Any way to improve the subwoofer on Audiophile?

[camusmuse]

so....the ultimate question.....whats the total from front to back(metal to plastic)without the enclosure(i'll do a custom box)? It looks like one could gain another quarter inch in the material behind the enclosure(covering the metal)? Maybe "massage" another quarter into the metal? It looks like the gas filler is near there....so that might be dangerous?

sorry for all the ?'s..... just trying to get all the info possible before i tear into my ride....gonna have a limited time window for the install.

Thanks

in thread #13 i have a TSSW251 side by side to the OEM, which had a bolt in back of the enclosure. Didn't measure to be 100% - 4.0" is my guess.
Depth
Fosgate - 4.125 in.(10.48 cm) added 1" ring
Pioneer - 3-1/10"

 

[bgun326]

jrford, you said that you regret replacing the entire panel. Would the factory enclosure fit in that compartment in the original panel, or would it require cutting the plastic?

I also have an '04 EB with the basic sound system, going to do the same thing you did.

 

[SwervinCL]

I am sorry for the old bump, but is there a write up or anything on getting to the sub enclosure. I want to replace my speaker and amp, but need to get to it first.

Thanks in advance.

 

[camusmuse]

I am sorry for the old bump, but is there a write up or anything on getting to the sub enclosure. I want to replace my speaker and amp, but need to get to it first.

Thanks in advance.

yeah....its around here somewhere...pretty sure you have to pull most of the outer panels off to get to it. in fact im sure there are a few good threads with pics, might have to hodge podge them together to get a "full write up", but a some good pics should get you far enough if you are going to do this kinda work. Best way would be to find an aviator at a parts yard, and just have at it....who cares if you break a few tabs here and there.....

Sorry I dont have the link(s) handy, but a few minutes searching will get ya what you need....and then some. There were alot of questions i didnt know i needed to ask when i started to plan on this project....fwiw....i have put my personal sub project on hold until i get a garage built....tired of rushing at friends' houses and driveway installs.

Good luck....

 

[SwervinCL]

yeah....its around here somewhere...pretty sure you have to pull most of the outer panels off to get to it. in fact im sure there are a few good threads with pics, might have to hodge podge them together to get a "full write up", but a some good pics should get you far enough if you are going to do this kinda work. Best way would be to find an aviator at a parts yard, and just have at it....who cares if you break a few tabs here and there.....

Sorry I dont have the link(s) handy, but a few minutes searching will get ya what you need....and then some. There were alot of questions i didnt know i needed to ask when i started to plan on this project....fwiw....i have put my personal sub project on hold until i get a garage built....tired of rushing at friends' houses and driveway installs.

Good luck....

Thanks for your response. I looked and looked for a thread, but I do not think that there is one for a 2005. There is one for a 99 I think, but it should be pretty close.

Going to a junk yard is not a bad idea. Least I would know what I was up against. Great suggestion. Thanks.

 

[jrford]

jrford, you said that you regret replacing the entire panel. Would the factory enclosure fit in that compartment in the original panel, or would it require cutting the plastic?

I also have an '04 EB with the basic sound system, going to do the same thing you did.

sorry over a year late, December can be a busy month. . .

With the original panel, it had two manufacturing options - Sub or Cubbyhole. The panel is the same except for the 'hole'. Both the sub grill and cubby hole are mounted the same and are heat welded together. After getting it out i found you could remove the cubby hole without damaging the big panel. Then maybe use speaker cloth and edge seal to cover the opening. Also the speaker grill is only 6.5" opening. Really choking off the 10" when turned up i think the cloth idea would sound better and maybe look better.


guy probably finished it by now, . ..

 

[jrford]

some other posts. . .
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=204211
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=204840
helps?

 

[College Student]

Sorry to ask you around Christmas again but I'm wondering how to beef up the sound for low cost. I was thinking a set of four of http://www.crutchfield.com/p_777P57/Sound-Ordnance-P-57.html?tp=105 but then I'm worried the stock sub wont stay up and will basically not be there. how do i strengthen it for cheap (is there really a direct replacement). The additional subs I added were nice but hey take up too much space and I'm just going to take them back out.

 

[therover1991]

Sorry to ask you around Christmas again but I'm wondering how to beef up the sound for low cost. I was thinking a set of four of http://www.crutchfield.com/p_777P57/Sound-Ordnance-P-57.html?tp=105 but then I'm worried the stock sub wont stay up and will basically not be there. how do i strengthen it for cheap (is there really a direct replacement). The additional subs I added were nice but hey take up too much space and I'm just going to take them back out.

the speakers will sound better bc theyre made of better material but id say youre better off getting a new headunit too because it puts out more power than the stock headunit.

