VolksDragon
New member
So after owning the new rig for a couple months, I finally found some time to install the amp and sub I took out of my Tundra CrewMax when I traded it in.
This is the same setup I've had in my past 3 trucks, including two Tundras and a '14 4Runner Trail, so I'm super happy to re-use all of it without spending any money. I figured I'd do a quick and dirty write-up in case any 5th-gen owners are looking for something similar. I won't go into incredible detail, so ask if you have any questions.
When I was putting this system together for my '14 4Runner, I wanted to supplement the factory Entune system (which I find pretty good), with the low-end bass it was missing. My other requirements were the amp had to fit under the seat, all the gear had to be invisible from outside the car, and the sub had to be quickly movable (and removable) for when I'm carrying larger cargo or using the back for camping / sleeping.
Amp: Alpine MRV-250. Mono sub-amp, 250W x 1. This thing is absolutely tiny for the power it puts out, has line-in inputs, signal-sensing (eliminating the need for a remote wire), and is equipped to work with the external Rux-Knob sub controller. It runs cool, and fits anywhere.
Sub: JL Audio W3 ported 8" enclosure (CP108LG-W3v3). This little guy sounds better than some 10's I've owned in the past, uses very little power, and can play low and loud if you want it to. It's small and relatively thin, so it doesn't take up much room in the cargo area. Did I mention it sounds amazing, and perfectly fills in the low end?
Here's the work area for the afternoon, after unbolting the seat, pulling all the trim and making a general mess of things:
Here's the amp mocked up under the driver seat. It fits PERFECTLY between the heat ducts and the raised mounting rail, and clears all the power seat hardware and trim covers. I used two big strips of industrial velcro to mount it to the carpet, requires no screws and doesn't budge a bit.
Ran fused power from the battery through the firewall in the factory grommet near the parking brake. For the 250W amp, 8-gauge power and ground are more than sufficient. Protip: use a wire coat hanger or fish tape once you have the hole cut, and spray some lube on the first foot or two of power cable to help it punch through the grommet (insert joke here). Then run it with the existing harness behind the kick panel, and down the sill inside the plastic channel.
I considered using a line-level converter or a signal processor, but since I'm only amplifying sub frequencies, I'm using the Alpine's high-level inputs with the auto sensing turn-on. To do this, I need to splice into the signal for the factory rear speakers, and the easiest place to access the wires is on the harness right behind the head unit. Once the head unit is unbolted and pulled free, use a blanket or car towel to cover the exposed shift levers so they don't destroy it. You don't need to unplug anything behind the headunit other than the rear speaker plug.
Here's the plug you'll need to work with, #G5. Unplug it and remove some of the wrap to give yourself some room to work. The pinout for this plug is below, props to Antman for this:
Black= LR+
Yellow=LR-
Red=RR+
White=RR- (the THICK white wire)
You can use butt connectors, wiretaps or whatever, I chose to remove some insulation and splice the leads directly before taping everything up.
I ran the new signal wires down behind the HVAC controls and rearwards under the console to the right of the 4WD lever using the existing harness to secure them. They come out of the console near the floor to the right of the drivers seat, invisible once the seat is bolted down.
To install the Alpine Rux-Knob, I pulled the small pocket / USB / lighter plug part of the console rearward, and drilled a 9/16 hole in the top of the pocket to run the small cable in from the top. I then ran the cable in the same location as the signal wires to the amp. This thing is awesome, and allows me to blend the sub into the factory system on the fly depending on the music I'm listening to, and the pussification of the back seat passengers.
10ga speaker wire to the sub is run under the carpet from the amp to the drivers side sill and rearward in the existing channel, under the seat trim and out in the cargo area near the tie-down point. There's some room under the trim here to store a couple feet of slack if I ever need to preposition the sub or move it to load cargo, so I left myself some wiggle room.
Subwoofer enclosure installed on the left side, with the port facing rearward. I tried seemingly every single position and port orientation in the cargo area before deciding on this one, it clearly sounds the best without murdering the rear seat passengers. The sub sits against the left lip of the all-weather mat, and is secured to the fenderwell trim with a strip of industrial velcro ( Remember need to move / remove it occasionally). It is rock solid, and doesn't move a bit. The cargo mat has a perfect little lip to run the speaker wire under the tilted sub enclosure.
Amp wired and it its final position under the driver seat. Ground is to the left rear driver seat mounting bolt. ZERO clearance issues, nothing touches it a bit when the seat is bolted down.
After some tuning, I'm SUPER happy with how this turned out. Easy install, relatively inexpensive, augments the factory system perfectly, and sounds VERY, VERY good. This is exactly what the sub doctor ordered for my tastes, and I highly recommend that little JL Audio sub, it's punching WAY above it's weight class.
I do realize that my sub mounting choice leaves it vulnerable to theft, but it's totally invisible with the cargo cover in place, and I live in suburban snowflake America where crime is pretty low. I have good insurance and a garage.
