Hi guys,
I have been looking at ways of installing a 10" sub in my car to give me better quality bass without compromising interior space.

Option 1: is to install a JL Audio 10” free-air sub in the space immediately behind the rear seats between the rollover bar.

Option 2: is to use something like a JL Audio 10W6 10” sub in a sealed box crafted into the floor of the front trunk.

Option 3: is to cut into metal under the rear seats and install a pair of 10” under the seats. This is my favoured option however I am not sure what is under the seat or whether there would be the 0.4ft of air space to fit the subs and put the seats back. This would certainly give best sounds and leave the interior looking standard.

Anyone got better suggestions or can anyone help with the issues in option 3?

Look forward to response.

Merry Xmas all.

May ’99 C2 Cab
H & R sport springs
18” Turbo P alloys
SO-3 (best tyres ever made!)
GT3 front spoiler
Roock exhaust tailpipe

 

Well, there is a fourth option ....

Since the seats are too small for anyone to sit in anyway, what my installer did was build a custom enclosure to replace the rear seat behind the driver's seat. I have my seat pretty far back and so it wouldn't be possible for anyone with legs to actually fit there anyway.

The box has a horizonally mounted 10 inch sub-woofer, firing straight up. I simply drop the back of the rear seat down to cover the woofer which isn't a problem as I can still use it when I need to put a bag back there. I guess the only issue would be that you couldn't squeeze a third passenger in sideways across the car with this set up. (Do you do this anyway???)

I've also seen some enclosures out there that you can buy that will host a couple of 8 inch subs in the space behind the seats. Again, assuming that you can't fit anyone there anyway. These allow you to keep the seats as they are.

I can post some pics if you'd like to see them.

Now what I'm looking for is a decent mid-bass setup for the fronts. I have MB Quarts all around but suffer from a whole in the upper mid bass that the Porsche hifi setup seemed to fill OK. What are you using?

Graham

 

Hi Graham,
Thanks for the reply. My set-up is as follows;
JL Audio 653 Component 3-way set-up (changing to Focal Utopia range soon - offers more delicate virtual sounds)
McIntosh MCC404M amp
Original Porsche CD player & changer (Changing to McIntosh combo soon

Just subs. Front end sounds great to me. I am mostly into Jazz, Blues, and Classical when driving. When out with the guys on town cruise, we just cannot play sounds as no low-end grunt! Therefor I do need to maintain rear seats. They seem adequate for my passengers!

 

I am looking to add a sub also. If it isn't a problem can you please post a some pics of your sub enclosure behind your driver seat?

 

Hi 996.cab

IMO you should avoid placing the sub in the trunk because there is so much in between the cabin and the trunk that the bass is going to sound to booming (like a passband enclosure) which does not go well with your type of music.

There is another posible solution you could investigate. I don't know what kind of space you have behind the seat rest or bellow the seat, but you could fit several 6" woofers together (or even 4"), say 4 or 6 woofers in box, which would give you more cone surface area than the subs. You need a specialist to figure out how many you need and how to do it. This was the solution given to my brother for his Merc SL (for under the seat), but he hasn´t installed it yet. Maybe its worth looking into. The easiest option is certainly the isobaric 10" behind the seat.

Carlos from Spain.

PS: Sicaone, is yours a cab too, cause I had custom made fiberglass-wood sealed enclosures for a pair of 10" in the space behind the seats in the coupe and sound incredible. If you want any pics let me know.

 

Well, as I said my choice is option 3. Does anyone have any photos of what lays beneath the rear seats? I am convinced there is a compartment there, which would be perfect to install a 10" sub.

C2 Cab 996

 

hey 996.cab
I found another solution for you. Check out the two 8" JL Subs enclosed in front of the rear seats of the 996 (last picture). Still leaves the rear seats operable and looks very nice.

http://www.caraudioinnovations.com/sub.htm

Carlos from Spain.
PS: how long did the rear S03's last you?

 

Hi Carlos,
thanks for the posting however I have seen thos solution already and it does take up ALL the legroom space so it is no use.

In regards to the SO-3, I have done 4,000 miles on then so far and they look as new. I expect them to last for another 10,000 miles! Brilliant tyres.

Merry Xmas

 

Carlos, mine is a coupe. I am looking into putting a custom enclosure behind my rear seats. I was probably going to go with Boston Acoustic pro 8.5's (8 inches)because their recommended enclosure size is only 8.5 liters a piece. What type of 10's were used in your box? I wasn't sure if I could fit anything bigger. Does your box take up the whole space behind the rear seats or just the shelf before the grade dips up? Thank you and merry christmas.

 

You can fit two 10" subs without a problem as long as the enclosure is a sealed type. If you want a vented/reflex enclosure then there is no space. Mine takes up the whole space but since its top is custom shaped with fiberglass to follow the natural contour it looks "fairly" conspicuous, and it doesn't raise above the reas seat backrests.
I would post a picture but I don't know how, help anyone?

Carlos from Spain

PS: 966.cab, I have done less than 2,000 miles with the S03's and already the rear are clearly more worn out than the front. That seems fairly quick to me, previously I have always used S02's and lasted me 7,000 miles, but I don't think I will reach that with the S03's at this rate. I do drive the car very very hard 90% of the time (mountain roads and autobahn type highway) but I was wondering if this happened to other people.

 

Hi Carlos,
well, there is the difference, I probably drive 10-15% of the time very hard so I guess mine will last longer.

 

My 2002 996 coupe has the Bose stereo installed. I am taking the car back to the dealership today to have the sub-woofer unplugged. In my opinion this sound system is the worst I have ever heard. Even with the Bass turned as low as possible, the sub-woofer is nothing short of irritating - it sounds just like another vehicle is alongside with its sound system turned up to jet engine levels. Distorted low frequency thumping.

If anyone would be interested in this sub-woofer, I am considering having it removed and the original panels put in behind the seats. Maybe with an equalizer in-line this thing could be tamed?

Camop

 

I just had two 5 inch focal subs installed in a custom box mounted underneath the dash on the passenger side. I was worried about loosing space but I am 6 feet tall and with the seat moved completly back I can extend my legs all the way.

I also had an 8 channel A/D/S amp custom mounted in the floor of the trunk as well as a custom box for an EQ and CD changer on the firewall around the spare tire.

They also added a custom button on the center console that allows me to adjust the gain to the subs while driving!

Contact me for pictures or for more info on the company that did the install.

 

Hi rodmal,
pictures PLEASE!

thanks in advance

merry xmas