Ok, I've seen many topics on stealthboxes for the C5, and many pictures of ultra custom setups in C5's, but haven't seen much anything on C4's. Right Now I have a fibreglass box mounted in the rar passenger corner with a 10" Type R in it. The box is too small for the sub, but if I make a bigger one I lose hatch space and add weight and don't really want to do either. Anyone else have any cool C4 installs? I searched the gallery and found 1 with a kicker sub and amp flush into the floor. That's it.

I will likely go with a pair of 8's or 6x9 subs (yes, they make them) in the rear 6x9 holes and use the factory grilles for that stealth look. Run it all off a 4 channel (Alpine MRV-F540). Front 2 channels to the components, back 2 to the subs.

Basically I want to keep the install as light, compact and simple as possible. I'm not sure how badly weight affects performance, but I'm sure it's not good. Plus I don't want to lose my hatch unless I do something really cool.

There is also the single 10" in the floor compartment thing, but I'm using one side for crossovers already and don't want to lose the other one too. The amp will be mounted to the back wall of the hatch with a piece of MDF to screw it to, likely vinyled and dyed to match my interior (carmine red).

Anyone have any pictures or comments to this? Feel free to help me out. Thanks!

 

Also, I was thinking about ordering one of the steel head unit mounts from Ecklers. Has anyone used one before and are they flush mount? I just want a cheap flush mount kit for my head unit. I have a scosche one right now and it sticks out a good 1/2". Looks terrible.

 

Take a closer look at my C4 Audio FAQ. Those links show several options.

 

I've looked over your FAQ thoroughly, but it doesn't show any really custom C4 installs. It also doesn't give any feedback on the 10" in the floor vs. the pair of 8's. Other than those 2 things, it is extremely informative and helpful.

 

My emprical data is rather limited, I must admit. However, it is due to the limited nature of what you're asking.

I have a single 10", in a box, in my hatch. That is going to go bye-bye REAL soon! I am going to install the 10" into the storage bin.

As for the 8s... I suspect modern 8s in the rear enclosures would do more than you realize. Friday, I had a chance to listen to Nelson V.'s system. That was sick. two JL Audio 8W7s. They were sealed, in the trunk of a C5 vert.

Insane. The amt of tight, usable bass they produced is just sick.

AS stated, the rear enclosures will hold 8s. Custom work will be required to get 8W7s back there, tho. They need more air, and are soooo deep... damn.

The limiting factor is the shape of the C4 hatch. There are some extreme systems for the C4, but they suck up the entire hatch.

Personally, I think your system weakness is the sub. The Alpine isn't bad, but there are much better ones to choose from. I don't know the space requirements for that unit, but for reference, the inside of the storage bin is just at .90 cf^3. This is before adding any reinforcement. If you did not reinforce the enclosure, then you are asking for bass problems, cause the 1/8" thick (thin?) SMC walls are not strong enough to hold in the bass.

I wish I could hear more of these systems, so I could give the needed empirical data... but I am at least trying to build stuff....

 

Hey, do you have any pictures of your fiberglass box you have?? I curious to see what it looks like,

 

8s or 6x9s in the rear enclosures can give lots of bass if driven by amps. The best part of the C4 audio system is the rear speaker mounts. with the right tools you can mount aftermarket +size speakers pretty easily. I installed Alpine 6x9s in about two hours using a cut off wheel, rotary file, scribe, and a few other tools. Looks very pro! My next project is to find a place up front to hide an amp for the fronts and rears since I'm only pushing 25w per channel off my alpine deck that makes the lights dim inside

 

RotorHead - do you have power passengers seat? If not, a small amp can fit under there!

 

Yeah it's power! I'm thinking using the storage compartment to try and fit a 100w x4 amp or similar. 100w x2 75wx2 would be better, but since I've been out of the audio game for a while I'm not quite sure what is out there. Just putting the rear 6x9s on a 100w a peice would be a huge improvement. I'm also trying to figure out at what freq I should cut the fronts off at to eliminate bass distorting the higher freqs. (6.5" alpines).

I'm sure a capacitor just for the head unit would eliminate the dimming lights as well!

