I'm in the initial phase of piecing together a custom audio system for my Fiero. Over the years, I've seen a lot of different combos used...

I can't take my mind off of the amount of front trunk space there is on the Fiero; to me, it just begs to be used as a sub enclosure. My idea is to run a single 10" woofer set-up in the trunk area to cover the lowest-lows, using tubing to port the air to the cabin. To handle bass/mid-bass frequencies, 8" woofers in boxes behind the seats. Midrange and high speakers will be 6 1/2" component speakers (seperate woofer/tweeter) mounted in the dash, kick panels, and door pillars. Brands and specific models are undertermined yet... tho I would prefer to at least have an Eclipse head unit.

So how about it? I'm really just looking for ideas/input on the sub-woofer set-up. I know it's been done before, but it's been a while since I've actually seen it. Also... what type of sub would be best for such an application? And what ever happened to "free-air" subs/ would they work here? Edit: Forget about the "free air" idea... thanks guys...

Thanks in advance,
Brett

[This message has been edited by ITALGT (edited 12-25-2006).]

free air subs = no good. Sound bad, IMO. If you port into the cabin, you'll just hear the frequency of the port...

that's what I heard, anyhow.

I don't think you really need 8" woofers in the cabin to cover mid-bass AND 10" subs up front. If you're going to go with 6.5" components, the mid-bass driver there will probably pack enough punch to cover the mid-bass. Especially if you're going with something that's higher quality and can handle more of the right tones.

I think free-air subs have basically been elimated by better quality mid-bass drivers becoming available for cheap. The free-air subs were never really that great anyway. Most of the 6x9" and 5.25-6.5" component speakers have mid-bass drivers that can hit pretty low these days. I haven't even installed a sub in my Mini yet, but I did upgrade the rear speakers to better 6x9" three-ways, than came stock, and I already need some dynamat. They shake the body pretty good as it is. I've still got the 6.5" components to install in the doors up front, and I want to mount a 6.5" JL 6w0 somewhere too, if it will fit anywhere. The Mini is about as low on space for stereo stuff, as the Fiero is.

Before you buy a bunch of stuff though, try to avoid falling prey to the "bigger is better" ideology. Most people end up buying larger diameter speakers, with higher wattage ratings, because they think they will sound better, but they don't tune them properly, so they can be really loud, but they don't particularly sound all that great. If you want a great sounding system, just get the math right, and save yourself a few dollars and a little bit of storage space. If you just want to be loud and boomy, then I guess have fun blowing your eardrums out.

quote Originally posted by The Funkmaster: free air subs = no good. Sound bad, IMO. If you port into the cabin, you'll just hear the frequency of the port... that's what I heard, anyhow.

dead on correct there my friend thats all you will hear is the freq of the ports tuning . and round speakers are always best ,with proper tuning and power amp to provide some proper power . not just deck power (aftermarket decks are usually 45watts x4 MAX power so thats about 5- 15 watts per speaker RMS)

[This message has been edited by timmer (edited 12-25-2006).]

I'm the last one to ever have a "bigger is better" ideology, which is why I really only want one main subwoofer using a "sealed" trunk area ported to the interior. Then there is the obvious weight-saving and practicality issues... there's gotta' be a way of doing it. Perhaps a sub mounted in a sealed box in the front trunk, then port to the interior?

I really love clarity and depth in my music and could care less about making ears bleed. That's where those 8" woofers behind the seats come in. I think they would fill in the upper end of the bass nicely and compliment the component speakers, plus adding that extra punch to your back when driving.

And lastly, the passenger side firewall is already cut for it... all I'd have to do it the delicate driver's side and construct another box. I've seen people go with bigger woofers behind the seats, but I'm not satisfied with the available air volume for it. I've also read a few comments from forum members on how good 8" woofers sound in a Fiero.

[This message has been edited by ITALGT (edited 12-25-2006).]

2- 10" behind the seats with 0.6cf of air space in ea.... only lost 2 3/8" of tilt & the seat still goes to back to stock posion. 6 1/2' comps in the dash & 4X6 plates in the pillers. 800W RMS total. Everything is inside!