 

[College Student]

i will in time

 

[jrford]

What i found was with aftermarket speakers, the Stock Radio Tune\balance\tone changes. They program the radio for a specific set of 'cheap' speakers. They aren't very efficient so and when the new ones are added they increase the loudness in the doors but not the sub. I just put in cheap Polks which jazzed it up a bit, but the sub couldn't keep up. Thats why i added the amp/sub combo. I started with the Basic radio with no Sub so when i added the Audiophile, i needed to add a sub.
feel free to ask any questions.

 

[xcbuc]

Thanks for the all the great info JRFORD! I plan on dropping a Kenwood Excelon KFC-XW1000F 10" subwoofer into my stock box in the next couple months. The mounting depth is 3 3/8" so it should fit.
For the time being I installed my 12" JL W3V2. I don't use my 3rd seat often but I would love to have the open space of no sub in the hatch. I mounted my amp under the middle seat of the middle row. This allows me to take the sub box with leaving the amp in. I have quick disconnects banana jacks for the connection to the sub box. I also put in a switch to turn the amp off when people are using the 3rd row. Some might not want to put it there, but it works great for me. I just tell people in the back before they get in. The amp is secured by velcro and has a solid case. The only wires someone could hit would be the rca wires.
Amp dimensions – WxHxD= 8 11/16" x 2 ¼" x 11 13/16"
I mounted my ground wire in the following picture. The picture was taken from the driver side back door. You can see the 12VDC wire and remote wire running next to it. The seat is always down so no one sees it.

The view from the back row.

 

[jrford]

holy old post, glad to help.
I actually did away with the stock grill. I thought it was choking off the Sub. I'll see if i can get a pic. Not as nice looking as before but it seems to sound fuller, deeper?

 

[jrford]

Pic of new speaker grill. I just used trim molding and speaker cloth. Not a totally clean look, but at this point i don't care. Sounds better however. Stock grill only had an opening of 6".

 

[BobbyBobo]

that 10" was a bit of work to get it mounted solidly. . i had to trim the plastic which made it difficult to seal the air gaps, i spent some time trying to get a good solid support for the sub, the stock plastic panel has like 6" opening. The 10" worked well even with the above, but an 8" would have been a drop in for the most part, fit better, seal better. I was more concerned with matching the sub amps 200watt rms. .and concerned about the depth. That led me to the Pioneers (3" depth) the 8" was only 150wats, 10" 200watts. But when i tore into it i had about 1.5" to spare which gave me a lot more 8" options than i thought.

So if I'm reading that right, you can mount a sub with about 4.5" depth? I'm looking at an Alpine Type R 8 with exactly that mounting depth.

Also, in your pics on page 1, there looks like insulation around the factory sub inside the enclosure. Is that what that is? Do you know if it is spread throughout the entire enclosure? I've used polyfill many times to "fool" a box into thinking it is bigger, but I wonder if that insulation could be being used for the same thing. Thanks!

 

[jrford]

it think your good.
in post 13 actual depth of OEM was 3 5/8's. with the lip removed i added another 1".
in post 14 you can see the bolt hole and the small recess.

 

[BobbyBobo]

Cool thanks I really like the idea of an upgrade that maintains the stock appearance. This thread is a big help!

 

[OTwoExplorer]

8" replacement

From what I read the factory depth for the sub is around 4" so I'm going with a Kenwood KFCXW800F. My main question is the dimensions of the factory amp. I'm looking for something that will fit the factory space and give some extra power. If anyone knows what type of amp you could pop in let us know.

 

[DjDom]

From what I read the factory depth for the sub is around 4" so I'm going with a Kenwood KFCXW800F. My main question is the dimensions of the factory amp. I'm looking for something that will fit the factory space and give some extra power. If anyone knows what type of amp you could pop in let us know.

2002 Ford Explorer 4 Door?

 

[blameitoncrane]

New to the forum, and I just wanted to say thanks to everyone in this thread

I replaced my head unit, speakers, amp and subwoofer with help from everyone on here. I would have had a lot more difficulty getting panels out and the wiring installed without all the help.

I ended up with a double din Kenwood with BT,USB,etc, Rockford Fosgate 6x8s, Alpine mono amp, and 8" Kicker sub for under $600 overall (way better than the $1200+ install shops wanted!). Best of all, I was able to do it completely stealth and (mostly) in the stock locations! The amp ended up in the storage bin on the driver's side near the tailgate with holes drilled for ventilation.