Factory Subwoofer Info Guide (2 Viewers)

[Murckman]

This topic doesn’t seem to have been covered much so I thought I would post some usable info on the factory subwoofer enclosure and subwoofer replacement.
Before ordering an 8 inch subwoofer replacement for my 08 LC I searched long and hard for info on mounting depth of the factory enclosure along with info on speaker impedance. I didn’t have much luck finding info on the 200 Series but it had to be similar in respect to other Toyota’s with factory subwoofer enclosures. Based on the info on the 4Runner sites I decided to pull the trigger on an 8” dual 2 ohm shallow mount subwoofer. The panel is pretty complex to take apart but definitely not impossible, just time consuming. I ordered my subwoofer from Crutchfield and they emailed me installation instructions specifically for the 200 Series (about 70 pages long) that helps guide you in the removal process.
Hope this can help others.

Factory enclosure with subwoofer removed:

Factory enclosure depth at shallowest point, just shy of 4-1/2”:

Factory sub depth:

Factory impedance (same on other coil):

New subwoofer installed:

 

[bloc]

Did you give any consideration to the different audio qualities of the sub? Or just plug/play/better?

 

[Murckman]

Did you give any consideration to the different audio qualities of the sub? Or just plug/play/better?

Verdict is still out on the sound from the one I installed. It was plug and play.
I did have to redrill new mounting holes.

 

[Ratchey]

There isn't a lot of depth in there. Around 4" towards the bottom, 5" at the top.
I didn't have much luck finding a 10" sub I liked that would fit. I have a 8" out of a JL MicroSub box. I plan on making a 10-8" adapter and seeing how it sounds. I will be running it off a separate amp.

 

[Eric Sarjeant]

I’ve done full audio replacements on 200’s. They are challenging because you really need to upgrade the amps to get the real benefit of an aftermartket speaker. We use The space under the passenger seat for digital amp location. I’m not the installer/electrician, so I can’t talk in precise detail, but you have to use additional hardware to engage the two-way communication from speaker-to-amp (not just amp-to-speaker). Since the entire interior panels and carpet are removed, it’s perfect timing to dynonat the interior/doors for extra sound deadening.

 

[Eric Sarjeant]

More pics. Not a DYI job

 

[Eric Sarjeant]

More pics

 

[Eric Sarjeant]

.

 

[Madtiger]

Dear god, do you anything simple?!!!

Wow, that is some custom install job!! Very nice.

 

[Madtiger]

There isn't a lot of depth in there. Around 4" towards the bottom, 5" at the top.
I didn't have much luck finding a 10" sub I liked that would fit. I have a 8" out of a JL MicroSub box. I plan on making a 10-8" adapter and seeing how it sounds. I will be running it off a separate amp.

Well, that’s the problem with most decent OEM setup......all the speakers now use Neodymium magnets vs. old fashion big heavy ferrite magnets.

 

[Murckman]

There isn't a lot of depth in there. Around 4" towards the bottom, 5" at the top.
I didn't have much luck finding a 10" sub I liked that would fit. I have a 8" out of a JL MicroSub box. I plan on making a 10-8" adapter and seeing how it sounds. I will be running it off a separate amp.

That Diamond Audio sub Eric’s guys put in is 4.4” in depth. I measured all 4 sides of the enclosure, so it looks like he probably got that to fit without a spacer. It still leaves lots of subwoofer options unavailable, but once I got everything taken apart I was surprised to see how much depth there was. I probably would have bought the Diamond Audio DES82 (dual 2 ohm) instead of the shallow mount Rockford Fosgate had I had known. The RF does have a break in period of 24-48 hours of use so I am still waiting to see how it truly sounds after that period.

 

[Mjones]

With that much mounting depth I'd look into a 'Shallow depth" 8" sub and build a box for the sub to the sub's volume specs so it's not loosing pretty much most of it's efficiency in the open space behind the plastic panels. It'll be far more efficient matching the sub's spec's for an inclosure and best chance of getting better quality sound without getting into changing process/amps, etc.

ie. Pioneer has an 8" sub with 2-5/8" mounting and requires box volume max 0.5 cubic feet. Box would be MDF or even better fiberglass.

You probably won't meet to recommended depth behind the magnet but it'll be much better than no box.

 

[Ratchey]

With that much mounting depth I'd look into a 'Shallow depth" 8" sub and build a box for the sub to the sub's volume specs so it's not loosing pretty much most of it's efficiency in the open space behind the plastic panels. It'll be far more efficient matching the sub's spec's for an inclosure and best chance of getting better quality sound without getting into changing process/amps, etc.

ie. Pioneer has an 8" sub with 2-5/8" mounting and requires box volume max 0.5 cubic feet. Box would be MDF or even better fiberglass.

You probably won't meet to recommended depth behind the magnet but it'll be much better than no box.

There already is an enclosure that the stock sub is in. It's ABS but some CLD should stiffen it up a bit.

 

[Ratchey]

That Diamond Audio sub Eric’s guys put in is 4.4” in depth. I measured all 4 sides of the enclosure, so it looks like he probably got that to fit without a spacer. It still leaves lots of subwoofer options unavailable, but once I got everything taken apart I was surprised to see how much depth there was. I probably would have bought the Diamond Audio DES82 (dual 2 ohm) instead of the shallow mount Rockford Fosgate had I had known. The RF does have a break in period of 24-48 hours of use so I am still waiting to see how it truly sounds after that period. View attachment 2226445View attachment 2226446View attachment 2226447View attachment 2226448View attachment 2226451

Is yours a non ML sub or an LC. In my LX (2009) I don't have nearly that depth. It is 4" on the top and about 5.5" at the bottom. That's why most of the subs I looked at with any power handling wouldn't fit.

