Must admit I'm very tempted to put a lil sub here. I'm a noob at car audio so I imagine a need a small amp and run it off the head unit's pre out?

Also, there's some baffling material to stop vibration. Is it worth it and how do I install it?

Thanks a heap!

mmm Not sure I would do it..
Here are just a few reasons...

1. For a free air sub to play efficiently (That is a Sub bolted into a shelf and using the boot as an enclosure) is the boot has to be very well sealed.
2. Cone space is what you need for bass.. a 8inch sub has about the same cone area as a single 6x9..
3. The amount of shelf rattle will require some decent funding as you would have to do the entire underside of the shelf PLUS the top area surface of the rear shelf..Dynamat ain't cheap..

Just invest in a boot loaded subwoofer..

Thanks for the heads up magnat.

You will probably find that modifying the parcel shelf is illegal, reason being it may be considered a piece providing structural rigidity..

Just get a 12" in box mate and be done with it :)

You will probably find that modifying the parcel shelf is illegal, reason being it may be considered a piece providing structural rigidity..

Just get a 12" in box mate and be done with it :)

Think he might be using the existing sub hole? I know mine has like a 10" circle that I can take out of the parcel shelf (I think maybe the verada had a sub?) So I dont think it would be illegal...

Some of the 3rd gens have an 8 inch hole that has a cover tack welded so all you really need is to tap out the cover.
The other thing is, you cannot just go wacking in any old sub and hope it will do the trick..
The Sub must be a free-air designed sub, what this means is the subs suspension system is a tad more flexible for installing in an infinate baffle aka free air setup.

There are benefits and down falls to a free air sub..

There are benefits and down falls to a free air sub..

as with there is everything,
personally I'd stick to the ol' sub in box

Aye it's the pre-existing 8" hole and the cover plate is only screwed in mwhuhu! I reckon it would be more efficient to throw 'base' into the cabin via the parcel shelf rather than a toob? It would save space in the boot and would kinda be sexy. I wonder why no-one has done it before? Quite possibly because the 12" box would be superior..

Had no idea about "free-air designed sub" so thanks again.

it also means your sub is visible, exposed to UV rays, and bouncing off your rear window.

8" subs aren't very common, so I'm not sure how you'd go about finding a free-to-air one. If you were really keen, you could investigate getting a fibreglass box custom-made to enclose the sub below the parcel shelf.

There is an 8" Pioneer free-to-air one, I'm going to be chasing one to replace the stock 8" sub in my Falcon. I've heard pretty good things, obviously won't be as good as something bigger/boxed, but still pretty good.

(certainly better than the POS Ford include as part of the "Premium" sound in my car anyway...)

its not for a magna, but is this what you were thinking of. (or something like it)?
http://www.club9g.net/forums/showthread.php/112-Let-the-fun-begin!!!!

I've got an 8" from VIBE as well if your wanting something SQ centric but I've also got an xMplar if you want to do something totally insane: http://www.shoppingsecure.com.au/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=44 :D

it also means your sub is visible, exposed to UV rays, and bouncing off your rear window.
The speaker is still under the carpet, or ideally under a grille like the speakers if you can get your hands on one from a Diamante.

An 8inch free air is a waste of time. A 10inch sub can require as little as 0.5cuft sealed. Much easier to do and will perform a lot better for normal music.

MitchellO - I hope you plan to give the replacement woofer more power.

There is an 8" Pioneer free-to-air one, I'm going to be chasing one to replace the stock 8" sub in my Falcon. I've heard pretty good things, obviously won't be as good as something bigger/boxed, but still pretty good.

(certainly better than the POS Ford include as part of the "Premium" sound in my car anyway...)

Not necessarily..

The Components in a "Premium" system are selected and tuned to suite the car..
Sometimes replacing the stock components can be a bad move..
I mean sure, In a basic run of the mill car with 4 stock paper speakers its a good Idea but in one with a factory tuned system it can be a bad move..


I know in a Ford Mondeo the stock 5x7's had more bass output then the JBL's 5x7's I installed.

