub into that hole, after re-inforcing the seat and then you'd still be able to fold down half the rear set and you'd still have some trunk space. Just an idea, yet I have a 1g with the awd "hump" so what do I know....

 

[gst96spyderman]

This is a long shot, but is this setup possible in a 96 Spyder? I've removed back seat, and there isn't enough clearance room in back. So I was thinking of making subwoofer extend towards front of car. Also, we never got to see the set-up from rear. is there a box in back or is it free air?

 

[kris_stewart10]

i think its free air