respect to that. I am not upset or mad :P sorry if I came off that way
I guess the "Stop being a jerk-off" made you seem irritated
It's all good. :: pounds it :: We're cool.
Originally Posted by Ragno
Hope you know; i wasn't talking too you :)
I think everyone's car should & has the right to have their own build no matter how big or how small; everyone dose unique things with each of their cars. You don't need to be pushing power for your car to be custom & interesting.
I thought for a SECOND that the douche picture was to me and though "oh WTF" and then realized it wasn't, lol.
Then I looked at your profile and @ your car and now I see why you posted that. HOLY POKE. Honestly, I think that looks badass. Fully, wholly, badass.
I also agree with your philosophical thoughts on car modification. Same page.
My thoughts: Anyone's project car is their project car. I want to say if someone throws in some stick on LEDs from auto-zone and thats all they do and they're happy with it, good for them. the same goes for dropping your civic, putting a giant spoiler on it, and putting on a cherry bomb muffler on it. Logically, how much different is that than putting nice rims on an S, or even doing serious performance mods. What's the point, really?
I would be quick to say that the guy rolling down the street with a stupidly-modded civic is an idiot. But is he? "It's a waste of money! It all looks stupid and gets him no performance gains!" Would be my thought. But wait...so what? It's all for fun. If that makes him happy...then that makes him happy. My Father thinks its totally insane to invest any extra money in the car for performance gains. He says it's a complete waste. But I like it - it's fun. I enjoy thinking about it, installing it, talking about it, and most of all...driving it.
It's all a matter of perspective. Everyone has different opinions with what is stupid and what isn't. For every person that thinks performance mods are super important and worth the money, there's someone else that thinks it's a complete waste to spend a cent on your car.
Since it is all entirely subjective, it is impossible to define what is and is not a waste, because, it is all a waste. It is also all not a waste. In subjective matters:
If Person A believes performance mods are a Waste, then, Performance Mods = Waste.
If Person B believes that Performance mods are not a waste, then, Performance Mods /= Waste.
So, most of us on here are in the school of thought that "ricing a car" (aka putting excessive lighting, or otherwise showy non-performance mods on a car) is a waste. From our perspective, that is correct. There's clearly varying degrees of what the threshold of rice, what I will call the TOR, is, but generally, we can agree that spending excessive amounts of money on visual mods that cheapen the look of the car is a waste. I believe that I am extremely far away from crossing the TOR, but again, it's all a matter of perspective.
If you want to do LED tails; id take the lights off an aftermarket LED tail... and take the stock housing and change the lighting... I'v been pondering this same idea...
So it looks stock, just with a better light strength and pattern.
If you want to do LED tails; id take the lights off an aftermarket LED tail... and take the stock housing and change the lighting... I'v been pondering this same idea...
So it looks stock, just with a better light strength and pattern.
That's not a bad idea. I was just looking at that GP thread on those tails. They really look pretty good, but I'm still on the fence. Good enough to justify $200+? Not sure. I might make custom one's though after I've fixed all of the broken parts and gotten most performance mods in (sans stage 3). I've done custom LED work in the past, so I'm sure I could come up with something that looks good.
I cant get over this, FREE S4?!?! Im about to do a clutch job myself, but im not getting a free car out of it.
I know. Pretty much the best thing that's ever happened to me.
I'm also already spending so much more than I had intended on spending...
I'm trying to think of some 1/2 decent aesthetic mods to do to entertain myself after I'm Stage II+ next month. Any ideas? If I don't buy rims, I'm going to repaint mine. I don't know how I feel about gunmetal on a Noggy, so I might just clean up the curb rash and repaint them similar to stock/brighter silverish. Maybe I'll pick up an RS4 grill, paint the Y-pipe, and all of the engine covers, etc...
I'm about to start searching what's worth doing on a Stage II+ to get a bit more about of it sans going stage III. Trying to wait for the turbos to blow for that jump..
If I get the wires and a LOC in time. I'm not sure if I can tap into the bose line level wires that go to the stock amp. If anyone knows anything about this - let me know.
