Subwoofer in tailgate? (1 Viewer)

[dubdub20003]

New owner and trying to get the stereo sorted in my 2001 LC. I picked up another factory sub box from someone here on Mud, so I can play with different option… but I keep coming to the idea that a sub in the tailgate would be the easiest, yet aside from a passing reference, it does not seem like any others have tried this. What am I missing? Why is that a bad idea? It would be easy enough to cover it with a grill and fabric and still have it fully functional. Not looking for a big or excessive system, but seems like that is easier than building a small sub box on either side.

I welcome any thoughts.

 

[2020 Rocks]

People use that tail gate as a bench, working area, storage area, step to access roof etc. I think most would avoid sub woofer for those reasons.

 

[kgrove]

I had a 2006 years ago that had a pair of smallish subwoofers in the tailgate from a prior owner, and I did not like it for a number of reasons. One, I could never get the sound to balance out correctly. I think this was because the speakers were so much closer to the rear seats and were aimed directly at everyone's ears. If I thought the levels sounded balanced in the front seat, it was way too base heavy in the rear. Two, the speakers interfered with using the back area and I was always worried about damaging them when I loaded stuff in the back. Three, the sound was inconsistent based on how the back was loaded. And my worst sound was always at the times I was spending the most time in the car, which was long highway trips where I was most likely to have the cargo area filled with suitcases or gear that buried the tailgate subs.

I sold that car and got a 2007. On that one I replaced the front with component speakers and the rears with same brand coaxial speakers. I don't recall if I used Polk or Infinity or what model, but I know they were in that $125 per pair kind of range. I also replaced the factory subwoofer with the only direct replacement available... seem to recall that being a JW 6"?? I could be wrong there. My conclusion was my best sound would have been from using components at all 4 doors instead of just the fronts and either spend less in total or take the money I wasted on the replacement sub and get a little higher quality components for the doors.

IMO - Unless you're a huge audiophile and want awesome sound, you can get high quality sound pretty simply and affordably with just the door speakers. And more directly to your specific question about subs in the tailgate, I didn't like it. It was not the whole reason I sold that 2006, but it was a factor.

 

[dubdub20003]

Super helpful, thanks. I think one could easily build it so you could still work on the tailgate… but one of the reasons I liked the idea would be that the speakers were directly behind and much easier to tune. I had not considered that it may yield inconsistent balance. I will have to consider.

 

[kgrove]

Super helpful, thanks. I think one could easily build it so you could still work on the tailgate… but one of the reasons I liked the idea would be that the speakers were directly behind and much easier to tune. I had not considered that it may yield inconsistent balance. I will have to consider.

If you insisted on putting subs in the tailgate, you likely could improve on getting good balance with a better setup than the prior owner did to the 2006 I had. Being a pretty new 06 at the time, the nav-delete thing did not exist, so he was stuck with the factory head unit. He powered the tailgate subs with an amp stealing the speaker level inputs back where the factory sub was located, which made adjusting the gain on the amp quite inconvenient. That's a long winded way of saying that for all practical purposes, I had one shot to do real adjustments on the sub levels because I wasn't going to remove the interior panel every time the sound pissed me off. After that, I could only control sound levels with the volume, bass, and fader levels on the OEM head unit. So... that greatly exacerbated any inherent sound issues with placing subs in the tailgate. You could overcome some of these by using a modern head unit that had specific subwoofer controls plus put the amp someplace more accessible so you didn't have to remove interior panels to adjust. The sound would still change drastically with a loaded vs empty cargo area.

I don't doubt at all that you could improve on the one I used to have and at least under some circumstances it would sound better than simply upgrading all the door speakers. Whether it's enough better to justify the cost and effort is owner dependent. I would not do it as IMO you could achieve really good and consistent sound for way less cost and effort by focusing on just the door speakers. For best possible sound, a subwoofer would be great, but personally I'd recommend mounting a box somewhere in the back over the tailgate. I think the geometry of the box you could build would allow for a more meaningful sound improvement than the relatively narrow volume in the tailgate, plus you wouldn't have to worry about a tailgate sub introducing rattles from the tailgate itself.

 

[suprarx7nut]

There's a ton of empty volume in the cargo trim area where no (or at least very limited) sheet metal cutting would be needed. To do the tailgate, you'd have to mount it above the tailgate (seems like a dumb thing to me) or you'd have to cut away some sheet metal to mount it flush. And then you'd need to create a robust grill so you haven't invalidated one of the defining features of the car.

