Hey guys,,,I wasnt sure where to post this,,,but how many of you have your spare tire (bicycle wheel), or is it best to take it out and do an enclosure in "said" area? When I installed the raamat in the back of my Z, I had many ideas of creative sub set-ups....I would imagine most of us,,,if we had a blow-out, we would have it flat-bedded to a repair shop? Is this a good idea,,or should I keep my spare and do subs in the cargo area with spare tire access? Just asking for your advice/opinions....I hope this is posted in the right area....if not,,,I apologize....thanks for any input.

 

I would say that it is a matter of personal preferenc. I did this in mu mustang but ended up taking it out and bulding a box out of MDF. I diddnt do this due to the lack of a spare wheel, as i had friends that always came to the rescue with my spare tire or some other means of fixing my flat, i did it because i did not like the way it sounded. Maybe it was the way i built it, but regardless....it sounded like shti. The box made of MDF sounded way better IMO.

 

i think the spare tire area of the Z is usable but in a little difference sense from other cars. it is a relatively long, flat, but shallow area without side walls, so IMO fiberglass really isnt needed to do a box here becuase it really wont gain you much airspace nor will it save you much weight..

also, remmeber to use lower profile subs if you want to maintain a stock looking floor height...

i have done probably half a dozen or more Z installs utilizing the space if you want to just do a search with my name

b

 

I've built a sealed enclosure with a false floor in this area. It is relitively easy as long as you are handy with the saw and some minor calculations.. Mounting depth is a problem though. It is extremely shallow. The largest sub I could fit was a Fosgate T112.

 

the few subs i know will fit in there with ease are the:

elemental designs 11kv and sq10
image dynamics idq and id series

anyhting that has say a less than 5.5" mounting depths should work fine

b

 

I have been considering the spare tire area for my 10W6. I pulled all the interior plastic today in preparation for sound deadening and found myself wondering exactly where I could place the sub in that area. The mounting depth is pretty deep at 6.9", which seems to be the problem I will have to deal with if that's the route I take.
I am also considering making my own glassed kick panels for the components. I have seen some installs with the sub mounted upside down, firing downward into the spare area, are the enclosure specs the same? Any help concerning a downward firing install would be greatly appreciated.

 

enclsoure specs is the same for upside down, just remove the displacement of hte subitself and usually wiring it out of phase works in that sense...

the w6 is kinda deep...remember of course moutning it upside down is gonna kill your usable trunk space

b

 

Just so I understand, the sub will then be firing into a completely sealed enclosure? Is there a difference in sound quality in this configuration?

 

not really, on certain applications, you may notice some port noise coming out of the vent of the sub magnet, but other htan htat, you wont be noticing much, if any idfference in overall sound and output

b

 

Exactly.. your only difference to be "heard" is that the vent may chuff a bit at high volumes. This will be completely masked by the other speakers in the car playing the mid-bass and upper frequncies. If you were doing a stricly bass demo .. you could notice this .. but most subs are really into some pretty bad distortion by the time this starts to be a problem anyhow, so again .. its almost a non-issue.

 

I have an Infinity 12 and flushed mine in the hatch. About 2" taller than factory floor eight.

Enclosure is made of 3/4 MDF.

 

you can always cut the spare tire holder that's attached to the floor of the tire well. I used a Dremmel to cut mine. You can also incorporate the floor into your enclosure. Make it the bottom of the box. This will free up another 3/4 inch the would normally be taken up by a MDF floor bottom.

 

How would you recommend sealing it? I'm thinking about making the entire bottom of the trunk an inclosure for a 12" Rockford Power HX2 which needs over 2.5ft and two big ports. It's just laying around in my garage and I'm curious to see what it will do in a Z.

 

OR you can make sides and top of MDF and bottom of Firberglass, that way you will get more clearance and can mold right over the spare tire metal bracket.

 

That sub will work well in 1ft^3 sealed .. don't worry about porting it .. too hard to do in the Z

 

You would attached the outer frame of the box to the floor using "L" brackets, then seal the edges with liquid nails. ...

I believe 2.5 cu ft is large of an enclosure to fit in the Z, unless you plan on raising the false floor higher than factory specs. The factory false floor is about 7 inches high.

 

I have done a 1ft box for it before and it did not sound good at all. I think I did not have enough power going to it. I used to have it in a 2.5 box with two BD500s strapped to it and that sucker would rattle your brain. Any tips on making a sealed box more "musical"? I have two 10W6s in a sealed box right now and it just doesn't have a very good range, if that makes sense.

I also have a 10W7 lying around, maybe that will work better for this?

 

Yes, I was planning on raising the floor.

 

I can change my own tire so in the event of a blow-out I would simply use the tools and tire provided to change my damaged tire with the spare ... and then continue on with my life.