Rear sub enclosure

[Cdm2018]

Has anyone made or know if they have  a sub enclosure ?

I think at present the sub sits in the space and it’s moving around as it causing the wiring to work itself loose 

I have put some additional sound deadening material but I (my son actually) thinks an enclosure is needed and he can make one out of thin ply but wonder if anyone has attempted a similar job ? 

[agentdr8]

The sub comes in an enclosure, but it's ported towards the rear quarter panel, and actually is vented to a free-air void in the sill/rear clam. One thing you can do to improve the sound and bass response is to pull the enclosure out and seal the port. Still won't sound super awesome, since it is a relatively small driver (8") and the OE Alpine one is rather cheap, but it's better than nothing. 

I'd say if you're taking the time to seal the enclosure, it might make sense to replace the driver with something else while you're at it (I went with a shallow mount Pioneer TS-SW series), and replace the Alpine amp with something better (e.g. JL XD500/3), since it's also behind the side panel. 

[Cdm2018]

Cheers Dave

i had already replaced both sub and amp but my son says the enclosure needs to have a better enclosure modification not only to improve sound but housing for the units 

I think he will need to build his own ? I think biggest pain is cramp conditions but at moment he had to disconnect the sub as it was loose from the wiring  

[agentdr8]

There's not a lot of room for a custom enclosure in the stock location, but it's definitely doable. Maybe fiberglass?

[NC25T]

How long does it take to replace the sub?  I went to a shop today to discuss upgrading the stereo and the time they told me to replace the sub seemed ridiculous!

 

that being said, plywood is a BAD choice for a speaker enclosure, use MDF 

I read somewhere that a shop reinforced the oem enclosure, I am not sure exactly what they did to reinforce it.  Possibly something as simple as sound deadening material inside the box then some poly fill?

 

 

[agentdr8]

If you're handy with a wrench, you can remove all the rear seat and trim yourself, which takes maybe 15-30 minutes the first time. Then the sub enclosure is held in with a few bolts. 

Definitely agree with you @NC25T-- MDF or fiberglass (or MDF+fiberglass) for custom enclosures, never plywood. I can't remember the dimensions of the OE enclosure, but I'd be surprised if it's more than .5 cu/ft. It's plastic, so some sound deadening would help with resonance, poly fill probably wouldn't be too noticeable either way though given how little volume is inside. 

[NC25T]

Thanks for the info!  The shop quoted me FIFTEEN HOURS to swap the sub, at $100 a hour!  I thought there is no way it could be that labor extensive!

 

[Cdm2018]

My son done all the work and I know from his moaning that it’s difficult area to work as cramped and took him several hours to replace the sub and amp 

audio shop would probably quote 7 hours or days rate of labour charges can at least if not more ? 

My son did add sound deadening material but still think a mdf enclosure might be worth it the wiring loosen in the last 2 years so hence he thinks enclosure will prevent this ?