This is the same setup I've had in my past 3 trucks, including two Tundras and a '14 4Runner Trail, so I'm super happy to re-use all of it without spending any money. I figured I'd do a quick and dirty write-up in case any 5th-gen owners are looking for something similar. I won't go into incredible detail, so ask if you have any questions.
When I was putting this system together for my '14 4Runner, I wanted to supplement the factory Entune system (which I find pretty good), with the low-end bass it was missing. My other requirements were the amp had to fit under the seat, all the gear had to be invisible from outside the car, and the sub had to be quickly movable (and removable) for when I'm carrying larger cargo or using the back for camping / sleeping.
Amp: Alpine MRV-250. Mono sub-amp, 250W x 1. This thing is absolutely tiny for the power it puts out, has line-in inputs, signal-sensing (eliminating the need for a remote wire), and is equipped to work with the external Rux-Knob sub controller. It runs cool, and fits anywhere.
Sub: JL Audio W3 ported 8" enclosure (CP108LG-W3v3). This little guy sounds better than some 10's I've owned in the past, uses very little power, and can play low and loud if you want it to. It's small and relatively thin, so it doesn't take up much room in the cargo area. Did I mention it sounds amazing, and perfectly fills in the low end?
Here's the work area for the afternoon, after unbolting the seat, pulling all the trim and making a general mess of things:
Here's the amp mocked up under the driver seat. It fits PERFECTLY between the heat ducts and the raised mounting rail, and clears all the power seat hardware and trim covers. I used two big strips of industrial velcro to mount it to the carpet, requires no screws and doesn't budge a bit.
Ran fused power from the battery through the firewall in the factory grommet near the parking brake. For the 250W amp, 8-gauge power and ground are more than sufficient. Protip: use a wire coat hanger or fish tape once you have the hole cut, and spray some lube on the first foot or two of power cable to help it punch through the grommet (insert joke here). Then run it with the existing harness behind the kick panel, and down the sill inside the plastic channel.
I considered using a line-level converter or a signal processor, but since I'm only amplifying sub frequencies, I'm using the Alpine's high-level inputs with the auto sensing turn-on. To do this, I need to splice into the signal for the factory rear speakers, and the easiest place to access the wires is on the harness right behind the head unit. Once the head unit is unbolted and pulled free, use a blanket or car towel to cover the exposed shift levers so they don't destroy it. You don't need to unplug anything behind the headunit other than the rear speaker plug.
Here's the plug you'll need to work with, #G5. Unplug it and remove some of the wrap to give yourself some room to work. The pinout for this plug is below, props to Antman for this:
Black= LR+
Yellow=LR-
Red=RR+
White=RR- (the THICK white wire)
You can use butt connectors, wiretaps or whatever, I chose to remove some insulation and splice the leads directly before taping everything up.
I ran the new signal wires down behind the HVAC controls and rearwards under the console to the right of the 4WD lever using the existing harness to secure them. They come out of the console near the floor to the right of the drivers seat, invisible once the seat is bolted down.
To install the Alpine Rux-Knob, I pulled the small pocket / USB / lighter plug part of the console rearward, and drilled a 9/16 hole in the top of the pocket to run the small cable in from the top. I then ran the cable in the same location as the signal wires to the amp. This thing is awesome, and allows me to blend the sub into the factory system on the fly depending on the music I'm listening to, and the pussification of the back seat passengers.
10ga speaker wire to the sub is run under the carpet from the amp to the drivers side sill and rearward in the existing channel, under the seat trim and out in the cargo area near the tie-down point. There's some room under the trim here to store a couple feet of slack if I ever need to preposition the sub or move it to load cargo, so I left myself some wiggle room.
Subwoofer enclosure installed on the left side, with the port facing rearward. I tried seemingly every single position and port orientation in the cargo area before deciding on this one, it clearly sounds the best without murdering the rear seat passengers. The sub sits against the left lip of the all-weather mat, and is secured to the fenderwell trim with a strip of industrial velcro ( Remember need to move / remove it occasionally). It is rock solid, and doesn't move a bit. The cargo mat has a perfect little lip to run the speaker wire under the tilted sub enclosure.
Amp wired and it its final position under the driver seat. Ground is to the left rear driver seat mounting bolt. ZERO clearance issues, nothing touches it a bit when the seat is bolted down.
After some tuning, I'm SUPER happy with how this turned out. Easy install, relatively inexpensive, augments the factory system perfectly, and sounds VERY, VERY good. This is exactly what the sub doctor ordered for my tastes, and I highly recommend that little JL Audio sub, it's punching WAY above it's weight class.
I do realize that my sub mounting choice leaves it vulnerable to theft, but it's totally invisible with the cargo cover in place, and I live in suburban snowflake America where crime is pretty low. I have good insurance and a garage.
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