Here’s the sub box. I decided to make it 24x11xaverage4, so my internal cu ft is up to 0.53, which is closer to the max of 0.75. I think this will sound better than the previously smaller box with 0.35 cu ft.

The box is glued and nailed shut, except the top which will be screwed on for easy removal. This is MDF. Baltic Birch is also a good material choice.

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It’ll take me awhile to get used to the look. Scrub radius improved, NW TireWorks did a fantastic job. Explained details about the wheel and how they are designed to be balanced. They do 18 wheelers and the big off-road rigs around here. An hour drive but worth it.

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It’ll take me awhile to get used to the look. Scrub radius improved, NW TireWorks did a fantastic job. Explained details about the wheel and how they are designed to be balanced. They do 18 wheelers and the big off-road rigs around here. An hour drive but worth it.

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Go on ebay and get some Jeep center caps. Looks Great. I'm so used to 35's on 17's though...the tires look HUGE!
 
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Go on ebay and get some Jeep center caps. Looks Great. I'm so used to 35's on 17's though...the tires look HUGE!

When I first saw them I thought, “well, that looks OK. Sure is a lot of tire. I think next time I’m pretty set on 17s.“ At least for now I think that 15 still have an edge off-road over 17s and I have a load C tire and really nothing to complain about except spending about 450 bucks.
 
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Until you try a 17" wheel and tire...I personally don't think there is any advantage...only an academic one (more sidewall = better performance)

I think 17s will be better due to stability. 15" allows a lot of lateral movement when aired down, it was very noticeable on Moab Rim where you're off camber for a long while.
 
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Like the LOOK... Very nice.

Yeah, it’s just a clean look. I’ll go with beadlocks next time since my mind will be more settled on the 15 vs 17 issue. I want to watch the tire market another couple years and see if 15’s continue to go away and if more 17’s are being offered in load C.
 
Bought a new Kenwood head unit and some high quality amp install kits, rca’s et.al. Went with this head unit bc of the BT technology and a few other great features. Probably be mid-winter before I get all this installed, but at least all the parts are there. I’ll wire the sub in parallel so it will be running at 2-ohm.

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I hate it when I walk into the middle of a movie. What did I miss here? :confused:

My Rockford Fosgate PS-8 Self-Powered Sub went caput about a month ago. This was a bit premature, but it was 5 years old. I contemplated just replacing it, or doing a bit of an upgrade. I fooled around with the idea of building a sealed enclosure for a slimline sub under the rear seat. After measuring the space and fooling with the numbers I decided I could get a good size box within the parameters of the cu ft volume needed for an 8" Square Kicker Sub. The square subs have more surface area than a round sub, so they deliver better performance. They are dual voice coil 4-ohm, so I can wire them in series or parallel. Like so many have done, I went with the 5-channel Soundstream Picasso Nano 640D, which I plan to mount under the steering column.

While contemplating the install I decided a new head unit was in order. The JVC I had was too slow in hooking up BT and the clock would no longer keep time, so I decided to go for a unit that is highly praised for its BT technology. The Kenwood Excelon series are supposed to hook up almost instantaneously, which is important to me since I'm a streamer. I also decided to do all the wiring right, so rather than go for the recommended 8 gauge amp install kit, I went for the 4 gauge (someone else I know likes thicker gauge wire!). I also got high grade pre-amp outs which cost me a kidney. Other odds and ends like a quick disconnect for the sub box. Now I just need the time to install it all! When I get done I'll report back on the comparison with a self-powered sub. I still have a Kicker self-powered sub in the White Sport, so I can literally compare the sound quality quite easily.
 
My Rockford Fosgate PS-8 Self-Powered Sub went caput about a month ago. This was a bit premature, but it was 5 years old. I contemplated just replacing it, or doing a bit of an upgrade. I fooled around with the idea of building a sealed enclosure for a slimline sub under the rear seat. After measuring the space and fooling with the numbers I decided I could get a good size box within the parameters of the cu ft volume needed for an 8" Square Kicker Sub. The square subs have more surface area than a round sub, so they deliver better performance. They are dual voice coil 4-ohm, so I can wire them in series or parallel. Like so many have done, I went with the 5-channel Soundstream Picasso Nano 640D, which I plan to mount under the steering column.