You can for sure tap into the low-level line outs at the Bose amp in the trunk, and that will for sure give you the best quality sound (you don't want it to go through all of Bose's processing and amplification (possibly clipping the signal) only to try to convert it back to what it began at with an LOC.) Other than just finding the wiring diagram of the harness at the amp in the trunk, it's really not harder than wiring up an LOC either. I'm not sure if you can find a pair of unterminated RCA's or if you just have a crappy pair that you don't mind hacking up, but you just cut and splice the main wires of the RCA's straight into the correct signal. I think I even used quick-taps so the signal still goes to the stock sub, then I put a switch between the amp and the stock sub so I can turn the stock sub back on when I take my big box out (and for when I sell it, like right now.) It's worked like a charm for me. The only issue I remember is that I had to play with the grounding of the shielding wire on the RCA's. I don't remember where they finally ended up, but I had to switch where I grounded them between the ground wire in the harness and actually grounding them to the frame. If you do that and still have any signal noise, just let me know and I have another tip for you that got rid of my loop noise 100%. Sounds awesome.
Also, for the diagram I think I found it through a quick search on Audiworld. I was looking for my B6 but all I could find was for the B5 S4. Luckily it worked out the same though.
Don't mind the people with differing opinions. To some any car audio is rice, and to others it's a lifestyle. I used to be way into car audio and I don't consider myself nor any of the cars that I drove rice nor ghetto. And after that I don't think I'll ever have a car that I plan on keeping for any good length of time that I won't put at least a sub in because it just makes the music, and therefore the entire driving experience so much more enjoyable. There's not much that I love more than rallying a canyon while listening to music
Keep the pics and updates coming, enthusiasm is contagious and pics are always nice to follow.
** GT2860R-7 S4 Build Log--
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--BROKEN SPIDER HOSES
FOR SALE:
--ULTIMATE B5 S4 LAPTOP (DELL, i5, 8gb RAM, BENTLEY, ETKA, REAL VAG COM CABLE, LOGGING SOFTWARE, TUNER PRO)**
--JHM DELRIN SHIFTER STABILIZER BUSHING (LATE STYLE)**
--RS4 AIRBOX--
--FIKSE FM10-LIGHT WHEELS - 17x9 et55 & 17X8 et57 - WORKS ON AUDI W/ ADAPTER
You can for sure tap into the low-level line outs at the Bose amp in the trunk, and that will for sure give you the best quality sound (you don't want it to go through all of Bose's processing and amplification (possibly clipping the signal) only to try to convert it back to what it began at with an LOC.) Other than just finding the wiring diagram of the harness at the amp in the trunk, it's really not harder than wiring up an LOC either. I'm not sure if you can find a pair of unterminated RCA's or if you just have a crappy pair that you don't mind hacking up, but you just cut and splice the main wires of the RCA's straight into the correct signal. I think I even used quick-taps so the signal still goes to the stock sub, then I put a switch between the amp and the stock sub so I can turn the stock sub back on when I take my big box out (and for when I sell it, like right now.) It's worked like a charm for me. The only issue I remember is that I had to play with the grounding of the shielding wire on the RCA's. I don't remember where they finally ended up, but I had to switch where I grounded them between the ground wire in the harness and actually grounding them to the frame. If you do that and still have any signal noise, just let me know and I have another tip for you that got rid of my loop noise 100%. Sounds awesome.
Also, for the diagram I think I found it through a quick search on Audiworld. I was looking for my B6 but all I could find was for the B5 S4. Luckily it worked out the same though.
Don't mind the people with differing opinions. To some any car audio is rice, and to others it's a lifestyle. I used to be way into car audio and I don't consider myself nor any of the cars that I drove rice nor ghetto. And after that I don't think I'll ever have a car that I plan on keeping for any good length of time that I won't put at least a sub in because it just makes the music, and therefore the entire driving experience so much more enjoyable. There's not much that I love more than rallying a canyon while listening to music
Keep the pics and updates coming, enthusiasm is contagious and pics are always nice to follow.
