Im new to having this car (01 LS) and im getting ready to upgrade my sound system. ive done deck and speakers in cars before but never a sub, so therefore my knowledge is limited. not sure what kind of sub im getting yet simpll because i dont know where to put it. i want to keep as much room in my trunk as possible due the the fact that i ski and want to be able to put myseats down and i tend to use my trunk a fair bit.
One idea ive been thinking about is in the back between the rear speakers cutting it out and putting in a 12" shallow pioneer and then boxing it in with a small box myself. another problem due to my limited know how, how much air room do you need in the box and do you need one for sure? and how do i tell what size amp ill need?
So that is my problem and im open to suggestions. also im trying to keep it from getting to expensive. thank you and any help would be appreciated.

 

well with what youre wanting to do (keep the trunk open for use) youre kinda screwed. i guess if youre pretty crafty, you could do what you were talking about with boxing it into the back dash, then you could mount the amp(s) under the box(s). other than that, youre gonna just have to live with some good speakers? they do make some kick *** speakers though and these cars really put out some GREAT sound when you have the right speakers mounted in the back dash. Other than that, you might just have to comprimise.

 

how much extra room do you need the box though? can it be the same size as the sub? like almost touching the bottom of it or do you need so much extra room?

 

well i doubt youre gonna fit a 12 in there. you might have to downdize to a 10 and just maybe you might not even be able to fit that. but you might be out of luck with the setup youre looking for. like i said the only way youre gonna make this work is if youre a pretty crafty kind of guy. sorry man. if i was you, id just go with a normal ssetup and see what youre gonna be able to fit in there after that?? good luck with whatever route you decide to go. if anything pops into my head on this ill for sure let you know. but for now, im jsut plain lost

 

How much bass are you after? If you're just wanting a little more, look into just getting a set of beastly 6x9s and amping them along with a nice set of front speakers. Run the 6x9s almost like they're subs by putting a lowpass filter on them and they'll probably surprise you. Something like this:
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/show...number=264-837
Consider a set of Alpine Type X 6.5" components for the front, because they're a well priced set that offer much more low end than most other components will.

Your next-best option is to just run a traditional sub system and set it up so that you can easily pull it out of the trunk when you need the extra space. If you mount the amp to the sub box and put a fuse holder for the main power and ground wires in the trunk to allow quick disconnecting without bare wires laying around, removing the sub system shouldn't take more than a few minutes.

 

Also, I forgot to add that installing a 10" or 12" sub in the rear deck is usually possible, but it'll require doing some fab work on your part which you may or may not be capable of. There are several subs that will work well without an enclosure too.

 

as to my being able to do it, if it would fit i could do it. i work in a mechanic shop so have access to the tools i would need. and i have fabed stuff before that part doesnt scare me. if i installed the pioneer shallow mount subwoofer in the rear deck would it need to be enclosed? also what size amp would i need for
12" Single 4 Ohms Shallow Series Subwoofer
Power Handling:

• Peak: 1000 watts
• RMS: 250 watts

Impedance: Single 4 ohms
Injection molded polypropylene cone woofer
3-Layer woven radial urethane rubber surround
Air suspension system: allows harmonious movement of the drive cone and the main cone for a spiderless design and cleaner sound
Angled push terminals for greater versatility and easier installtion
55oz. Magnet structure
Frequency response: 20-114 Hz
Sensitivity: 91 dB
and as to how much bass im looking for, not a hole lot but a large part of me wants to do this simply for the challenge and hope for a nice clean look when im done.

 

Hey man, I was in the same boat as you recently. I wanted a sound system but wanted to conserve as much space as possible. So I went out on a limb and got an 8'' JL Audio W3 in a small high output box. The box is about 24'' long, 10'' high, and about 10'' deep. I couldnt be more happier because it POUNDS like a 12 but yet fits snug in the back of my trunk in the area that is right below the speaker deck. I have maximum trunk room with a top of the line set up.. People are amazed that all that bass comes from one single 8''

 

you wouldnt technically need to make and enclosure for it because it will use the trunk as an enclosure but it wont necesarily be as loud as one build to the subs specs

 

That shallow Pioneer would likely work pretty well in an infinite baffle setup (no enclosure), so you could give it a try. Just know that without an enclosure, you'll never get the same output as you would with one. So don't expect huge bass. If you go with that Pioneer and stick with just one sub, I'd recomend getting the 2 ohm version since it'll be easier/cheaper to buy an amp for.

As for an amp, look for a mono amp that does 300 watts RMS at the impedance of the sub you buy, either 2 or 4 ohms for the Pioneer.

Another thing to consider is if you upgrade your front speakers, you could get the 4 ohm version of the sub and a 4 channel amp. This way you could amp your front speakers with 2 channels and bridge the other 2 channels to power your sub. Then you'd only need one amp. For this, you'd probably want something that does ~100 watts RMS x 4 at 4 ohms and is bridgeable.