Fender SW (Only) Upgrade

[Chad13762]

I'm planning to replace just the Fender subwoofer, using the factory amp. Is there any definitive info on the amp's crossover point, or factory EQ?

Yah - I know this won't be an ideal upgrade. I've torn apart every car I've owned to install wires, crossovers, amps etc. I'm just not ready to go there with my new car yet.

I'm thinking something pretty modest - probably a pair of Dayton or Tang-Band 6.5" subs. After looking a the factory sub and enclosure, I should be able to get a 3-6 dB improvement in efficiency, with some added LF extension and less mechanical distortion.

 

[Chad13762]

Hmm - looks like no-one knows. I couldn't find anything but speculation on the 'net myself.

Anyway..I'm just going to dive in and see what happens. Here's my design:



I'm going to use 2 Dayton DCS165-4 6-1/2" subs. With a little over 1 cuft available, I'm tuning the port to 40 Hz. This will all fit under the parcel floor and maintains the plastic nut that secures the spare tire. It also leaves some room on the left side for the stupid first aid kit and emergency kit I had to buy.



It's a pretty complicated box, so cutting and assembling it will be a PITA. I'll post some pictures as I make progress. If the factory amp doesn't cut it, I still have room under the box (in the remaining area of the spare tire rim) for an amp and other stuff).

 

[chid]

this is what I did:
Fender subwoofer upgrade

why would you complicate with such a design and for 2x6in? a 12in has more than double the area or 2x6in...
I have no problem with the speaker moving.

 

[Chad13762]

Chid - I saw your thread. There's lots of good stuff there. I'm definitely going to get a factory connector.

I looked at flat 10's and 12's, and could pretty easily modify my box to fit one. I guess it's more of a challenge to my self to get some robust little 6.5's to work. I'm not really that worried about keeping the stock tire clamp, but since I'm giving the smaller speakers a try, I might as well keep it.

I have a fire pit in my yard in case this project goes horribly wrong.

 

[ReflexxMK7]

It would be nice to know how many watts the Fender sub is receiving. Since the systems is 400W, I would have to assume the 8 speakers are receiving 50W per channel and 200 is going to the sub. If that is true, then a nice Polk DB DVC in 8" would be a hell of a step up and still work well with 200w. But, it could be more like 75 x 4 + 100w x 1... Even then, 100w into an 8" sub would be pretty good. Tempting to upgrade that part at some point. For now the stock sub is still pretty good, this is one of the better factory systems I have ever had.

 

[Chad13762]

While waiting for glue to dry, I decided to take a look at the factory driver. It doesn't look like a "bad" little speaker, but I doubt it would handle 200 watts for very long. FWIW, each voice coil is 2 ohm. I'm just going to commandeer the Fender plug and wire for the new box. It looks easy enough to put it back in the future.



Here's a quick progress pic. If I can manage not to bugger up the plywood veneer too bad, I might just give the box a nice sanding and some urethane.

 

[Chad13762]

A couple more progress pics.

 

[chid]

nice project!!

 

[BxGTI]

The hell of a nice project indeed

 

[Chad13762]

S'more pictures....

Lots of clamps:



Another test fit:



First coat of urethane. Yah, a finished box hiding under the shelf make no sense..I'm anal. Needs more work with steel wool and urethane. Definitely will need to out-gas and cure for a week before I put it in the car.

 

[BxGTI]

Can't wait to see the finished product

 

[BxGTI]

Can't wait to see the finished product

 

[equally 1]

Skills!

 

[Chad13762]

Waiting for drivers to arrive. Got bored and decided the box needed a warning sticker.

 

[Chad13762]

Final Picture



I'm pretty happy with the results. The large ported box with small 6.5's results in noticeably deeper bass..punchier too. At fist it was on the boomy side, but after some break in, it's smoothed out a lot. I'm sure there's plenty low end EQ built into the factory system. Maybe some damping material will help that a little.

Even though it's pretty big, it's light and easy to remove, since it's only 1/2" ply. Some skate board tape on the bottom does a good job keeping it in place (almost like velcro).

The subwoofer level needs to be about half of what the factory sub needed for the same volume, so it's more efficient. The factory amp still gets a bit flaccid at higher volumes though.

Now the Fender door speakers and tweeters are bugging me. Seems like way too much emphasis on the upper mid range that I can't dial out with the tone settings. I'll probably be looking for mid/tweet upgrades soon.