I read a DIY on doing this and the person seemed very unhappy with the results. It seems like it should not be complicated and should naturally have superior quality when compared to line voltage, then amping, then line voltage than amping. I guess it will come down to finding the right wires...
After finding the connection it's cake. No problem mating up to those wires and putting some RCA terminations on them. There was no stock sub in my car, so I'm trying to just find the signal that was going to the bose amp in the back of the car.
I still need to poke around in there since I haven't had time. I might go the easy route of LOC so that reverting back to stock is as easy as unplugging. Not making any decisions until I look around in there, though.
Thanks for the car audio support. It's a hard life. I wish I could just leave my stock stereo alone - or better yet - take it out for the weight savings...but it hurts too much to do it.
Podi Boost gauge arrived, but didn't have time to get it in. I've only glanced at the wiring diagram it came with...I haven't found any actual DIYs or installs on the electrical gauge for the B5 S4, but it naturally doesn't seem particularly complicated.
Piggies in a few more weeks when I get more time at home.
Took the car from Boston to Albany, then Albany to near Hancock, NY this past weekend. MAN what a blast on the twisties and in the rain. That was a great time. Then back to Albany and back to Boston. I sure travel a lot, but when I'm home I really pack those miles in...
I read a DIY on doing this and the person seemed very unhappy with the results. It seems like it should not be complicated and should naturally have superior quality when compared to line voltage, then amping, then line voltage than amping. I guess it will come down to finding the right wires...
After finding the connection it's cake. No problem mating up to those wires and putting some RCA terminations on them. There was no stock sub in my car, so I'm trying to just find the signal that was going to the bose amp in the back of the car.
I still need to poke around in there since I haven't had time. I might go the easy route of LOC so that reverting back to stock is as easy as unplugging. Not making any decisions until I look around in there, though.
Thanks for the car audio support. It's a hard life. I wish I could just leave my stock stereo alone - or better yet - take it out for the weight savings...but it hurts too much to do it.
Have you even looked for the wiring diagram yet? It really took me like 15 mins to find last time, and then there will be no questions about the right wires or not. I'll even snap a pic of my harness and how I did it when I get a min. As far as reversibility, if you just use t-taps or quik taps or whatever they're called, to reverse it it is as simple as just taking them off. It would be the exact same reversal process as taking off the LOC. You don't have to wire in a switch for the stock sub like I did, I just did that so that I didn't have the stock sub playing while I had my sub in, and also could easily turn it back on when the big sub was out. It's by no means necessary, and it's independent of whether you go with an LOC or the low level signal.
** GT2860R-7 S4 Build Log--
LOOKING FOR:
--BROKEN SPIDER HOSES
FOR SALE:
--ULTIMATE B5 S4 LAPTOP (DELL, i5, 8gb RAM, BENTLEY, ETKA, REAL VAG COM CABLE, LOGGING SOFTWARE, TUNER PRO)**
--JHM DELRIN SHIFTER STABILIZER BUSHING (LATE STYLE)**
--RS4 AIRBOX--
--FIKSE FM10-LIGHT WHEELS - 17x9 et55 & 17X8 et57 - WORKS ON AUDI W/ ADAPTER
jib: Next time I'm back home I hope to take a look at the wiring. Do you have a diagram somewhere? You're right, I'm sure I can figure it out. With all the stupid travel I've been doing I get impatient and get the feeling of "I just want to get it done" since I'm away from the car for so long. But the car is a fun project, so I gotta ditch that attitude.
SPEAKING OF FUN PROJECT:
It seems that this thread might ACTUALLY turn into a build thread. I've decided to go stage III+ next summer and want to start planning for it now. The intent is to begin planning, amass all of the parts that I will need, so that I can put it all together next summer in a reasonably timely manner.
BostonblkS4 and I will both be going stage III+ at roughly the same time - using his garage as the workspace.
We're thinking RS6 turbos, so jib, I'll be bugging you about that. The goal is to make it balls fast, while keeping it a DD, and doing all/almost all of the work ourselves.
