After lots of researching on here and FB, etc., here are some things I found out when replacing my factory subwoofer on my 04 LC with nav and JBL set up.
-The factory sub is dual voice coil at 4 ohms each.
-The factory sub enclosure has a sticker that says ‘7.4 ohm’. I was able to get the ohms on a skar 6” sub with dual 4 ohm voice coils up to 7 ohm when I wired it in series, but the sound was quieter than my iPhone. Of note, the factory sub was wired inside the enclosure in a standard configuration (yellow+, red- and green+, black-).
-FWIW, I would just disconnect the factory subwoofer and perhaps replace the front door speakers with a nicer set if you want better sound from the factory amp. The bass from the Skar sub was, for the most part, imperceptible from the driver’s seat, even with the windows up. Yes, at times, there was an extra little ‘rumble’ but not worth the time or money in my opinion. The sound was even less when wired in series at 7 ohms. Plus, the Skar subwoofer is a bit too deep requiring weather stripping to seal the enclosure, and it stuck out which then causes the panel to stick out a bit, even if you cut the inside of the grill.
-If the sub is making a rattling sound, you can simply disconnect the subwoofer by removing the ash tray next to the subwoofer and unplugging the white harness just inside. You can see the harness in the right lower corner of the picture of the sub enclosure. Or just refoam the factory sub, as long as the voice coils aren’t burnt up.
-My plan is to replace the front door speakers and maybe get a 6” bazooka tube. The factory wiring can be pulled out of the sub enclosure and then used to directly wire into a stand alone subwoofer to be powered by the factory amp. Or I might get one of those powered slim profile subwoofers like the one made by alpine which is no bigger than a shoe box. For now, I have completely removed the factory sub and enclosure and just running the door speakers and tweeters.
I hope this helps anyone attempting this job.
-The factory sub is dual voice coil at 4 ohms each.
-The factory sub enclosure has a sticker that says ‘7.4 ohm’. I was able to get the ohms on a skar 6” sub with dual 4 ohm voice coils up to 7 ohm when I wired it in series, but the sound was quieter than my iPhone. Of note, the factory sub was wired inside the enclosure in a standard configuration (yellow+, red- and green+, black-).
-FWIW, I would just disconnect the factory subwoofer and perhaps replace the front door speakers with a nicer set if you want better sound from the factory amp. The bass from the Skar sub was, for the most part, imperceptible from the driver’s seat, even with the windows up. Yes, at times, there was an extra little ‘rumble’ but not worth the time or money in my opinion. The sound was even less when wired in series at 7 ohms. Plus, the Skar subwoofer is a bit too deep requiring weather stripping to seal the enclosure, and it stuck out which then causes the panel to stick out a bit, even if you cut the inside of the grill.
-If the sub is making a rattling sound, you can simply disconnect the subwoofer by removing the ash tray next to the subwoofer and unplugging the white harness just inside. You can see the harness in the right lower corner of the picture of the sub enclosure. Or just refoam the factory sub, as long as the voice coils aren’t burnt up.
-My plan is to replace the front door speakers and maybe get a 6” bazooka tube. The factory wiring can be pulled out of the sub enclosure and then used to directly wire into a stand alone subwoofer to be powered by the factory amp. Or I might get one of those powered slim profile subwoofers like the one made by alpine which is no bigger than a shoe box. For now, I have completely removed the factory sub and enclosure and just running the door speakers and tweeters.
I hope this helps anyone attempting this job.
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