 

hm... dimming lites on the head... that's interesting... sounds to me like not enough juice is getting to the head.

You can also put an amp behind the seat. Another great location is the rear bulkhead. Lotsa space there!

I don't recommend putting an amp inside the storage bin, there is just not enough air flow.

 

Actually, all the interior lights dim You think a capacitor would help aleviate the problem? Putting the two rear speakers on their own amp should help a lot.

 

I've got 2 amps in the drivers side storage bin right now sort of stacked on top of each other ( rubber divider). One is a 50x2 component amp, one is a 350 watt sub amp. I drove for 2 hours to an audio show, had the system playing off and on for 6 hours all day and 2 hours the whole drive home. Never opened the lid, never had a problem. It was warm in there, but not hot. Amps never went into protection or anything. New amps are pretty efficient and smaller ones hardly generate any heat at all. The amp I'm looking into (Alpine MRV F540) is to big to fit, however, and will be mounted to the floor or back wall with an MDF backing plate. That's why I want to maybe go down to a pair of 8's. Take less power, have more cone area and mount stealthier. The Alpine is a nice sub, but it is a power hog and would be too big for the storage compartment I'm afraid. I may try it, but I'm not too certain it would work that well in this situation. Do people still keep the whole lid/frame assembly when doing the compartment boxes?

Also, I'll have to get some pics up of my old boxes. They're pretty insane looking sitting in the boring old hatch of a stock C4.

 

I have a pic of my subs and custom setup on my website.

 

you have a wiring problem... that should not happen at all.

dbl check the connections...

 

Are the rear 6x9 holes the same size on all C4's 84-96? I recall someone putting JL Audio W3v2's in them (very beefy 8"). Hopefully they are, because if I can fit something of equal size to the JL's in there, I will have exactly the bass Output I'm looking for. I was thinking of Resonant Engineering RE 8's. That should give me the output I'm looking for.

 

I would tend to think they are the same..just the top speaker housing is different.
It is absolutetly cavernous in there.I can totally see how an 8" would love that home.
I still would like to throw some killer 6.5" in there.Some MB quarts or Focals.Leaving the lows for a true sub.
I just put 5 1/4" Eclipse Point Source in my Bose enclosure up front.I run them with a JBL GTS150.They absolutely jam!..I knew they were higher end but I never expected for them to hit enough to vibrate things. Rather interesting to get them sealed up in the Bose enclosure but they are doing well.
I am having a 12" custom box being made for the hatch.Should sit under the shade and snug on the sides with both storage hatches accessible.The sub should fire forward at about 75 degree angle.
Should knock the glass right out of the hatch.

 

I ran a 12" once similar to that setup. Mine faced straight up in a fibreglass box. JL 12" W3v2. It hammered nice. If it wasn't so big and awkward I would have likely kept it in there.

 

ya know, i never hear any c4 owners use SAS Bazooka tubes (the real Southern Audio Services ones. not the crappy imatitions). Right now I am between installs for a subwoofer in my C4, so when the top is on the car, I have in my wedge hatchback box for my Alpine R 12" dual voice coil sub, and when I take the top off, I switch out the wedge enclosure with a SAS non amplified 8" Bazooka tube running off of a Bazooka MA1500 monoblock subwoofer amplifier. The amplifier puts out a mean 500 watts into one channel, which is way more than the poor Bazooka tube needs, so I turn down the gain. But this does solve my convertable top problem at the moment. One 8" tube is enough to rattle my teeth, and is generally inexpensive. (I bought my tube used off of Ebay for 40 bucks, and the Bazooka monoblock amp as well for another $50, so there isnt much money involved.) The amplifier has its own variable 12 db bass boost as well as low pass crossover, so I got all of my bases covered as far as signal, and wattage. That poor SAS tube really bangs, I could just imagine if I had another 3 of them in the car, of which, I measured and, well, fits snuggly in with the top in the back. But for now, this adresses my dual problem of not knowing what the hell to do with the sub install, and my convertable top problem. I have not adressed the 6x9's at all really, other than throwing some mid grade Sony replacements for some general rear fill running off of the deck. But I just wondered if there were any other SAS users out there besides myself.

snoopdan