My goal is to spend <$7,000 so GTs are pretty much definitely out of the question. If someone does a good job of talking me into it, I'll end up spending more money (hint hint) and doing a more interesting build. The problem is that I can afford it. I'm just trying to not be stupid and spend all of my money on the car. I think an RS6 build will still be fun, fast, and interesting, but I recognize it's nothing ground-breaking. Between all of the single turbo builds and GT builds and Imola Beast's I-dont-know-what build, what I'm doing is relatively boring.
So, the research begins! Some of the first things I'm trying to determine is
A) Cost of RS6 turbos vs some of the GTs
B) Understanding fueling requirements since I've never dabbled in that before
C) At what point do I need to build what parts of my engine
D) As simple as it sounds, what air intake/ecu requirements I'll have. New MAF (obv)? x-1? Something > than A box...?
Jibbervive, you were right telling me I'd probably go stage III eventually
I do hope to use the fact that I got this car for so little money (effectively $3,000) and put it to damn good use. If I spend $15,000 total (already spend $6,500) or a bit more, it's not too huge of a loss on my ROI and I'll definitely enjoy the car for several more years than I had planned!
I like LEDs. Call me obsessed, but I really...really love LEDs. I have a known hatred of incandescent light. Stupid inefficient old technology. Not that it actually really matters in a car...
I guess I just like the very "true" color that LEDs give.
I'm still on the fence on the LED tails. Only if I can find ones that are not rice looking. LEDs > incandescent, and can really give an even higher class look to tail lights. I haven't found any that I'm happy with though, so I'll either make my own out of some stock tails or just keep them stock (since they're great looking tails as far as stock goes).
I already have the two 13Ov.2s from my previous car. I custom build boxes, so that's basically free ($30), the wires were cheap, and the amp was $315. I like high fi audio, and have a soft spot for bass. I like to feel it. I'm making it completely removable so that when I want to auto x or anything of that nature I can pop it all right out in 5 minutes.
I know it's not everyone's taste, but it is mine :)
I can see where you're coming from with this. I thought the stock Bose system was okay for about a week, then I recently ended up with a Fi Q 15" woofer and a Sundown SAE-1000D. If you're familiar with it, you can understand why I'm still grinning. Congratulations on the car btw, and enjoy it in between the things that will fail/break/cause you to
I can see where you're coming from with this. I thought the stock Bose system was okay for about a week, then I recently ended up with a Fi Q 15" woofer and a Sundown SAE-1000D. If you're familiar with it, you can understand why I'm still grinning. Congratulations on the car btw, and enjoy it in between the things that will fail/break/cause you to
Dude, NICE choice on equipment. You can not go wrong with that stuff. Fi Q = my dream sub, and then SAE series as exceptional. Nice and efficient amps with top notch build quality.
Dude, NICE choice on equipment. You can not go wrong with that stuff. Fi Q = my dream sub, and then SAE series as exceptional. Nice and efficient amps with top notch build quality.
Also, pics or it didn't happen ;)
Hahahaha, all right, I'll try to get a couple with my phone when I get in the car next time. It's not completed yet, as the speakers and tweeters are all stock, and the Fi is causing me to beat the hell out of them. Some RE components might be on the way, paired to an older Excelon amp I have kicking around. Box needs to be rebuilt by me so I can fit it perfectly in the trunk, but it's not too bad right now, and it's tuned at 32hz so I'm happy. Just gotta brace it so it stops sliding so much.
Honestly, if you really like the Fi line up, go for it. It's REALLY cheap when you compare it to most of the stuff you normally hear of. I paid 250CAD for mine used, and the same price for the amp. In the states, you can buy stuff like that for a whole lot less and it's more readily available. Even brand new the Fi Q (with all options) is under 300USD which is a killer deal for something that'll consistently take over 1000WRMS.