The hole fits a 10inch sub actually, i have the factoryone that comes in the jap diamantes and it is 10 inch, it is a great little sub, and even though its rated at 50w, running off an old alpine amp and firing into the cabin it sounds as good as the cheap 12inch i had in a box in the boot, you would be suprised. I just installed it under the carpet lol, when its pumping you can see the carpet moving. It pressurises the cabin nicely. heres a pic.
http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv302/robssei/Image0283.jpg

The 10" sub looks good, saves space and would have been "tunned" to the original system so would sound fine as long as you dont require lung crushing bass. Wouldn't mind getting hold of one myself.

would sound fine as long as you dont require lung crushing bass

I thought that was the only type of bass there was :D

The hole fits a 10inch sub actually, i have the factoryone that comes in the jap diamantes and it is 10 inch, it is a great little sub, and even though its rated at 50w, running off an old alpine amp and firing into the cabin it sounds as good as the cheap 12inch i had in a box in the boot, you would be suprised. I just installed it under the carpet lol, when its pumping you can see the carpet moving. It pressurises the cabin nicely.

10" - even tastier!

yeah im trying to find a decent 10' to put there and put a grill on top and i think it would be great, based on how the factory one sounds covered in carpet.

I was working on a mates stereo in his EB Falcon - sorry for swearing and he had an 8" hole already in the parcel shelf from factory, we got a free air design cheapy from supercheap for about 50 bucks, from his JVC Head unit sub out to amp to sub and for 2 years the sound was definetely good, not fantastic but it still turned heads. Killer was the UV rays. But honestly if you are not going to enter your car into a car audio sound off I'd go with the 8" due to just having the boot completely free etc. etc.

Not necessarily..

The Components in a "Premium" system are selected and tuned to suite the car..
Sometimes replacing the stock components can be a bad move..
I mean sure, In a basic run of the mill car with 4 stock paper speakers its a good Idea but in one with a factory tuned system it can be a bad move..


I know in a Ford Mondeo the stock 5x7's had more bass output then the JBL's 5x7's I installed.

No idea about the sound in the Mondeos, but the premium sound in the BA/BF is shithouse, right up to the top of the line Force6/8. Doesn't need to be blaring to make it distort. It's a Ford Falcon, not a Lexus, would hardly say the standard junk was tuned.

The JBLs I've put in my car sound considerably better than the stock ones, and thats before I amp them. Not aiming for a crazy system costing big dollars, just something that sounds nice. I'm on the way to being happy with it.

here is mine, i put this in because i needed some decent midbass, i have the 6x9 and 6" on HPF so no deep bass, only really slight midbass and vocal and treble, the twin 12 inch subs run of 2 1000watt rms amps in the boot, and the 10 inch runs of the 5th channel on my component amp.
putting the 10 inch made it sound bad at first, but then it hit me, YOU NEED TO run the 10 out of phase, or put the positive to the negative, and the negative to the positive. this made it sound HUUUT and because this sube only does 100-200hz, it doesnt affect the 6x9's because they start to work at 180hz. (running the 10 out of phase, make it compress air against the 12 inch subs, so it doesnt need to be that well sealed as the others put force on it from there wave and the work against each other, which makes them work better haaha)
before i had all the mid coming bass coming from the components (rockford fosgate) and they would distort, but it was still defening before distortion, now it is and cleaner, more rounded sound, and it goes way way louder, without smashing the components, so i can use the subs to there limits aswell.

for mine, i took the plate out, dynamatted the top and bottom of the shelf and screwed the sub to wood, then to the steel, to stop vibration. The sub is a panasonic (its all thats needed haah) and it is free air, 1300 peak, and 350 rms @ 4 ohm.
cheers!

i also thew in some extra tweeter (splits) that come off a set of 4 inch components in the back doors, this realy gave it extra sq. You can see the tweeter on the back window.

and i do throw a towel over the speaker in hot days.

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm292/bellto/20052009319.jpg (http://s299.photobucket.com/albums/mm292/bellto/?action=view&current=20052009319.jpg)

No idea about the sound in the Mondeos, but the premium sound in the BA/BF is shithouse, right up to the top of the line Force6/8. Doesn't need to be blaring to make it distort. It's a Ford Falcon, not a Lexus, would hardly say the standard junk was tuned.
.