Also, are you powering this with the stock amp? If so, you aren't going to get the bump you are looking for. With a sensitivity: 83 dB you will need more power to really make it do anything. They are not very efficient subs.

 

[Murckman]

Is yours a non ML sub or an LC. In my LX (2009) I don't have nearly that depth. It is 4" on the top and about 5.5" at the bottom. That's why most of the subs I looked at with any power handling wouldn't fit.

Also, are you powering this with the stock amp? If so, you aren't going to get the bump you are looking for. With a sensitivity: 83 dB you will need more power to really make it do anything. They are not very efficient subs.

It’s the JBL system on the LC. I’m not sure on actual output wattage to each coil from the factory amp, but I’m sure it’s fairly low output maybe in the 50-75 watts per coil range. The RF sub is rated for 75-150 RMS which is about the smallest RMS I could find in a quality brand name sub and still fit the other parameters of depth, enclosure size requirements, and impedance ratings. I wasn’t sure the factory amp could be bridged so I didn’t try to go that route with a single voice coil 2 ohm. I’ve got maybe 6 hours into the break in period of this sub. It does sound tight and lacks sound depth, but it’s working as it should and I’ll give it the amount of time for break in they require of 24-48 hours of use. I typically would be skeptical of the whole “break in period” but surprisingly it is starting to sound marginally better, so I’ll wait it out and see and report back. Many 4Runner guys are putting these subs in their factory enclosures and giving really great reviews.

 

[Murckman]

Is yours a non ML sub or an LC. In my LX (2009) I don't have nearly that depth. It is 4" on the top and about 5.5" at the bottom. That's why most of the subs I looked at with any power handling wouldn't fit.

Also, are you powering this with the stock amp? If so, you aren't going to get the bump you are looking for. With a sensitivity: 83 dB you will need more power to really make it do anything. They are not very efficient subs.

Yes on using the factory amp. I’m not looking for any major bump, just something that sounded better than what was there.

 

[terdrocket]

It’s the JBL system on the LC. I’m not sure on actual output wattage to each coil from the factory amp, but I’m sure it’s fairly low output maybe in the 50-75 watts per coil range. The RF sub is rated for 75-150 RMS which is about the smallest RMS I could find in a quality brand name sub and still fit the other parameters of depth, enclosure size requirements, and impedance ratings. I wasn’t sure the factory amp could be bridged so I didn’t try to go that route with a single voice coil 2 ohm. I’ve got maybe 6 hours into the break in period of this sub. It does sound tight and lacks sound depth, but it’s working as it should and I’ll give it the amount of time for break in they require of 24-48 hours of use. I typically would be skeptical of the whole “break in period” but surprisingly it is starting to sound marginally better, so I’ll wait it out and see and report back. Many 4Runner guys are putting these subs in their factory enclosures and giving really great reviews.

If you still feel like you're missing low end, stuff the enclosure full of poly fill.

 

[TomCruis]

@Murkman- Thanks for starting this thread. I too have been looking for audio upgrade options for my 2014 LC and have not found much intel on the matter. My goals are simple (at least in my head)... upgrade the JBL system while keeping everything looking stock. i.e. add 4 channel amp to drive component speakers up front and rear door speakers and swap out the factory sub - either using factory sub enclosure or go with a fiberglass custom enclosure in the same location... Have you noticed any improvement using the RF sub? I'm curious if the factory sub enclosure is rigid enough to handle an aftermarket speaker.... this would make everything a whole lot simpler (and less expensive).

For your install, if you're not getting enough out of the factory amp, i would definitely just add a sub amp and hide it behind that panel - use an AudioControl LC2i to tap into the factory sub output then go to a small mono aftermarket amp - i did this in my Audi and it sounded great.

I'm in the process of getting the GROM VL2 installed for Android Auto and will also look to upgrade the rest of the sound system in stages.

 

[TomCruis]

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Eric, these pictures are incredibly helpful. Thanks for sharing. For that install, did your installer keep the factory subwoofer enclosure and just add dampening material to it? Were you able to listen to the finished product? really curious if the factory enclosure held up... the dynomat added to that project is critical - the cabin must be amazingly quiet now

 

[Ratchey]

I installed an 8" JL 8W3 in the factory enclosure. I am powering it with an Alpine 600.1 sub amp.
The enclosure seems to be holding up fine but I am getting some rattling at certain frequencies. Part of that is coming from the fact that the grill cover is just tall enough to be pushing on the panel and not letting one of the clips stay in place. I can't remove the cover though since I have to build a 10" to 8" adapter so the sub already sits higher in place.
I may take it back apart and add some CLD to the actual enclosure. I had already added some to the quarter panel since it was being vibrated by the stock ML sub.
Over all I am pleased and surprised by the amount of bass from this setup. On certain songs I am able to shake the rear view mirror to the point it is completely unusable.
Once I get some type or drawer system in there I can move the amp and processor to that and pull out the box and 10" Alpine Type R sub and gain back that room.