Hahahaha, all right, I'll try to get a couple with my phone when I get in the car next time. It's not completed yet, as the speakers and tweeters are all stock, and the Fi is causing me to beat the hell out of them. Some RE components might be on the way, paired to an older Excelon amp I have kicking around. Box needs to be rebuilt by me so I can fit it perfectly in the trunk, but it's not too bad right now, and it's tuned at 32hz so I'm happy. Just gotta brace it so it stops sliding so much.
Honestly, if you really like the Fi line up, go for it. It's REALLY cheap when you compare it to most of the stuff you normally hear of. I paid 250CAD for mine used, and the same price for the amp. In the states, you can buy stuff like that for a whole lot less and it's more readily available. Even brand new the Fi Q (with all options) is under 300USD which is a killer deal for something that'll consistently take over 1000WRMS.
For my custom box I'm thinking of just doing an L bracket on the seat side of the box with wing nuts on it so I can pop it out when I want or something to that effect.
I love the Fi lineup, but I got each of my two 13Ov.2 subs for $70 each. Can't argue with that! Excellent SQ subs, IMO. And the 18mm of xmax isn't too shabby. I know its not 27mm like the Fi, but it works for me - especially with 2 of them ;) Running two of them on 1600 watts I'll be able to fit them into a nice small sealed enclosure and still see plenty of SPL out of them.
For my custom box I'm thinking of just doing an L bracket on the seat side of the box with wing nuts on it so I can pop it out when I want or something to that effect.
I love the Fi lineup, but I got each of my two 13Ov.2 subs for $70 each. Can't argue with that! Excellent SQ subs, IMO. And the 18mm of xmax isn't too shabby. I know its not 27mm like the Fi, but it works for me - especially with 2 of them ;) Running two of them on 1600 watts I'll be able to fit them into a nice small sealed enclosure and still see plenty of SPL out of them.
Hmm, I'll take a look, but I'm trying not to dump my bank account into audio. I was actually on there a few days ago considering the Phoenix Gold components that were up for about 60 dollars a pair. Also, if you do like SPL, just go ported and call it a day. Just because you're driving an S4 doesn't mean the only thing that can get loud is the exhaust note Also, I can't really argue with the pricing of your 13Ov.2's. One other thing I'd suggest when bracing your box: take a look at the hooks that are bolted to the floor. You could just run the bracing under the bolt rather than having to create a new location. That should give you a lot of room to safely mount the amp on the seat, if in fact that is what you're doing. I'm gonna get in there this week to find a good location so I'll update you.
P.S. the Fi BL would really complement that amp if you're into SPL, especially considering you won't have to push it hard at all to power the BL.
P.P.S. You can take a look at these LED tails by inPro. I found them pretty good looking, and I might just order a set to see what it looks like in person. http://www.tmtuning.com/HOME/catalog...t_product=2317
Pics as promised. Notice the 0ga. power wire. That had to have been the most profanity filled day of this year. The system is now running off an Eclipse AVN726E boasting 5V pre-outs, built-in nav, bluetooth, DivX capabilities etc. Not to mention the red button lighting to match stock interior. That was the biggest challenge for a headunit. Alpine doesn't offer it, I have a personal vendetta against Pioneer, and I require good sound quality. Took awhile, but it was well worth it. Still need to find a good crossover to pair up with my Clarion EQ. Both should be going in as soon as I have them along with two sets of components. Still have to find a suitable mounting location though.
Last edited by ashrafnisar; 08-03-2009 at 03:02 AM.
Niice, thanks for the pics. That is just freaking massive. I hope you sound deadened...
I'm not looking to make this an SPL car at all. Honestly, the audi is the least important thing to me about this car. I've even considered just running a single sealed 12. In my old car I built a nice big ported box @ 32hz and it was ridiculously loud - but I only did that because my car wasn't cool in any other way. It was just something to do.
For the S I want an as small as possible sealed box. Just looking to fill out the low end with a very high SQ, non-intrusive setup. I'm going to be mounting the amp upside down on the bottom of the rear deck so it's out of the way.
I would also skip the Phoenix Gold speakers. They're alright, but there are better comps for just a bit more. C/D/T has a decent set for $125.
