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- What I Drive
- Stinger GT2
Recently bought a Stinger GT2 with Harmon Kardon audio system. It sounds great but lower bass is lacking in my opinion, so I decided to try and fix it. My last car was a 08 G35 with the bose studio on wheels or whatever they wanted to call it. You can hate on bose, but it had 10"s in the doors and a 10" sub in the rear deck and had some solid bass for a factory system. With how easy it is to access the battery and factory amp, i decided I was going to try and add a small sub to the hatch. So for this one i tried to keep it simple and not get too crazy. I hope these pictures can help someone if they are confused about installing or scared of installing. The install is super simple on this car since the battery in in the rear under the tire and the HK amp in in the passenger hatch side panel. I'd also like to thank WildBill on here for providing some solid pics to help me plan to do this install.
So for my system, I wanted something small, but with good low end. I've always liked ported, so I decided to stick with what I know. I wanted as small box as i could while still being able to hit the lower notes. I've also like smaller internet sub brands, and after doing some research I eventually settled on the sundown SA8 v3 sub, which is somehow tiny and massive at the same time. I wanted to keep it lower power so decided to stay around 500rms and went with a basic rockford fosgate amp with an Audiocontrol LC2i for LOC duties. I also picked up the remote bass knob for the LC2i and an aero port for the box.
Things you will need.
1. An Amp. Something 300-800rms is plenty for this car. Don't get a cheap brand here like boss or pyle. Don't look at peak power. I recommend something fairly small too so that it is easy to mount.
2. A sub. Personal preference. Size, loudness, music choices, etc. Don't expect magic from super thing tiny sealed subs.
3. Wire Kit - I built my own 8ga kit from KnuKoncepts with a fuse block, 5ft high end 8ga pwr/3 ft ground, sub speaker wire, LOC speaker wire, remote wire, terminals. You can get all in one kits, but I wanted high end flexible OFC wire and didnt want to pay the higher price for 20ft kits when we only need a few feet.
4. If your amp doesn't have high level inputs, you will need a line out converter. The Audiocontrol LC2i is a solid choice that offers neat features to clean the factory signal up. Basic ones are like $10, lc2i is ~$100. It also has a nicer bass knob to control level that allows you to flush mount for a cleaner install.
5. A basic knowledge of 12V electronics do's and dont's. It is fairly straight forward, but knowing how to crimp terminals, proper fusing, grounds, etc. Nothing crazy. You can't really hurt yourself, but not properly fusing a wire that can short could start a fire, and thats no bueno.
6. Wire cutters/ wire crimpers/ random connectors/electrical tape/zip ties/etc.
Bringing the car into the garage to begin the operation.
It took me a few hours because i was trying to find tools and had to make a trip to the hardware store, but everything came together great. To start, you need to tap into the factory amp. You can take the side panels off if you wish, but i was lazy and decided to access the harness from the fuse access panel. Just unclip the harness and pull them both out. Find the correct pin for what you want to tap in to using the pin diagram below. I used the two subs and also the ACC wire for a remote) (Note: It does not seem to roll off the frequency from my limited testing. I was concerned the bass would be filtered below 50Hz or so, but it still sounds fine in the low 30s. Because of this i would recommend the sub output be used for the LOC. I will test this a bit more with time.)The subs are on the red connector and the ACC wire is on the blue one. I used quick splice connectors to keep from messing the harness up too bad. Just put the wire in the connector and use a pair of pliers to clamp it down. After this, you need to run wires down to where the LOC/amp will be located. I used some 16ga speaker wire and ran it down and out of the way. I also added a switch to the remote wire to allow me to turn the amp off if I take the sub off. Its tucked behind the fuse box access panel.
Next, tap into power at the battery and ground on the frame where the battery is grounded. Make sure the power wire is fused properly with the required fuse size. leave the fuse out for now. Route these to where the amp will go. Connect these to the amp and also connect the remote wire you ran earlier. If you run an active LOC, you need power/remote for it. I grabbed power at the amp using smaller red and black wires and included a smaller 5A fuse inline to be safe. Connect these to the LOC along with the factory speaker wires.