Just where would you "port" the tubes through? How big would they have to be? Have you seen a fiero with the dash & HAVC all out? Not much room to port tubes through.....

Thanks, Chris.

Nice system Chris... and a very clean install. I like it!

About the porting issue... I don't particularly know what the solutions are here, that's why I posted this thread... because honestly, I'm not a car-audio expert. I was hoping someone in the forum has had experience with such a set-up, or ideas on how it could be done. I've had the dash off a few times and I know how crowded it is back there... that's why I think porting could be done through the front floor-pan area (right around your feet).

There used to be a red '88 GT on the internet that was built with a high-end stereo system consisting of a front-mounted sub set-up... anyone know which one I'm talking about???

One last little thing I forgot to mention; my GT has the extra weight of a V8 in the back of it... which is yet another big reason I wanted to go with as much stereo stuff up front as I could for improving weight distribution. I also want to keep things as low as possible too to optimize handling.

[This message has been edited by ITALGT (edited 12-25-2006).]

i put one 8" rockford sub in a sealed box onder the hood and it sounds good. everyone thinks it has 2-12" subs. if the hood is open it sounds like crap but if the hood is closed it sounds sweet

i had two fosgate subs in my old car...i just went with 8" subs ran them with two 300 w amps in sealed boxes behind each seat and it sounded nice...so nice its the same set up i will be running again...i did see that pioneer makes a very low profile 10' sub now for shallow applications..check it out too...tim..

short people suck. haha j/k

6'1" means no subs behind seat

There was a Fiero audio install covered a few years ago in an issue of Car Audio & Electronics. That install had a sub mounted in the front trunk, and the article was posted in this thread.

quote Originally posted by Deabionni: There was a Fiero audio install covered a few years ago in an issue of Car Audio & Electronics. That install had a sub mounted in the front trunk, and the article was posted in this thread.

Awesome, this is exactly the kind of thing I'm looking for. Would you still happen to have the high-resolution pictures?

A little better shot of the sub:



I think the caption pretty much explains why I want to do this. An accurate sound-stage and harder low-end "thump" is what I'm going for here...

quote Originally posted by ITALGT: Awesome, this is exactly the kind of thing I'm looking for. Would you still happen to have the high-resolution pictures?

I still have the magazine.......somewhere. It'll take me a few days to find it, and get it scanned back in; but I would be able to email the high-rez version of the article for anyone interested.

Here are a couple of shots of the front-mounted sub in the car I recently purchased. Nothing is hooked up yet - and all of the heating/ac components are GONE ... and it's cold outside! Dohh!

------------------
V8 "FinIERO" Fino Kit - www.finiero.com -
'87 T-top - soon to become the new "FinIERO" (fin-'yeah-row) donor car
'86 GT V8
'87 GT

Interesting....

quote Originally posted by nitrous nut: short people suck. haha j/k 6'1" means no subs behind seat

Why??? My son is 6'4" he sits fine.... I am 5'11" I have the to move the seat forward a bit.

I have done a MTX 10" subs in a guys car he's well over 6 foot. He Loves his...

Chris.

this post got way long, but the short version is i have both a 10" sub in my front trunk and 8" speakers in the passenger compartment of my convertible. i'm still working on the sub porting but it's a good combo.

i have a 10" in the front trunk of my convertible fiero. i have trouble posting links from home but there's a thread with pics in the general archives. the spare sits over it and if i go with a front battery i'll put it under the passenger side headlight (i have one like that in my '87 coupe).

i didn't want to put it in the passenger footwell where it would be visable. somebody cut the top and got into it even before i had put anything in it. that's a good spot though. i have one there in my 87 coupe. i couldn't go behind the seats either 'cause the top mechanism takes up room behind the seats already.

i still haven't figured out how to port it, but i'm pretty happy with it being there. another problem is it rattles my front lid pretty good which is a little embarassing, but in the passenger compartment i can't hear the rattle, even with the top down. i hopped out of the car one day with the stereo turned up and heard it.

right now i have my heater core out because it was leaking, so i took my blower fan out too, to see how that would work as a port. i can tell a little difference but i don't think it's worth losing for the few occassions when i need heat and defrost, even if it is a fair weather car.
i'm hoping to get a larger garage where i can have things apart for a longer time, 'cause i have one idea.

