How to Flip Car Subs

Inverting subwoofers can yield good performance while displaying the driver baskets.

Inverting a car subwoofer can make for a more visually interesting installation, without affecting performance. Since the output of any driver is identical to the front and rear with inverted phase, flipping over one or more subwoofers is a definite option when aesthetics dictate. As long the wiring inverts with the orientation of the driver, sonically very little if anything should change in the way of performance.

Things You'll Need

• Speaker wire
• Subwoofer driver(s)
• Screwdriver (Philips, Allen)

Instructions

1. Unscrew one or both subwoofers from the enclosure. Observe the polarity of the speaker wires at the terminals on the driver's basket.

2. Flip over the subwoofer(s), so that the cone(s) are facing the inside of the enclosure.

3. Reverse the wiring polarity at the terminals of the inverted driver(s), so that the wire that was leading to the "+" terminal on the basket is now connected to the "-" terminal, and vice-versa. Repeat for any additional subwoofer drivers that are flipped.

4. Screw the driver(s) back onto the enclosure, using the same screws and holes.

Tips & Warnings

• The easy way to route the wires back up from the enclosure to the speaker terminals is to leave two screw holes empty. Route the wires under the gap left in between the gasket and basket on the front of the driver.

• If your head unit supports it, you can also switch the phase of your subwoofer from the radio as opposed to swapping any wiring. Consult your manual to be sure if this is possible.

References

• Car Audio Help: Wiring Subwoofers Correctly
• Decibel Car: Inverting Subwoofers
• Mobile Information Labs: Sealed Inverted Woofer Box

Resources

• The 12 Volt: Subwoofer Wiring Diagrams