How to Install a Car Subwoofer

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Car
Subwoofer
Amplifier
RCA wires
Speaker wire
Head Unit RCA PreOuts (plugs)
Wire cutter
Power wire
Ground wire
socket set (depending on car)
Fuse

Step 1

So you've decided you want more bass in your car; it is time to get subs. Each car presents its own set of challenges, so you may have to adapt. Preparation is the biggest part of making the installation easy and painless. First step is to disconnect your battery! Wouldn't want to short anything out or start a fire.
Step 2

If you have an aftermarket head unit you probably already have RCA pre-outs. If you have a stock head unit you'll have to check.. Either way you'll have to get the back of your head unit.
Step 3

To get to the back of the head unit you'll need to take some of the underside of your dash apart. In most cars you'll just need a cross head screwdriver and some determination. Just start unscrewing the various underside panels. Some might also be clipped into place and will require a little force to get loose. You might also need to open the glove box.
Step 4

Once you get behind the head unit you'll plug your RCA cables in there. Those will be the signal that your amplifier needs to work. Plug the cables into the head unit. You'll need these later.
Step 5

Next thing you'll have to do is route the power wire. This part can be very tricky. Hopefully you grabbed an amp install kit (RCA, Power wire, ground wire, remote turn on wire, fuse, etc..) if this is your first time installing. (you won't need a kit if you've done it before, but it's worth it the first time) You should connect your power wire to the positive terminal of your battery. Typically you can just remove the nut that holds the terminal on, put the connector around the screw, then replace the nut.
Step 6

Now you have to get the power wire into the car and eventually into the trunk. I normally try to squeeze it in with where the steering column goes through the firewall, but there are other places you can punch through as well. you can also just have it go under the hood/fender and into the door.. this doesn't look as good though.
Step 7

Next find the fuse box. Look for either the fuse for the fuel pump or the radio. Remove the fuse. Put the remote turn on wire into that slot, then pin it in place by replace the fuse.
Step 8

Route the RCA, remote turn on, and power wire to the trunk. Removing the trim and routing it under the trim will look better, but you can just run them under the mats.
Step 9

Once the wires are in the trunk you'll also need to setup your ground wire. I just find a hidden spot where i can scrape some paint off of the frame to ensure a good contact, then screw the ground wire into it.
Step 10

Hook up the power, ground, RCAs, and remote turn on. The amp will have all those labeled for you to know where they go.
Step 11

Find a spot the mount the amp. You can screw it to the back of the seats, the sub box, the floor, or even hide it where the spare tire goes on some cars.
Step 12

You're almost there! Go drink a beer or eat some donuts.
Step 13

Many subs are sold already in their boxes. If they are not already installed, hook up speaker wire from the sub to the cable block built into the box. Make sure to connect the + to the red and the - to the black. Then screw the subs tightly into the box. The better the seal the better the sound.
Step 14

Hook the speaker wire from the amp to the subs. Most amps are going to be 2-channel, but there is only 1 hookup for the subs. You'll bridge the amp by connecting using the positive from one channel and the negative from the other channel to hook up to the subs. The amp will have the channels for bridging labeled.
Step 15

Before you put everything back together, reconnect the battery and make sure the amp is off when the car is off and is on when the car is on. Then check to see if the subs actually work. You might have to check the gain and hi/low pass filters on the amp. Also there might be settings in your head unit that control the sub preouts. You'll just have to play with it to see.
Step 16

Now that there is thump in your trunk, put all the trim back together. Replace the underside of the dash and tighten everything back up. Screw the subs into place using an L-shaped bracket or you could just use a bungee cord (ghetto!).
Step 17

Finally, drive around parking lots with your system WAY up and see how many car alarms you can set off :)

Comments

Panda229 said

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on 9/9/2009 Several people have pointed out to that using an aftermarket head unit, there should be a remote turn on write for your to hook into rather than using the fuse as stated in Step #7.