the 84 coupes without air have these vents that opened up just under the dash. other year fieros have the indented cutout but it's filled in. the windshield wiper mechanism might get in the way, but i think it might be possible to port the sub right under the dash through those points so the sound would come from right about where the 4x10's are.

the 8" speakers i have in two cars. the convertible and my 86gt. they're an 8" triaxial set infinity used to make (reference 813i) they don't make them anymore so it would take some searching, or look for a similar set from mb quart. i think there are one or two other brands that make something similar (i have an off brand set but i can't think of their name off hand) also. i made pods for them and put them in the dead pedal area. i think a 6x9 would work there too, maybe even easier if the 6x9 is sitting up kind of vertically, but i never got another car going to try it. again there are pics in the archives (try under "boombastic systems") the ones i showed were a little rough, but the ones in my convertible look a little better.

the 8's sound really good. in fact, in my 86gt i never got around to putting in anything else beyond a hew head unit (pioneer) and i've been happy enough with it that i don't feel a need to rush and finish the system. in my conv. they work with the same head, plus the sub and a 4ch 150w amp (two chs to the 8's, two bridged for the sub). again i like the sound and i think the 8's make up for my not having the sub ported well.

hope that was worth reading.

VERY worth reading, thank you... I was just out in the shop scoping it over again. Needless to say, I'm glad to hear from someone with some experience doing this. It seems the major issue here is porting... I'm gonna' look at those vent locations to see what you're talking about...

Brett

quote Originally posted by Wheels1: 2- 10" behind the seats with 0.6cf of air space in ea.... only lost 2 3/8" of tilt & the seat still goes to back to stock posion. 6 1/2' comps in the dash & 4X6 plates in the pillers. 800W RMS total. Everything is inside! *snip* .

So no cutting of the firewall? ive been trying to find a place for my external 300 watt amp and 6.5" sub ( yes its small, its so i might be able to get it to fit up in the dash ) .. ( already replaced the dash and pillar speakers with poly 3way's, and a receiver that puts out 250 total ).

But what you did might be a better idea, if i dont have to cut anything. I was worried about blowing out too much cabin space on the passenger side if i didnt cut holes like most people do, which i wont do.. It isnt often, but once in a while i do have a rider so its a consideration.

quote Originally posted by User00013170: So no cutting of the firewall? ive been trying to find a place for my external 300 watt amp and 6.5" sub ( yes its small, its so i might be able to get it to fit up in the dash ) .. ( already replaced the dash and pillar speakers with poly 3way's, and a receiver that puts out 250 total ). But what you did might be a better idea, if i dont have to cut anything. I was worried about blowing out too much cabin space on the passenger side if i didnt cut holes like most people do, which i wont do.. It isnt often, but once in a while i do have a rider so its a consideration.

Sorry, I never said I didn't cut anything. Yes I did cut the cover plate, NOT the firewall. It's really just a cover plate, after you remove it you can see out in the corner to the filler hose. Here are some pics of the cover plate cut. The firewall is behind that. It's just enough space for the magnet of the sub to fit in.

quote Originally posted by Wheels1: Sorry, I never said I didn't cut anything. Yes I did cut the cover plate, NOT the firewall. It's really just a cover plate, after you remove it you can see out in the corner to the filler hose. Here are some pics of the cover plate cut. The firewall is behind that. It's just enough space for the magnet of the sub to fit in.

Darn... Really trying to avoid cutting anything.. :|

quote Originally posted by User00013170: Darn... Really trying to avoid cutting anything.. :|

Why? It don't do anything to the car, I did my system over 3 years ago with no problums & it's not that hard... I have a cd with over 300 pics of all my install stuff to help you through it.

quote Originally posted by User00013170: So no cutting of the firewall? ive been trying to find a place for my external 300 watt amp and 6.5" sub ( yes its small, its so i might be able to get it to fit up in the dash ) .. ( already replaced the dash and pillar speakers with poly 3way's, and a receiver that puts out 250 total ).