I decided against the LED tails. I like the look of the stock ones. I might at some point (if I ever get bored) just make my own LED tails, but I doubt it. They look nice on your car, though.
Eclipse makes a good HU, so you can't go wrong there. Why the hate on Pioneer, though?
I'm also terrified of running the 0 AWG wire in the car. Terrified.
This thread is a nice read, it's just a shame you're getting so much flack for wanting tasteful appearance modifications and a nice stereo system.
As far as your loc goes, just tap in to your factory low level outputs either behind the head unit or at the input side of the amp. Solder or t-tap rca ends on, and sent those to your amp. Ideally I'd recommend an inline "bass knob" like the jl audio one, but you can do without it.
Your factory headunit should have wiring info on it and there will be 5 thin gauge wires that are your low-level out, one for each "corner" and a common ground. The ground will be brown, there and the others are green, yellow and a couple others I can't remember. What I would do is splice rca ends on to the outputs behind your hu, then go directly to your bass knob inputs, and then from there a long set of rca's back to your amp.
Niice, thanks for the pics. That is just freaking massive. I hope you sound deadened...
I'm not looking to make this an SPL car at all. Honestly, the audi is the least important thing to me about this car. I've even considered just running a single sealed 12. In my old car I built a nice big ported box @ 32hz and it was ridiculously loud - but I only did that because my car wasn't cool in any other way. It was just something to do.
For the S I want an as small as possible sealed box. Just looking to fill out the low end with a very high SQ, non-intrusive setup. I'm going to be mounting the amp upside down on the bottom of the rear deck so it's out of the way.
I would also skip the Phoenix Gold speakers. They're alright, but there are better comps for just a bit more. C/D/T has a decent set for $125.
I decided against the LED tails. I like the look of the stock ones. I might at some point (if I ever get bored) just make my own LED tails, but I doubt it. They look nice on your car, though.
Eclipse makes a good HU, so you can't go wrong there. Why the hate on Pioneer, though?
I'm also terrified of running the 0 AWG wire in the car. Terrified.
No, I didn't bother deadening, and thanks to stock insulation and deadener it's actually decent inside, and not all that bad from the outside. I can see the point behind keeping the audio setup small, but I guess this deal was too good for me to pass up hahaha.
Btw the LED tails aren't on my car. I'm debating getting a set of them though. And Pioneer HU FTL...terrible grounds, not enough SQ adjustment, screen isn't crisp enough on the double dins. I could go on and on, but I just don't like them personally. Some people swear by them, and that's just fine. It's all personal preference, just like my preference to run a 15" woofer in my S. The 0ga. will cause your side trim to be a little deformed, but it's tuckable. I'll try to get some pics tonight of the HU and the wiring. GL.
So I'm still thinking RS6 turbos, but the GTs don't seem to be THAT much more expensive... I'm just concerned about spool, I guess...
$4000 difference is the minimum. RS6s are 3200, GTS are 7200.
Frimmel: i only speak when i have something negative to say.
Grah4m: i lost to a giraffe. be careful out there.
ThirdStrike:leave your feelings at the keyboard
Thanks a lot. I see why people have an aversion to LEDs and audio. It has a stigma. But anyway that's the smallest/least interesting/least involved part of my build.
Thanks for the info on the taps. Putting RCA connectors right off the back of the HU might work. When I get some time I'm going to poke around near the bose amp in back, too. Unfortunately I wont be home for a few more weeks.
I have a gain control for my amp so an in line bass control won't be an issue, but good thinking
Originally Posted by 8520
This thread is a nice read, it's just a shame you're getting so much flack for wanting tasteful appearance modifications and a nice stereo system.
As far as your loc goes, just tap in to your factory low level outputs either behind the head unit or at the input side of the amp. Solder or t-tap rca ends on, and sent those to your amp. Ideally I'd recommend an inline "bass knob" like the jl audio one, but you can do without it.
Your factory headunit should have wiring info on it and there will be 5 thin gauge wires that are your low-level out, one for each "corner" and a common ground. The ground will be brown, there and the others are green, yellow and a couple others I can't remember. What I would do is splice rca ends on to the outputs behind your hu, then go directly to your bass knob inputs, and then from there a long set of rca's back to your amp.