Given the energy and design/fab required, I'd just mount it in the cargo trim areas. It's out of the way, volume to spare and you won't need to hack away at sheet metal, not figure out wiring through the rear grommets and into the tailgate.

For so many reasons, the tailgate seems like a poor choice, IMO.

 

[dubdub20003]

Appreciate the guidance.

 

[YezusLX]

I am not sure this will be of any value. But I am inclined to disagree here. The OEM sub-box idea is certainly a cool thought. I think if you were to do this properly a fiberglass enclosure or something similar inside the tailgate is an excellent idea. Now, for the proper sound, you will need excellent wave management (sound dampening) and of course a good incoming signal to the sub amp. Having two subs on either side will simply cancel each other when the waves collide. So there is that. I would look for something like JL audio's slimline series but if memory serves they do not yet make a sub smaller than the 10TW3. You can reach out to Lucas (the L in JL) down in Miami and see if they have something in development. Otherwise, you may be forced to use their 6W3 (not a sub to be underestimated depth could be an issue in OEM box )or ZR mid-bass drivers. I also think FOCAL offers a small/thin 6 or 8-inch driver that may work as well. As long as you have something like the JL clean sweep or Audison version to get a good signal the issues mentioned above with balance and distortion are a thing of the past. Alpine also has timing correction in their head units as well to resolve this issue. Take it from me (stereos killed my hearing). Haha! So now it is just loud AF all the time. But loud needs to be clear otherwise it's just noise. I rock an Alpine Carplay only double din, Focal Flax components, Alpine and JL VX tiny amps that bolt onto the back of the head unit, and their signal processor. The processor is a bit overkill but I need it clean. I have the 6w3 going in the OEM location with modifications when it arrives and a quick disconnect to a stand-alone 10TW3 in a box for mall crawling. This way when the truck is full I can ditch my 10" and still have a modicum of bass. Plus the Focal Flax series has enough mid-bass to slap the driver next to you in traffic. No need for rear door speakers unless you ride folks back there frequently. If you have a good front sound stage the rear is just filler anyway. Stealth installs are the best and I LOVE the idea of using the tailgate. If mine didn't have tools in it there, it would be subs. Lots of them. The UZJ100 is like a perfectly designed speaker box on wheels that goes anywhere. Random thought, what about a speaker box that can be removed from the tailgate to provide the tailgate party? Piano hinges? Articulating tv mount arm? Motorized? Anyway, before I rip out my toolbox I think you have something cool here. Go for it and share with us, please!

 

[rampantwolf]

I’m starting to install my interior and I figured I’d take a quick look at what space is available since I have the entire interior out atm.

Here are pics of driver side and passenger side quarter panel and tailgate space. I agree with @2020 Rocks that the tailgate is a useful bench. Have you thought about the passenger quarter panel. I’d recommend hand laying a carbon fiber sub box there. You could probably get away with a thin 12” or even a JL 12w3 kind of at an angle and the box extruded out a few of inches flush with the hatch opening. I don’t think you would miss the space if you aren’t using your 3rd row seats.

Also, on second thought you could do The tailgate with four 6” subs. That would be equivalent to a single 12” in surface area. Also the amp would probably have tighter control of the cones since they are smaller. Placing them in a flush mount 2x2 array on the side of the tailgate that you don’t plan to use would definitely work. This option will require you to cut the sheet metal top off, hand lay the carbon fiber box, wrap the top with a heat shield so that you don’t burn through the box when you weld it back together. It’s definitely doable. The more I’m talking about it I’m tempted to do it as well

 

[rampantwolf]

You’d definitely need to secure the tailgate with a new gate gasket to keep it from rattling. Also lining the panel with mucho sound dampening bitumen and foam would be a must. I’ve already done that though.

 

[YezusLX]

@rampantwolf I think you might be able to squeeze a 12TW3 maaaybe a 13TW3 in that right side if you can get the airspace right. The depth looks like it's there. If you really wanted big boomy bass for like a neighborhood block party or something.

 

[YezusLX]

Looks like it needs 3.5" of depth they also have enclosure specs as well if you are so inclined.

JL Audio | Engineered for World Class Sound

For nearly half a century, JL Audio has produced outstanding audio products engineered to deliver world-class sound for the most demanding customers.

www.jlaudio.com

 

[dubdub20003]

Thanks for the pics! You are right, that passenger side is huge… move a sub there and the other side would be open for an amp other components.

I do not need to make more work for myself, but just couldn’t understand why no one had tried it. Seeing these pics, I think I understand better.