I also have a 6.5" sub that I'm going to stick under the dash. It only needs 80w of power though to perform its best. Giving it 300 would be bad.
I don't have the materials, or a place, to build a custom box myself, but I've designed one that I think will fit (after moving the blue dingy thingy elsewhere), and will get one of the local shops to build it soon. I wish I could get 1/4" MDF somewhere, but it seems like the thinnest I can find anywhere, is 3/8". With 3/8" my box will be about 0.3 cubic feet. Hopefully I can get it built and in soon, so I can get rid of the horrible sounding factory replacement sub/box I have in there right now. If it works well, I might be tempted to produce some.

Again I say...You'se guys make it look real easy...I think ya'll are start na rubb off on me cause I'm seriously thinking of try n some of this stuff myself...I knew I should have never looked at this thread!!!! Wheels1 I sent you an p.m.

Raifalino

quote Originally posted by Raifalino: Again I say...You'se guys make it look real easy...I think ya'll are start na rubb off on me cause I'm seriously thinking of try n some of this stuff myself...I knew I should have never looked at this thread!!!! Wheels1 I sent you an p.m. Raifalino

It's pretty easy to do. The Fiero's cabin design makes it fairly easy to get awesome sound in it, actually.

quote Originally posted by Raifalino: Again I say...You'se guys make it look real easy...I think ya'll are start na rubb off on me cause I'm seriously thinking of try n some of this stuff myself...I knew I should have never looked at this thread!!!! Wheels1 I sent you an p.m. Raifalino

P.M received & replyed.... Thanks.

BUMP... my computer's been down so I haven't had the chance to get to the forum... looks like we're getting some input!

I'm still in the midst of this issue... talked to a friend of mine who's been building stereo systems for years. After taking a quick look at the car, he came right back to the major challenge of making a front-trunk mounted sub work; proper porting. I'm like most people here... unwilling to part with the heater just to make a sub-woofer work. But I am willing to put in some extra time/effort/money if a viable solution presents itself.

Looking down the road... should this front-trunk mounted sub thing not work, I'm considering doing a 3-sub combo using two 8" behind the seats, with the third located in the center dash, not the console. HVAC, stereo, and vent would be relocated/modified accordingly... and a sealed box built around the gas-tank tunnel just in front of the shifter. Sounds crazy, doesn't it? And maybe it's hard to imagine, but I have the idea in my head as to how it would look. (you should see some of the other ideas an eccentric artist has!)

Keep the ideas flowing... the creative and constructive tone this thread has taken on is great! That's what I love about this forum...

Brett

quote Originally posted by darkhorizon:

...Details???

Not many, pretty much that box is just custom made and enclosed there up front. There is nothing fancy going on other than 2 pvc pipes that run from the box to the cab. The only thing that was lost, was most of the AC components, all of the heater components were retained and fully functional.

It worked suprisingly well, and I didnt even do any math as far as port size and box size goes. I imagine with extensive mathmatics, you could engineer a very efficent setup where it ports directly into the cab.

...any other pictures that you could share?

quote Originally posted by Saxman: Here are a couple of shots of the front-mounted sub in the car I recently purchased. Nothing is hooked up yet - and all of the heating/ac components are GONE ... and it's cold outside! Dohh!

What size is that sub? I thought about doing that a while ago...

bump

I'll go measure it now...

Wow... that's a 10"??? I would have guessed an 8"... it's too bad you don't have it hooked up, I'm curious how it sounds.

quote Originally posted by ITALGT: Wow... that's a 10"??? I would have guessed an 8"... it's too bad you don't have it hooked up, I'm curious how it sounds.

It probably just sounds "ok" since it looks like the enclosure might be a bit too much volume for the driver. That would be my guess anyway.

quote Originally posted by dobey: It probably just sounds "ok" since it looks like the enclosure might be a bit too much volume for the driver. That would be my guess anyway.

Since I know very little about sub setups, what is needed to make it work better than it looks like it will? I don't know drivers from ... well, I just don't know what a driver is since I have never hooked up a sub in a car. I didn't even know there was a driver installed yet.

Thanks!

is there anywhere where the frot trunk actually touches the front of the drivers compartment?
like at the end of the footwell?
Could that be a good way to route sound into the cab?