No, I didn't bother deadening, and thanks to stock insulation and deadener it's actually decent inside, and not all that bad from the outside. I can see the point behind keeping the audio setup small, but I guess this deal was too good for me to pass up hahaha.
Btw the LED tails aren't on my car. I'm debating getting a set of them though. And Pioneer HU FTL...terrible grounds, not enough SQ adjustment, screen isn't crisp enough on the double dins. I could go on and on, but I just don't like them personally. Some people swear by them, and that's just fine. It's all personal preference, just like my preference to run a 15" woofer in my S. The 0ga. will cause your side trim to be a little deformed, but it's tuckable. I'll try to get some pics tonight of the HU and the wiring. GL.
I would imagine that SOMETHING has to be vibrating with a freaking Fi q 15.
I see your criticisms on the Pioneer. No arguing against that. I haven't had trouble with their grounds in the past, but I have no reason to not believe you either.
I have some ideas for running the 0AWG without messing things up. We'll see....
Hahahaha, all right, I'll try to get a couple with my phone when I get in the car next time. It's not completed yet, as the speakers and tweeters are all stock, and the Fi is causing me to beat the hell out of them. Some RE components might be on the way, paired to an older Excelon amp I have kicking around. Box needs to be rebuilt by me so I can fit it perfectly in the trunk, but it's not too bad right now, and it's tuned at 32hz so I'm happy. Just gotta brace it so it stops sliding so much.
Honestly, if you really like the Fi line up, go for it. It's REALLY cheap when you compare it to most of the stuff you normally hear of. I paid 250CAD for mine used, and the same price for the amp. In the states, you can buy stuff like that for a whole lot less and it's more readily available. Even brand new the Fi Q (with all options) is under 300USD which is a killer deal for something that'll consistently take over 1000WRMS.
Nice sub. I've got one that is VERY similar in my Audi (RE SX15), and in a similarly sized and tuned (from the looks of it) box.
I've got a brand new in box pair of CDT CL61 components with the upgraded TW-25 tweeter if you'd be interested.
Where'd you run the 0ga through the firewall? I'm about to tackle this real soon. Did you upgrade the big 3 with 0ga as well? I'm worried it's too big to fit at some of the connections, like at the alty.
** GT2860R-7 S4 Build Log--
LOOKING FOR:
--BROKEN SPIDER HOSES
FOR SALE:
--ULTIMATE B5 S4 LAPTOP (DELL, i5, 8gb RAM, BENTLEY, ETKA, REAL VAG COM CABLE, LOGGING SOFTWARE, TUNER PRO)**
--JHM DELRIN SHIFTER STABILIZER BUSHING (LATE STYLE)**
--RS4 AIRBOX--
--FIKSE FM10-LIGHT WHEELS - 17x9 et55 & 17X8 et57 - WORKS ON AUDI W/ ADAPTER
I would imagine that SOMETHING has to be vibrating with a freaking Fi q 15.
I see your criticisms on the Pioneer. No arguing against that. I haven't had trouble with their grounds in the past, but I have no reason to not believe you either.
I have some ideas for running the 0AWG without messing things up. We'll see....
Hahahaha, it depends on what I'm listening to. Most of the stuff I listen to isn't that bad in terms of bass, but occassionally when I put on some southern hip hop stuff I can hear my mirror caps and dome light cover vibrating. I personally haven't owned a Pioneer HU in ages, but within the last year I can think of 4 close friends that owned one and I had to fix their grounding issues. Even the guy that I got the Fi and Sundown from had the problem, and I gave him a hand with his HU's grounding when he first dropped the system in. It seemed like he had a lot of alternator noise, but it was all from the HU's RCA connections. I'm not saying it's the worst thing out there, but I will never own one. Also, in regards to your running the 0ga. without messing things up, I wish you the best of luck. I didn't mess much up on mine but some of the trim is bulging a bit. Hopefully I'll have some pics tomorrow as I forgot to take my camera with me today.