Now this is where I like to test the equipment before I spend a bunch of time cleaning the install up. Luckily it worked perfectly the first time.
Now that I know it works, it needs to be cleaned and finalized. I made some amp racks and trimmed them to fit under the spare tire. I carpeted them and mounted the equipment to them. I also bought some metal bracket from the store and mounted them to the studs already in the car not being used. These are M6 bolts, so you just need m6 nuts and some kind of metal bracket. Both available at lowes or home depot. I used a bracket that i cut down to size, bent, and then mounted to the amp boards. I used a socket wrench to tighten these to the studs on the car frame. Everything fits perfectly under the tire. I wouldn't want to go much bigger on amp size or else you will have to work a bit harder to mount it. Speaker wire is ran around and pops out near the sub so you don't see it except for a small piece if you are looking. I have extra wire tucked behind the sub so you can move the it into the back seat or take it out easily if you need room.
I installed the bass knob in the front fuse panel cover. Its a cheap part thats easy to access and replace for ~$10 and puts the knob in a decent spot to adjust. I didn't want to drill into any major piece of the center console or dash, because that just seems rude to the car. The wire is hidden and ran along the driver side and then pops out in the rear hatch and connects to the LC2i.
I built the box last weekend based of the recommended specs and trying to not use too much of the rear space. The box is 0.75 cu ft tuned to 34hz with an aero port. The front is double baffled to flush mount the sub with internal bracing. I went with black carpet to match the black interior. The box also has a binding post terminal to easily unhook the subs if i need to take them out.
Box Installed. Its pretty small in person. Yes it takes up room, but not too much, and it can be easily turned or moved to fold the seats down. For me, its out of the way 90% of the time I use the hatch. I am working ideas to keep the sub secured. I will probably be using the anchors in the back of the seat, just need to figure out the best way.
It sounds great. I live in a neighborhood so I have not tested it extensively, but it is impressive on my drive to dinner tonight. You wouldn't know it was an 8" sub if you didn't see it. i still need to mess with the LC2i a bit as i didn't have time to get it correctly dialed in. If you are looking for an increase in bass, don't hesitate to look in to adding a small sub to the hatch. You can do it for fairly cheap if thats what you desire.
Let me know if you have any questions. I can take more pictures or offer better explanations if needed. I treated this as a fun mod to the car and I am super happy with the outcome. Thanks for looking!
So for my system, I wanted something small, but with good low end. I've always liked ported, so I decided to stick with what I know. I wanted as small box as i could while still being able to hit the lower notes. I've also like smaller internet sub brands, and after doing some research I eventually settled on the sundown SA8 v3 sub, which is somehow tiny and massive at the same time. I wanted to keep it lower power so decided to stay around 500rms and went with a basic rockford fosgate amp with an Audiocontrol LC2i for LOC duties. I also picked up the remote bass knob for the LC2i and an aero port for the box.
Things you will need.
1. An Amp. Something 300-800rms is plenty for this car. Don't get a cheap brand here like boss or pyle. Don't look at peak power. I recommend something fairly small too so that it is easy to mount.
2. A sub. Personal preference. Size, loudness, music choices, etc. Don't expect magic from super thing tiny sealed subs.
3. Wire Kit - I built my own 8ga kit from KnuKoncepts with a fuse block, 5ft high end 8ga pwr/3 ft ground, sub speaker wire, LOC speaker wire, remote wire, terminals. You can get all in one kits, but I wanted high end flexible OFC wire and didnt want to pay the higher price for 20ft kits when we only need a few feet.
4. If your amp doesn't have high level inputs, you will need a line out converter. The Audiocontrol LC2i is a solid choice that offers neat features to clean the factory signal up. Basic ones are like $10, lc2i is ~$100. It also has a nicer bass knob to control level that allows you to flush mount for a cleaner install.
5. A basic knowledge of 12V electronics do's and dont's. It is fairly straight forward, but knowing how to crimp terminals, proper fusing, grounds, etc. Nothing crazy. You can't really hurt yourself, but not properly fusing a wire that can short could start a fire, and thats no bueno.
