Horizon1

Hello All,

I just wanted to thank the guys that makes this forum so great and also to all the people that post VERY useful info (such as tonkadog) for the DIY posts such as removing the dash, panel, etc. Its with all that info that I decided to do an install myself.

I must admit, this is the first time doing an audio install, but I like to think I have a little street smart to figure SOME things out but need lots of help in other depts. Anyhow, I just wanted to throw what I have in mind and see if you guys can help me add to the list of things I need to make this install as painless as possible.

HU - Most likely an alpine 9815 (~$375)

Component speakers (Focal 165V Slim polyglass on doors ~$230)
(165 polyglass coaxials in back $??)

Amp:
(4 channel phoenix gold Ti300.4 $???

(2 channel for sub phoenix gold Ti400.2 $ ~370
(i assume i need to bridge this if i only have one sub?)

Sub: Image Dynamic 10" (the one recommended from jeff(zland w/ enclosure(~$550 including enclosure)

2 sets of RCAs

2 sets of power (one for 2channel and one for 4 channel)

12ga speaker wires

Dynamat doors
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ok..i know thats a lot of stuff, but i was hoping to hear some input on how i shuld start out this install. The idea is...keep everything simple..so of course i am gonna try to mount amps in the sub enclosure behing driver (is that sufficient air in there to cool amps if i stack them on top of each other on an amp rack of some sort) and i'm gonna wait out on a sub enclosure on that group buy...and as for speakers...everything should just fit in the stock location without mods, right?

Last thing, i'm leaning on purchasing through ebay through indoaudio..which has great feedback and seems the cheapest for the things i'm looking for...anyone have experience with them?

Also, where can i get cheap miscellaneous parts that i need...such as the power kit (8ga sufficient i assume?), speaker wires, dynamat and RCAs? would online be my best bet?

Thanks ahead of time for any input and i'll update this thread as soon as i have another question! so fire away!

LS350Z

First off - great choice on almost everything. The only thing I would change is screw the rear speakers and go ahead and upgrade to 165k2s for front components. Sub & amps are great choices!

Everything else looks great but if you're going to get rear speakers you'll need an extra set of rcas (3 then). Otherwise you'll loose fade capabilities.

For all the wiring stuff I'd just go straight to www.sounddomain.com and buy all stinger. Stinger makes great stuff very cheap. Instead of running two seperate powerlines through the car for the amps, I'd run one larger gauge (0 or 2 gauge) to a distribution block and then run 4 gauge to the amps. Should help on keeping things simple.

For speaker wire you'll only need 16gauge run to the front and rear (if you choose) speakers. For the sub 12 gauge will do fine.

Assuming you have some space for cooling (like 1-2" in between the amps) you won't have any problems stacking these amps. There's a ton of room in that area and cooling shouldn't be a problem.

Finally, the front speakers might or might not fit in the stock location. Well actually I'm 100% sure they'll fit but how you mount them will be the questionable part. If you make your own mount then there shouldn't be any problems but if you use the stock speaker mounts then you might have problems with the speaker surround hitting the door. I've seen several Zs that have had htis problem under full excursion of the speaker. 99.8% of the time it will never touch the door panel but if you throw in a SPL CD and do some 50-100hz frequency hits, you'll hear (and see) the door rattling due to the interferance. The last two people I showed this two had no idea the speakers hit the panels and both thought I was smoking crack prior to showing them.

err - I think I answered most of your questions (in bass-ackwards order to) but if not let me know and I'll gladly address.

Horizon1

Thanks for the tips and reply..so I hope you dont mind me asking a couple more questions.

1) I will definitely go with the distribution block idea..i'm guessing some of the more complete power kits might come with one...the question is, does it matter where the distribution block is located...i.e. -->closer to car battery, closer to amp...etc?

2) I wanted to try to keep it as simple as possible, so i was hoping to drop the speakers in without mod...i was told that the slim line "shoould" prevent the window from hitting when its rolled down, did i get wrong info?

Thanks!

Mike

wren57

iTrader: (34)

All I can say is good f'n luck. An experienced radio installer and I took a shot at it and it was a PITA. We ran an 8gauge wire from battery to compartment behind drivers seat, then ran 12gauge wire to each speaker. Its ridiculous how much time it took, especially when trying to run the large 12gauge wires through the doors and to the speakers... had to drill through the connector, then when putting the two connectors back together a prong bent, pass. window got stuck down, couldnt find the wire, augh it was a nightmare. If you got a few hundred bucks I suggest dropping it off at a shop and picking it up finished, it is definately worth the peace of mind and I wish I had done that all along. As for speaker hitting the window, just buy 1" spacers or cut them off your old speakers... if you do try it yourself, good luck and do it somewhere where it isnt 90+ degrees...

Horizon1

while we're at it...whats the quickest and cheapest way to get a wiring harness/kit for the 350z w/ the alpine HU mentioned above? crutchfield? I'm trying to aim to start installling next weekend. Any differences (quality, good fit, etc?) on diff brands of kits?

Thanks!

P.S. I think i'm gonna order from www.onlinecarstereo.com ...anyone else have experience with this vendor whose from the LA area?

toykilla

iTrader: (1)

i agree.. this cars is a nightmare to install a system in.... plan on taking your time and having your car down for a few days since this is your first time.

just go to best buy.. they have the harness. same as the 03+ maxima

LS350Z

Alright a couple of things.

First off, I thought the Z was really easy to work on in the grand scheme of car installs. The only big trouble area was the wires through the doors and I still don't know why one would use 12gauge to front speakers. The only tricky part to the install was figuring out the door panel removal and with all the how-tos here the hard part is taken care of.

Back to the questions.

I personally wouldn't buy an amp kit, they are typically overpriced and don't have exactly what you need. It's just easier to buy everything seperate IMO.

As far as distribution block goes, mount that back near your amps somewhere (closer the better).

As far as hitting the windows, that's the least of your worries with most speakers inside the stock mount or a 1" spacer. To me the biggest worry would be hitting your door panel with your speaker surround.

bastard

Don't forget that if you are stepping down from 2awg to 4awg (or worse, 8awg) at a distribution block, you must fuse it. 2awg cable can take much more current than 8, and the 8awg could catch on fire before the ~100 amp fuse on the 2awg even blows. After spending a few nights pricing a run of 2awg, a fused distribution block, and like 5 feet of 4awg, I realized that it's much cheaper to just run 2 4awg wires from the battery to the amps.

LS350Z is correct in that the pre-made power cable kits are a rip off. Well, all car audio cabling is a rip off, but, two 4awg power kits is something like $160+ dollars, and as a comparison, on Crutchfield, everything: 3 RCA cables, 25 feet of red 4awg (should be enough for two runs), ~5 feet of black 4awg for ground, two fuse holders, the wiring harness plug, and the dash mount kit thing was like $130. Note that none of this was top-of-the-line wire. $70+ RCA cables are a joke.

Figure by the time you add RCAs and the headunit installation crap to the kits, you're talking at least $200 bucks. $200+ for WIRE? are people insane? I bet goddamn Verizon doesn't even spend that much on wiring.