DIY: Installing Aftermarket Subs w/ Stock HU ( and Premium Sound System)

[GulfCoastGhostHunters]

Not getting enough bass with the factory sub on the Premium Sound System???
Well hopefully this will help...

PARTS NEEDED

T-TAPS
Male Plug Connectors
Line Out Converter (LOC)
Black Tubing (just makes the install cleaner)
Zip Ties

FOR THE AMP INSTALL

First, run the power wire(I used this thread, very easy to do)
How do I get Power to the Trunk?

Then a remote wire...
I just removed the factory HU to get an ACC wire(use this thread)
http://www.8thcivic.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3534

then use a T-Tap on the Purple wire w/ silver stripe (This wire is also located somwhere in the fuse box, it might be easier...)

Last, the ground wire (Sorry this isn't a great pic)
On the driver side back seat, pull the carpeting up, and you will find a great point for ground, *hidden out of sight!*)



Just use a ring terminal and a Self Tapping Screw on the metal that lays beneath the carpet.

Ok, now for the RCA Cable

THIS IS SO EASY!
Pop the black plastic cover that shields the stock subwoofer off

it's on there fairly good, give it a good tug downwards...

On the LOC you will see wires on one side, and a RCA Connection on the other. Twist all Positive wires together, and all negatives wires together.


I then used electrical tape, to hide the wires, and keep them together.

Now, place the male plug connector on each of the twisted wires...you should only have 2 plugs.

Disengage the factory subwoofer by pulling the clip out. With a T-Tap, tap green for positive, red for negative, and plug in the LOC to the factory wiring.


Then, I zip tied the the LOC To the Black Covering...

Now, plug the RCA Cable into the LOC.
I then used some Black Tubing to hide the appearance of an RCA Cable, and ran it along the top of the trunk, with the factory wiring, using zip ties to secure it


You can then tuck the RCA behind the carpeting you pulled up for the ground wire...

I then put all excess wire in the spare tire wheel well, and pulled what i needed through here



Place the black Cover back up on the top of the trunk. Tuck any exposed wires inside the cover. You shouldn't see anything when finished!



I then mounted my amp to the top of the Subwoofer Box.
Plugged everything up! You're Done.


Completely Clean, Factory Looking Install...

'Matt

[Jrfish007]

Added to the index, thanks for letting me know about it!

[testing1234]

So you leave the factory sub disconnected or do you plug it back in after tapping? Thanks.

[GulfCoastGhostHunters]

woops

[GulfCoastGhostHunters]

No, just leave it unplugged if you already got the amp and speakers in.

and the cool thing is, If you ever need the trunk space, just simply unplug all the wires on the amp, pull out the box, and plug in the factory woofer and you still got sound.

;-)

[testing1234]

Cool, thanks for the info.

[AjTheSnowman]

possible to splice n use both subs ?

[digital]

Originally Posted by AjTheSnowman

possible to splice n use both subs ?

Not recommended, you will decrease the sound quality this way.

[AjTheSnowman]

really? how come ? (if u dont mind)

[digital]

Originally Posted by AjTheSnowman

really? how come ? (if u dont mind)

8" and 10" subs most likely have different phase shift, frequency response and group delay parameters. Although both speakers will be given the same signal, they will not 'play' it in the same way. Because of the properties of sound waves, this is not recommended.

[AjTheSnowman]

i see! will the vibrations be deeper though ?

[digital]

Originally Posted by AjTheSnowman

i see! will the vibrations be deeper though ?

Not likely. 8" cannot play as low 10" without additional modifications to its enclosure. Even if it could, it would be lot of effort to tune those subs to match each other.

[AjTheSnowman]

i get it... thanks a bunch...would installing an aftermarket sub **** with my lease ?

[UncleSid]

^^prolly not.. as long as you can put it back to stock form when you turn it in.

[toxin]

So does the factory subwoofer control work on your aftermarket subs with it like this???

[digital]

Originally Posted by AjTheSnowman

i get it... thanks a bunch...would installing an aftermarket sub **** with my lease ?

not unless there is an electrical problem and your amp fries the HU....

[jonebone]

Maybe I'm missing something here, but you said this is a DIY for hooking up a sub/amp to a stock HU. But yet in your second step you switch to an aftermarket HU.

Originally Posted by GulfCoastGhostHunters

Then a remote wire...
I just removed the factory HU to get an ACC wire(use this thread)
http://66.98.189.130/forums/showthread.php?t=3534

I've installed systems in some of my previous cars and I dont remember needing a LOC or T-Taps. Can't you do this another way? I know there are no RCA outs on the stock HU, can you buy a converter, then run the wire and hook it up that way? I want to put a system in my car, but it seems like this is a lot of effort just to do so. Feedback please?

Or maybe could someone clarify the T-Taps and the LOC steps because they dont seem all too clear to me.

[jonebone]

Is this the LOC that was used?

http://cgi.ebay.com/PAC-SNI-35-Adj-L...QQcmdZViewItem

[GulfCoastGhostHunters]

Originally Posted by jonebone

Maybe I'm missing something here, but you said this is a DIY for hooking up a sub/amp to a stock HU. But yet in your second step you switch to an aftermarket HU.



I've installed systems in some of my previous cars and I dont remember needing a LOC or T-Taps. Can't you do this another way? I know there are no RCA outs on the stock HU, can you buy a converter, then run the wire and hook it up that way? I want to put a system in my car, but it seems like this is a lot of effort just to do so. Feedback please?

Or maybe could someone clarify the T-Taps and the LOC steps because they dont seem all too clear to me.

This is a DIY for hooking up a sub/amp to stock HU. Regarding the second step...
I just used that thread to locate the ACC Wire, I didn't change HU's. You need an ACC wire (12v switched power source) to turn the amp on ;-). This is so the amp isn't on all the time, it only comes on when the car is running.

The reason you need an LOC here is because the Factory HU doesn't supply an RCA output. The LOC simply converts the factory speaker wires to an RCA output for the aftermarket amp. The T-Taps are just an easy, clean way to splice into the Subwoofer, (the signal we need to run to those aftermarket subs).

I promise it really isn't a lot of effort at all, the hardest part is running the power wire to the trunk, and that really isn't THAT bad.
Anything else, just reply and I'll try to get to you.

[GulfCoastGhostHunters]

Originally Posted by jonebone

Is this the LOC that was used?

http://cgi.ebay.com/PAC-SNI-35-Adj-L...QQcmdZViewItem

...and you are totally right, that's the one I used. I just picked mine up at a local audio shop, $30 or so.