[DadCar101]

i cant help but think there has to be a way to just drop a better quality woofer in place of the stock sub and just use some type of aftermarket connector to plug right in? anyone have any idea? the sub gets plenty of power in relation to the rest of the speakers and the system isnt that awful. the main issue is the low end bass response and that would easily be fixed with a better quality sub. if anyone knows if this is possible let me know please.

 

[Salle2061]

Absolutely! I ran the following for a few days and the improvement was certainly worth the extra $100. It allowed me to turn up the Sub setting on the radio to max as well, with no bad side effect. HAS TO BE WIRED 2 OHMS

CompC 8 Inch Subwoofer | KICKER®

KICKER produces high-performance car audio, vehicle specific solutions, marine audio, home and personal audio, and power sports products since 1973.

www.kicker.com

and

Amazon.com: Metra 72-7800 Speaker Connector Harnesses for Select Honda Vehicles: Car Electronics

Amazon.com: Metra 72-7800 Speaker Connector Harnesses for Select Honda Vehicles: Car Electronics

www.amazon.com

I added an amp later as I had one already but only because I was upgrading other speakers too.

 

[bkcberry]

Was the kicker a direct drop in, aside from the wiring harness adapter?

 

[Salle2061]

Was the kicker a direct drop in, aside from the wiring harness adapter?

No! But there is also no drop-in solution out here as the bolt pattern is uncommon on the stock sub. Also the opening requires a little bending with a pair of pliers.

 

[jninja]

No! But there is also no drop-in solution out here as the bolt pattern is uncommon on the stock sub. Also the opening requires a little bending with a pair of pliers.

can you elaborate on:

1) how much of a difference did the kicker make in comparison to the stock sub?

2) how much fab was needed to make the kicker work? How long did the whole install take?

im in the position to just replace the sub for $100 if it’s worth it...but not ready to do the full stereo system atm

tia

 

[bkcberry]

can you elaborate on:

1) how much of a difference did the kicker make in comparison to the stock sub?

2) how much fab was needed to make the kicker work? How long did the whole install take?

im in the position to just replace the sub for $100 if it’s worth it...but not ready to do the full stereo system atm

tia

New sub came in today, so at least if nobody else has anything to report I'll let you know how it goes by this weekend

 

[jninja]

New sub came in today, so at least if nobody else has anything to report I'll let you know how it goes by this weekend

View attachment 5264

Nice.. definitely. Good luck

 

[Salle2061]

can you elaborate on:

1) how much of a difference did the kicker make in comparison to the stock sub?

2) how much fab was needed to make the kicker work? How long did the whole install take?

im in the position to just replace the sub for $100 if it’s worth it...but not ready to do the full stereo system atm

tia

1) there was a noticeable improvement in the bass. I could actually feel a little of the bass in the car. My stock sub was virtually non existent.

2) there is at least 1-2 hours of work. Biggest part is the removal/instal of the rear seats and panels. For the sub installation itself you will need a pair of pliers, cordless drill, a thin drill bit (for pilot), 4 self taping metal screws and a 90 degree power drill bit adapter. Last one makes The process a lot easier (proximity to the window) but it’s not necessary.

Because Honda speakers have a non-round shape on the back, you will need to bend two metal tabs in order to fit thenew sub in. It’s soft and easy to modify. Hence the pliers.

To me it was worth the change. There are also threads online of people who only did this upgrade (with Kicker sub) search it up I have deleted the links since finishing the install. If you don’t find it here look at driveaccord.net.

As always, it’s hard to quantify sound so your results may wary. 😏

 

[jninja]

1) there was a noticeable improvement in the bass. I could actually feel a little of the bass in the car. My stock sub was virtually non existent.

2) there is at least 1-2 hours of work. Biggest part is the removal/instal of the rear seats and panels. For the sub installation itself you will need a pair of pliers, cordless drill, a thin drill bit (for pilot), 4 self taping metal screws and a 90 degree power drill bit adapter. Last one makes The process a lot easier (proximity to the window) but it’s not necessary.

Because Honda speakers have a non-round shape on the back, you will need to bend two metal tabs in order to fit thenew sub in. It’s soft and easy to modify. Hence the pliers.

To me it was worth the change. There are also threads online of people who only did this upgrade (with Kicker sub) search it up I have deleted the links since finishing the install. If you don’t find it here look at driveaccord.net.

As always, it’s hard to quantify sound so your results may wary. 😏

Thanks for clarifying, that was very helpful 👍🏻

 

[bkcberry]

Just got done with mine, decided I couldn't wait until the weekend. In short, I'm thrilled with it! Keeping in mind that it's only an 8" sub, low ended notes are a bit lacking but it is overall much better than the factory sub... It has a little bit of thump to it and like others have said, it is a much more well rounded sound.

