Rddavisjr
Member
- Thread starter
- #1
Guys,
I replaced the OEM factory subwoofer in the stock location with an 8 inch shallow subwoofer. Let me take a second to explain why I did it and share the pros and cons of doing this.
First, I did this because I drive without the doors for months at a time. (The doors have currently been off of my gladiator for over three months and counting now.) During this period, Iāve been caught out in the rain twice badly enough that I had several inches of standing water in the Jeep. I had temporarily put an 8 inch JL Audio sub in a sub box under the rear passenger seat. So, this box got wet and the carpet is peeling off. I was also concerned about someone lifting the seat up and stealing the sub. Finally, I miss the storage space under the seats.
My current audio setup is the OEM 7 inch radio. (Iām not a fan but again Iām worried about theft with the doors off.) I have two small Alpine amps. One powers the 6.5s and tweeters in the front and the 6.5s in the sound bar. These speakers are all Morels. The second powers the subwoofer. Both of these amps are hidden under the dash.
So, I removed the rear seats. (Instructions for this are detailed in the forum and YouTube.) The most difficult thing is removing the rear trim panel. You are going to break it and need a new one to replace it. Candidly, this is an unforgivable design flaw on the part of Jeep. Itās simply unacceptable that an owner cannot remove a piece of interior trim without destroying it. (Mopar part 6LJ84TX7AC is what youāll need.) Removing the old sub is simple. I then removed the existing speaker wire and threw it away but I saved the rubber grommet piece. I then ran new speaker wire through the grommet and reinserted the rubber piece into the OEM enclosure which was a PITA. I then stuffed the enclosure with polyfill. The sub I installed is an Earthquake SWS-8XI 2 ohm shallow subwoofer. (https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003R5NS9U/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1) It fits in the OEM subwoofer enclosure using two of the screws that held the OEM subwoofer in place. I then used some silicone to seal up the unused screw holes. Photos of this work are attached below. Also, no other trim pieces or rings are needed to mount the sub. It simply fits in the enclosure with the parts included with the sub.
As far as performance, it isnāt as good as the JL Audio 8 inch which is to be expected. For its size, I am pleasantly surprised. Since I listen to blues and rock, this sub works for me. If you want to listen to rap, donāt use this sub. You will be disappointed. Given my concerns about theft, my desire to maintain an OEM look to my audio system, and my choice in music, I am happy with the results. In my teenage years, I would have been disappointed with the final results.
I hope others find this useful.
Regards,
Ron
I replaced the OEM factory subwoofer in the stock location with an 8 inch shallow subwoofer. Let me take a second to explain why I did it and share the pros and cons of doing this.
First, I did this because I drive without the doors for months at a time. (The doors have currently been off of my gladiator for over three months and counting now.) During this period, Iāve been caught out in the rain twice badly enough that I had several inches of standing water in the Jeep. I had temporarily put an 8 inch JL Audio sub in a sub box under the rear passenger seat. So, this box got wet and the carpet is peeling off. I was also concerned about someone lifting the seat up and stealing the sub. Finally, I miss the storage space under the seats.
My current audio setup is the OEM 7 inch radio. (Iām not a fan but again Iām worried about theft with the doors off.) I have two small Alpine amps. One powers the 6.5s and tweeters in the front and the 6.5s in the sound bar. These speakers are all Morels. The second powers the subwoofer. Both of these amps are hidden under the dash.
So, I removed the rear seats. (Instructions for this are detailed in the forum and YouTube.) The most difficult thing is removing the rear trim panel. You are going to break it and need a new one to replace it. Candidly, this is an unforgivable design flaw on the part of Jeep. Itās simply unacceptable that an owner cannot remove a piece of interior trim without destroying it. (Mopar part 6LJ84TX7AC is what youāll need.) Removing the old sub is simple. I then removed the existing speaker wire and threw it away but I saved the rubber grommet piece. I then ran new speaker wire through the grommet and reinserted the rubber piece into the OEM enclosure which was a PITA. I then stuffed the enclosure with polyfill. The sub I installed is an Earthquake SWS-8XI 2 ohm shallow subwoofer. (https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003R5NS9U/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1) It fits in the OEM subwoofer enclosure using two of the screws that held the OEM subwoofer in place. I then used some silicone to seal up the unused screw holes. Photos of this work are attached below. Also, no other trim pieces or rings are needed to mount the sub. It simply fits in the enclosure with the parts included with the sub.
As far as performance, it isnāt as good as the JL Audio 8 inch which is to be expected. For its size, I am pleasantly surprised. Since I listen to blues and rock, this sub works for me. If you want to listen to rap, donāt use this sub. You will be disappointed. Given my concerns about theft, my desire to maintain an OEM look to my audio system, and my choice in music, I am happy with the results. In my teenage years, I would have been disappointed with the final results.
I hope others find this useful.
Regards,
Ron
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