I changed the stock speakers to Focal and changed the sub to a JBL 8" Free Air in my XR8 and the premium sound is actually not to bad.. pity Ford didn't spend a few dollars more on decent speakers.

As for the Magna.. "Doof Doof" is coming!

No idea about the sound in the Mondeos, but the premium sound in the BA/BF is shithouse, right up to the top of the line Force6/8. Doesn't need to be blaring to make it distort. It's a Ford Falcon, not a Lexus, would hardly say the standard junk was tuned.

The JBLs I've put in my car sound considerably better than the stock ones, and thats before I amp them. Not aiming for a crazy system costing big dollars, just something that sounds nice. I'm on the way to being happy with it.
i find that premium sound in normal cars is really really clear and has a full range, but, they dont like to be turned up loud.

so wat ur saying is, a "Free-Air Sub" is a subwoofer that is used when you have an enclosure that is not sealed properly? like a sub box.. is this because a subwoofer has to have like a sort of back-pressure for them to perform correctly?? :|

yea basically, a free air sub can be mounted with no back pressure, just so long as it is mounted properly, a sub box with a hole in it is called a ported box, and these are made to the right size to suit all subs depending on the type, size, response and purpose of the sub. these subs dont need to be free. the idea of free air is just that you need no box, just as long as it is mounted in a way that the air waves from the back of the cone don't counter the waves from the front of the cone.

you are right about "back pressure" because without it, a sub turned up loud will break very quickly due to excess movement of the cone. it also helps amplify the sound of the sub at certain frequencies.

there is much more to it that this, but this is just a brief explanation to give you an idea, have a read of theis page to give you some more info about subs and enclosures: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subwoofer

so wat ur saying is, a "Free-Air Sub" is a subwoofer that is used when you have an enclosure that is not sealed properly?
Like the name suggests, a free-air subwoofer is a special type of sub that does not require any sort of enclosure/box to operate. Most subwoofers must have a box of some sort to operate properly.

Subwoofer enclosures can be 'sealed' (no holes whatsoever) or 'ported' (where there is a rectangular or circular tube). Neither method is correct - they both have their strengths and weaknesses. Enclosure design is a reasonably complicated subject, so I'd suggest doing some research (here, Google, Mobile Electronics Australia) if you want to learn more.

A subwoofer mounted in a poorly constructed box (regardless of it being sealed or ported) is never going to sound as good as one in a properly designed and built box.

All you need to know:


Free air woofer does not need a cabinet / box
The baffle it is mounted on needs to be sealed for best results
Since mounting on the parcel shelf - make sure there are no gaps / holes in the shelf, keep ski port closed.
The boot will act as a huge enclosure so the more sealed it is the better.
Power handling is reduced by about half over the same woofer in a sealed box.
Don't expect a free air set up to get loud


Pros:

Boot space
Low end extension over a sealed box
Add some bass to your system


Cons:

Can be hard to seal the baffle in a sedan for optimum results
Parcel shelf will rattle a lot unless effort is taken to deaden it properly
A sealed box does not take up much room for a woofer and will generally give better results
Expect only 115-120db from a decent set up

thnx for the help :D :D

yea cutting into you parcel shelf is illegal it is instant right off aye it sucks i hab the same thought

Yes cutting the shelf is illegal but if the hole already exists and you just punch out the tack welded cover.. its legit...

Sorry to bring this up again,
But mine isnt punch-outable.
I had a look, the shape is there (indent) the only way possible for me to fit a sub there would be to actually cut a metal circle.
Anyone have any ideas?

Sorry to bring this up again,
But mine isnt punch-outable.
I had a look, the shape is there (indent) the only way possible for me to fit a sub there would be to actually cut a metal circle.
Anyone have any ideas?

Picture pls (boot side)

are you sure it isnt tack welded underneath?

why you want a parcel shelf sub?

Just go a 12" and have that ****er facing inward through the ski hole. That's my set up, rocks my socks off...

are you sure it isnt tack welded underneath?
Only the TE/KE had the removable cover there. The rest were a single piece that would require cutting out completely, which would deem the car unroadworthy.