Get ready though, you have to take every piece of trim out of the back half of the car. Here's a link to the instructions Crutchfield provided, in case anyone is interested

 

[jninja]

Just got done with mine, decided I couldn't wait until the weekend. In short, I'm thrilled with it! Keeping in mind that it's only an 8" sub, low ended notes are a bit lacking but it is overall much better than the factory sub... It has a little bit of thump to it and like others have said, it is a much more well rounded sound.

Get ready though, you have to take every piece of trim out of the back half of the car. Here's a link to the instructions Crutchfield provided, in case anyone is interested

how long did it take you? Can you confirm what Sally^ said?

 

[bkcberry]

Yup he's spot on. It took me about 3.5 hours, but I had 2 toddler "helpers" so they slowed me down lol.

The hardest part for me was getting the plastic bolt/rivet thing behind the SRS Airbag cover out. I ended up just forcing it out with a metal panel popper tool, which bent the hole it was in outwards. I tapped the metal back flat with a hammer before I put everything back together.

Bending the metal to allow the speaker to drop in was super easy.

Idk how you'd be able to screw it down without the 90° drill that Sally mentioned above, there is certainly not room to get a drill above the rear deck

 

[Salle2061]

Idk how you'd be able to screw it down without the 90° drill that Sally

how long did it take you? Can you confirm what Sally^ said?

who is Sally 🤨

the side bolt/rivet does not have to be removed. Pop the white layer on top of it and the bolt will become loose but not out. That will be enough to slide the panel up against the roof liner and remove it that way. You will have to press against the liner, it’s stronger than it looks but still be careful.

I think that is a one time use bolt. So if it’s out you may have to go to the stealership and buy a new one.

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[bkcberry]

who is Sally 🤨

Whoops.. just went with what jninja said, didn't scroll back up to see what your username was

It probably is intended to be one time use, but if you do remove it the white part can be taken out so that it can be locked back into place

 

[Salle2061]

Whoops.. just went with what jninja said, didn't scroll back up to see what your username was

It probably is intended to be one time use, but if you do remove it the white part can be taken out so that it can be locked back into place

possibly! I didn’t want to take the chance and it worked out well.

I was just kidding about the name. It was a good chuckle for Friday morning. 😂

 

[Mima]

Thanks for this thread, I'm getting close to trying to do this myself. As I have zero experience with car audio the step-by-step instructions are really helpful!

I'm curious, did any of you install any sound deadening/insulation on the rear deck? If so could you explain which material(s) you used and where you applied it?

 

[Salle2061]

Thanks for this thread, I'm getting close to trying to do this myself. As I have zero experience with car audio the step-by-step instructions are really helpful!

I'm curious, did any of you install any sound deadening/insulation on the rear deck? If so could you explain which material(s) you used and where you applied it?

I used Noico 80mil. Application is time consuming as the surface is full of holes and crevices. You have to make sure the material is stuck to the metal otherwise it’s usefulness in minimized. Heat gun is very helpful unless it a sunny day in Florida.

pretty sure everyone who replaced the sub has added some level of dampening it’s just not mentioned as it is understood.

 

[Mima]

I used Noico 80mil. Application is time consuming as the surface is full of holes and crevices. You have to make sure the material is stuck to the metal otherwise it’s usefulness in minimized. Heat gun is very helpful unless it a sunny day in Florida.

pretty sure everyone who replaced the sub has added some level of dampening it’s just not mentioned as it is understood.

Thank you, really appreciate it. I'm such a novice every little thing helps.

Is sound deadening the same thing as sound insulation?

 

[Salle2061]

Thank you, really appreciate it. I'm such a novice every little thing helps.

Is sound deadening the same thing as sound insulation?

differenve between sound deadening and proofing is often confused as the end result goes in the same direction. Probably the second biggest misconception is the car audio world. First of course being the difference between volume and gain controls.

Sound insulating is preventing the sound waves from moving forward. Sound deadening is changing the pitch of a sound wave. Our ears are more tuned to higher frequency sounds (including nose). Deadening changes the resonances frequency to a lower one which is better suited for our ear/brain to ignore. Sound deadening is also some times referred to as “mass loading”.

Think of it as putting your hand on a ringing desk bell. Except the bell is way bigger that your hand so you won’t stop the ringing completely but the frequencies transferd to your hand will change pitch. No result will be quieter bell. That’s what you are doing. Not sure if that is the best way to describe but maybe someone else can “pitch” in.