While contemplating the install I decided a new head unit was in order. The JVC I had was too slow in hooking up BT and the clock would no longer keep time, so I decided to go for a unit that is highly praised for its BT technology. The Kenwood Excelon series are supposed to hook up almost instantaneously, which is important to me since I'm a streamer. I also decided to do all the wiring right, so rather than go for the recommended 8 gauge amp install kit, I went for the 4 gauge (someone else I know likes thicker gauge wire!). I also got high grade pre-amp outs which cost me a kidney. Other odds and ends like a quick disconnect for the sub box. Now I just need the time to install it all! When I get done I'll report back on the comparison with a self-powered sub. I still have a Kicker self-powered sub in the White Sport, so I can literally compare the sound quality quite easily.

You have issues.
 
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My Rockford Fosgate PS-8 Self-Powered Sub went caput about a month ago. This was a bit premature, but it was 5 years old. I contemplated just replacing it, or doing a bit of an upgrade. I fooled around with the idea of building a sealed enclosure for a slimline sub under the rear seat. After measuring the space and fooling with the numbers I decided I could get a good size box within the parameters of the cu ft volume needed for an 8" Square Kicker Sub. The square subs have more surface area than a round sub, so they deliver better performance. They are dual voice coil 4-ohm, so I can wire them in series or parallel. Like so many have done, I went with the 5-channel Soundstream Picasso Nano 640D, which I plan to mount under the steering column.

While contemplating the install I decided a new head unit was in order. The JVC I had was too slow in hooking up BT and the clock would no longer keep time, so I decided to go for a unit that is highly praised for its BT technology. The Kenwood Excelon series are supposed to hook up almost instantaneously, which is important to me since I'm a streamer. I also decided to do all the wiring right, so rather than go for the recommended 8 gauge amp install kit, I went for the 4 gauge (someone else I know likes thicker gauge wire!). I also got high grade pre-amp outs which cost me a kidney. Other odds and ends like a quick disconnect for the sub box. Now I just need the time to install it all! When I get done I'll report back on the comparison with a self-powered sub. I still have a Kicker self-powered sub in the White Sport, so I can literally compare the sound quality quite easily.

If I ever get close to be done with the underside, I‘d love to upgrade my crappy stereo. Sounds like you (and some others here) are educated in that realm. So, expect a PM in about a hundred years😄
 
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If I ever get close to be done with the underside, I‘d love to upgrade my crappy stereo. Sounds like you (and some others here) are educated in that realm. So, expect a PM in about a hundred years😄

@skrelnik is the Jedi Master in the audio arena.
 
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Made some brackets to mount to the board I’m mounting the amp to from under the steering column.
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I recessed the bolt heads so the amp mounts flush. I also routed the edges so when I reach under the dash to make adjustments there’s no sharp edges.

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Fits perfect under the column.
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The new Kenwood KDC-X705 is installed, 5-channel Soundstream Picasso Nano 640D amp installed, new 8” Kicker LT7 DVC 4-ohm sub installed.

What’s remarkably different is the clarity. The sound is so crystal clear. It’s just beautiful listening to any music. It doesn’t ‘hit’ as hard as I thought it would, but it’s very balanced and you can turn it up with no distortion.

I dremmeled that bit of steel off behind the head unit. The Kenwood BY 4.2 is markedly better than my JVC head unit. Still have to figure out some of the head unit functions. For the Amp settings I followed the gain settings for a 5.0V output signal.

For the sub box to fit I had to bend the metal rod seat supports. There’s just enough room for the speaker face to fit between them. It is sooo close. This is the maximum height box that can fit under the rear seat. A rear seat riser would be the solution if you wanted to go higher. I’m really pleased it turned out. I’ll organize the wiring a bit better today!

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