Adding a subwoofer

[Rapture]

Great instructions from Crestima and others!

I’m just struggling with one thing -
Wanted to use the method running the power to that spare bolt under the Rear Left fuse box rather than drill into the rear hatch to the battery as it seems less messy.

But I cannot remove the fuse box panel!
Tried for ages and it just won’t budge, worried I’ll snap it.
There’s a catch on the left and on the right and I think I can feel one underneath but no matter how much I wiggle it, it won’t come free.
Can anyone help?
I’m trying to remove it with only the rear quarter panel off, does it only come off with the whole rear panel removed also?

The lower triangular piece needs to be removed first. There is a tab on that piece that needs to be pressed to remove it.

 

[mikeee]

That’s perfect. Done now.
Only thing is I can get the main fuse panel back on but cannot get the lower triangular bit on, can’t get it to fit round that lower metal horizontal brace…..don’t suppose any tips for refitting this bit? I don’t suppose it’s that critical to have that lower panel back on but would be nice!
Kicker Hideaway installed and as others have said, the difference is incredible.
One £400 upgrade has made the audio much much better, prob all I need to make me happy with it. Thanks again for all the tips.

I find I need the Gain on almost the lowest setting (25% max) otherwise it makes the car shake and will blow my ear drums!
Where do you set the crossover setting? I’ve got mine turned near the lowest also.

 

[John_Matrix]

Is there no self amped sub that can sit where the existing sub is? Doesn’t look good having a speaker in a box on the shelf.

 

[jp129]

That’s perfect. Done now.
Only thing is I can get the main fuse panel back on but cannot get the lower triangular bit on, can’t get it to fit round that lower metal horizontal brace…..don’t suppose any tips for refitting this bit? I don’t suppose it’s that critical to have that lower panel back on but would be nice!
Kicker Hideaway installed and as others have said, the difference is incredible.
One £400 upgrade has made the audio much much better, prob all I need to make me happy with it. Thanks again for all the tips.

I find I need the Gain on almost the lowest setting (25% max) otherwise it makes the car shake and will blow my ear drums!
Where do you set the crossover setting? I’ve got mine turned near the lowest also.

My settings are similar to yours on what my ears thought was the best balance. Gain around 25%, crossover set between 50-60hz.

I did not put in sound deadening, so I experience similar panel resonance.

 

[mikeee]

Can anyone help with my problem refitting the lower triangular portion of the fusebox panel? Sounds stupid but I just can’t get that bit back on!

 

[Rapture]

Can anyone help with my problem refitting the lower triangular portion of the fusebox panel? Sounds stupid but I just can’t get that bit back on!

you could try to loosen the 3 bolts holding the fuse box in place and raise it a bit. That may provide more clearance. If that does not work, post a picture of your situation. I think you want that lower piece on as it protects anything from coming in contact with that live main power wire.

 

[Rapture]

This has been a great thread. I finally completed adding the sound deadener and insulation to my car. It's been apart for weeks. My issue was I wanted the bass to sound consistent and it had not prior. I preferred not to add an external sub although this post has proved that the Kicker (and other options) really work well to improve the sound and can look rather stealthy. I just buttoned my interior up and have to say the change is significant. It's much quieter inside and I can hear/feel the bass a lot more. I've tried many different types of music and so far, do not hear the annoying sound that I did before intermittently. I've had the car running but have not taken it out on the road yet. I'd be happy if it sounds the same on the road and would not add an external sub at this time. It's clear the sound deadener/insulation is a worthwhile if tedious mod.

Just thought I would share.

 

[00grubb]

I like your approach!
I'm also waiting for my Emira, and use to much time on thinking of audio upgrade.
What kind of DSP will you run?

My plan at the moment is to use Focal speekers as I have used this in previous cars and are happy with the sound.
I plan to use the K2 Power M series in the Emira;

FRAK tweeters on dash
6.5 KM in the doors
2 x 5" Sub KM

I will probably not use any rear speakers, as I think to much speakers tends to fuck up the sound.

I will use Helix M4 DSP to power the front ( one channel to each speaker) and Helix M1 X for the sub's. I've also used DSP from same producer in my MB E class dd, so I'm familiar with the software and pleased with the sound.

Have you idea if there is any signal cable into factory Amp that can be used for the DSP or do you plan on using the high level signals?

Super cool and I'm Focal for life...love their sound profile and I currently have a Flax setup in one of my cars...those tweeters are sublime. Depending whether I go with a 2-way or 3-way, here are the amp&DSP's I'm looking at:

Car Audio | DSP Amplifiers | Blackbird Amplifier

The Blackbird has arrived! With 1000W of combined power across 8 channels and 12 channels of DSP control, the Blackbird is the all-in-one solution you have been waiting for.

www.arcaudio.com

AudioControl D-6.1200

D Series 6-channel car amplifier with digital signal processing — 125 watts RMS x 6

www.crutchfield.ca

I spec'd the base audio system so have no clue what the wiring and speaker setup will be. Likely a high level input, but I'll see once I dig in. I would love to be able to re-use the free air enclosure for the 5"...sealed up of course. Would be super cool if I could hack that up and force an 8" sub but again, I have no idea what it will look like until I get it.

I think the flax is more than good enough, but K2 is practically Lotus yellow...so we know what has to be done right???

 

[jp129]

This has been a great thread. I finally completed adding the sound deadener and insulation to my car. It's been apart for weeks. My issue was I wanted the bass to sound consistent and it had not prior. I preferred not to add an external sub although this post has proved that the Kicker (and other options) really work well to improve the sound and can look rather stealthy. I just buttoned my interior up and have to say the change is significant. It's much quieter inside and I can hear/feel the bass a lot more. I've tried many different types of music and so far, do not hear the annoying sound that I did before intermittently. I've had the car running but have not taken it out on the road yet. I'd be happy if it sounds the same on the road and would not add an external sub at this time. It's clear the sound deadener/insulation is a worthwhile if tedious mod.

Just thought I would share.

Seems that the feedback has been pretty unanimous that sound deadening improves the perceived sound and mitigating resonance. I'll be doing this soon as well. My approach has been doing things in phases so I can assess the progression of improvements.

If you don't mind me asking, which sound deadening materials did you use and where did you apply them? Similar to the others who have done this mod, I'm assuming?

 

[mikeee]

you could try to loosen the 3 bolts holding the fuse box in place and raise it a bit. That may provide more clearance. If that does not work, post a picture of your situation. I think you want that lower piece on as it protects anything from coming in contact with that live main power wire.

Thanks Rapture

Had a second go at it, just cannot get it into place - like you say, better to get it in as it will protect that live wire.

Here’s a pic, maybe I have to remove more interior/trim to get at it - sorry, I’m reasonably handy generally although not very experienced with tearing up car interiors and a bit nervous when it’s my pride and joy!

 

[jp129]

It's tough to articulate into words, but I just had to fiddle with it, by way of understanding the attachment points/fixings and getting those to clip back into place. If you haven't already, take a look at where those points are and see if you can work those with more effort to get them to clip in place.

I agree that it did take slightly more effort than just popping the cover back on, like the top one.