6. Wire cutters/ wire crimpers/ random connectors/electrical tape/zip ties/etc.
Bringing the car into the garage to begin the operation.
It took me a few hours because i was trying to find tools and had to make a trip to the hardware store, but everything came together great. To start, you need to tap into the factory amp. You can take the side panels off if you wish, but i was lazy and decided to access the harness from the fuse access panel. Just unclip the harness and pull them both out. Find the correct pin for what you want to tap in to using the pin diagram below. I used the two subs and also the ACC wire for a remote) (Note: It does not seem to roll off the frequency from my limited testing. I was concerned the bass would be filtered below 50Hz or so, but it still sounds fine in the low 30s. Because of this i would recommend the sub output be used for the LOC. I will test this a bit more with time.)The subs are on the red connector and the ACC wire is on the blue one. I used quick splice connectors to keep from messing the harness up too bad. Just put the wire in the connector and use a pair of pliers to clamp it down. After this, you need to run wires down to where the LOC/amp will be located. I used some 16ga speaker wire and ran it down and out of the way. I also added a switch to the remote wire to allow me to turn the amp off if I take the sub off. Its tucked behind the fuse box access panel.
Next, tap into power at the battery and ground on the frame where the battery is grounded. Make sure the power wire is fused properly with the required fuse size. leave the fuse out for now. Route these to where the amp will go. Connect these to the amp and also connect the remote wire you ran earlier. If you run an active LOC, you need power/remote for it. I grabbed power at the amp using smaller red and black wires and included a smaller 5A fuse inline to be safe. Connect these to the LOC along with the factory speaker wires.
Now this is where I like to test the equipment before I spend a bunch of time cleaning the install up. Luckily it worked perfectly the first time.
Now that I know it works, it needs to be cleaned and finalized. I made some amp racks and trimmed them to fit under the spare tire. I carpeted them and mounted the equipment to them. I also bought some metal bracket from the store and mounted them to the studs already in the car not being used. These are M6 bolts, so you just need m6 nuts and some kind of metal bracket. Both available at lowes or home depot. I used a bracket that i cut down to size, bent, and then mounted to the amp boards. I used a socket wrench to tighten these to the studs on the car frame. Everything fits perfectly under the tire. I wouldn't want to go much bigger on amp size or else you will have to work a bit harder to mount it. Speaker wire is ran around and pops out near the sub so you don't see it except for a small piece if you are looking. I have extra wire tucked behind the sub so you can move the it into the back seat or take it out easily if you need room.
I installed the bass knob in the front fuse panel cover. Its a cheap part thats easy to access and replace for ~$10 and puts the knob in a decent spot to adjust. I didn't want to drill into any major piece of the center console or dash, because that just seems rude to the car. The wire is hidden and ran along the driver side and then pops out in the rear hatch and connects to the LC2i.
I built the box last weekend based of the recommended specs and trying to not use too much of the rear space. The box is 0.75 cu ft tuned to 34hz with an aero port. The front is double baffled to flush mount the sub with internal bracing. I went with black carpet to match the black interior. The box also has a binding post terminal to easily unhook the subs if i need to take them out.
Box Installed. Its pretty small in person. Yes it takes up room, but not too much, and it can be easily turned or moved to fold the seats down. For me, its out of the way 90% of the time I use the hatch. I am working ideas to keep the sub secured. I will probably be using the anchors in the back of the seat, just need to figure out the best way.
It sounds great. I live in a neighborhood so I have not tested it extensively, but it is impressive on my drive to dinner tonight. You wouldn't know it was an 8" sub if you didn't see it. i still need to mess with the LC2i a bit as i didn't have time to get it correctly dialed in. If you are looking for an increase in bass, don't hesitate to look in to adding a small sub to the hatch. You can do it for fairly cheap if thats what you desire.
Let me know if you have any questions. I can take more pictures or offer better explanations if needed. I treated this as a fun mod to the car and I am super happy with the outcome. Thanks for looking!
