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Thread: Sub box examples for e36?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
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    95 M3 - 06 X5 3.0

    Sub box examples for e36?

    I want to stuff 2 JBL W12GTI subs into an e36 trunk. It would be easy in a sealed box but I want a proper ported box and they require 2.25 sq/ft each..
    It's not that their isn't room but more that it's impossible to put something like that in the trunk so it will likely have to be built in. Or maybe 2 separate boxes could be slipped in, IDK.
    I want them and their ports to be front facing behind my flip down rear seats and still have some room in the far back of the trunk, keep it as much between the wheel wells as possible..
    Do you know of any examples of this sort of thing that has already been done that I could learn from? A big volume box setup towards the front of the trunk..

    An IB setup also sounds tempting but I have never heard an IB setup at all before so it makes me worry that it wouldn't really sound like subs..

    Help me kick around some ideas..
    I just finished installing decent front components and rear 6X9s on a 4 channel amp with a bunch of headroom..
    I should have 1 of the GTIs in a proper ported box in there by the end of the day on its own amp but want to eventually get 2 of em in there and maybe add a sound processor down the road also..
    I'm going for decent SQ and to be able to turn on beast mode when I wish, which the GTIs should give me..

    I'm probably going to have to mess around with upgrading my alternator too if I want to run it hard for more than a couple minutes at a time..
    Last edited by fasteddie313; 09-21-2017 at 11:27 AM.

  2. #2
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    1998 BMW 328i
    Two sub boxes would take up a lot of space. I have built a few boxes for single 10 inch subs. That size fits nicely in the ski pass. I use a sort of triangular pyramid shape. I imagine you could adapt the design to fit a larger sub like a 12 inch. Just a heads up, on a 10 inch sub the box still sticks back about a foot and a half into the trunk. Two 12 inch subs is going to seriously neuter your trunk space.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
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    Peoria, AZ
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    03 zhp, 97 e36m3, 04 zhp
    (2) 12" WGTIs in e36 will shake it apart. I hope you plan on upgrading your rear suspension too.

  4. #4
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    I've got 1 W12GTI in a proper big ported box running on a CXA1800.1, JBL 5.25 components and 6X9s on a NVX 800.4, upgraded 140 amp alternator and huge AGM battery..

    Works pretty darn good, I doubt I'll be trying to put the 2nd 12 in there any time soon..

  5. #5
    Join Date
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    Install a single sub and save the money for hearing aides. You’ll need them.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
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    New England
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    F90 M5; E36 M3 Turbo
    Single subs seem muffled with the seat backs up. The best to me seems to be twin small subs in boxes under the rear deck connected to the stock or enlarged rear speaker cutouts. Or a single sub if you can get it to pass through. I think convertibles have an armrest in the rear seat back that can be turned into a pass through for a single sub but I have not seen this implemented in a coupe or sedan.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by pbonsalb View Post
    Single subs seem muffled with the seat backs up. The best to me seems to be twin small subs in boxes under the rear deck connected to the stock or enlarged rear speaker cutouts. Or a single sub if you can get it to pass through. I think convertibles have an armrest in the rear seat back that can be turned into a pass through for a single sub but I have not seen this implemented in a coupe or sedan.
    It pretty much runs pass through with my drivers side rear seat flipped down..
    I don't have a good pic handy but this is the box..

    With the sub face like just a couple of inches from the back of the drivers side rear seatback when flipped up.. Flipped down the sub points right in.. My amps are mounted to the other side of the box so they can be accessed easily by flipping the passengers rear seat down..
    It sounds pretty good with the seats flipped up even but I lose some tone with them closed..

    I chose the wgti for the e36 because I wanted to set the sub up to face right into the cabin out of the trunk with the seats flipped down like that..
    The wgti subs are quite good SQ subs /SQL and have a great frequency response all the way up to 1000hz so they make for a powerful punchy midbase.. I have it crossed around 200hz iirc with the longer attenuation taper off I forget the #..
    They aren't just a SPL rattle your doors off by making a pressure wave at 45 HZ kind of sub, they will, but they are more focused SQ sound reproduction subs, and can take a lot of power.. I believe the 1 12 is running around 1000-1200 RMS the way I have it set up if I turn it up..
    Weird 3 ohm load dual 6 ohm voice coils, very unique dual differential drive design with neodymium magnets if you want to look into it..

    For a closed trunk sub you can run something half blown and rattling and not really notice. Being right in the cabin with you it really needs to sound clean for me..

    I have been very satisfied with this setup since I have been getting my Xovers dialed in to where it sounds good and adjusting some gains down to get the power on everything to come up evenly..

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
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    F90 M5; E36 M3 Turbo
    Sure, with the seat down, any box sub will do ok. You also get more road noise with the seat backs down. And with them
    up the sub does not sound as good.

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