Nice sub. I've got one that is VERY similar in my Audi (RE SX15), and in a similarly sized and tuned (from the looks of it) box.
I've got a brand new in box pair of CDT CL61 components with the upgraded TW-25 tweeter if you'd be interested.
Where'd you run the 0ga through the firewall? I'm about to tackle this real soon. Did you upgrade the big 3 with 0ga as well? I'm worried it's too big to fit at some of the connections, like at the alty.
Hmm, I'll have to think about those components. PM me what you'd want for them shipped to Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, L5J4J2. I ran the 0ga. through a pre-existing grommet (this is where it paid to know a good installer personally, as I had the location marked before I even had the wire.) I popped out the rubber cover and then drilled it to size, and then spent the next 40 minutes in the most awkward position on the driver's side floor running it through. The following advice may be personal preference because of the price difference, but the 0ga. being flexible makes a HUGE difference. I went with the Kicker Hyperflex as that is what was available to me, but knukonceptz and Stinger have some good stuff that I've used in friends cars personally. Haven't done the big 3 yet, should be doing that soon hopefully, and I'll let you know how that goes. Currently also looking into possibilities of a HO alternator, although I'm not really getting my hopes up. Might just end up with something like a 92-93 Caprice Estate, or a Roadmaster in which I can get absolute freedom for audio setups. I'll try to take a pic tomorrow for reference on the firewall routing, and hopefully that'll help you out.
Last edited by ashrafnisar; 08-04-2009 at 03:34 AM.
For what it's worth, pioneer HU's have issues with noise because they blow a pico fuse inside the HU when you connect the rca's before the main power harness.
For what it's worth, pioneer HU's have issues with noise because they blow a pico fuse inside the HU when you connect the rca's before the main power harness.
Hmm, well the one that I can speak for didn't have that issue. The RCA's were run and connected after about 3 months of the deck being in. In any case, that's good info, I'll be looking into that for future reference and to satisfy my curiosity. Thanks.
All right, I snapped a couple of pics with my phone tonight. Interior and the side trim where the 0ga. is tucked. You can see the deformation in the panels caused by the 0ga. wire. I may try to make it a little better, but I really don't want to pull the trim again and fight to run the wire as straight as possible.
Also, jibberjive, this is where I ran the cable through the firewall. It was a little triangular grommet that was removed and then I drilled the hole to size so I could fit the wire through. In case it is hard to pinpoint, the grommet is to the left of the brake fluid reservoir. If you look at the second picture, you will see why I recommend flex cable, as regular cable would be really hard to loop back like that. I do have a question regarding something in the second picture. There is a whole lot of rust to the right of the battery on the firewall. Anyone else have this problem? Any suggestions? I thought it might be the little hose coming off the battery which seem to just be dangling. Any thoughts on the matter would be appreciated. Hope the pictures help you with the install and feel free to ask me anything else.
Haha, thanks for the pictures. Yeah that bulging out is pretty serious. Hopefully I'll be able to find a way to avoid that...
I picked up knukonceptz wires. So flexible, so well priced. They're my favorite wires, hands down, every time.
That rust is brutal. How the heck did that happen?
I haven't the slightest clue, and I didn't see it till I took off the covers to run the wire. Hahaha, yeah, I do need to clean it, but I can't be bothered. Summer here hasn't really been warm, so I'm not very motivated. I was going to get some knukonceptz, and then I found two 50ft. spools of Kicker Hyperflex for CAD175/ea. Can't really beat that price, so I just went that way.
shorterthan... don't let this jealous dbags talk like that to you. Stand up for yourself, i'm assuming you're an engineer right? That's fine, you are smarter than majority of these tools and you fell into good luck that we are all insanely jealous of. It's awesome, we just all wish it happened to us. I lost my job, someone should give me a free s4.
shorterthan... don't let this jealous dbags talk like that to you. Stand up for yourself, i'm assuming you're an engineer right? That's fine, you are smarter than majority of these tools and you fell into good luck that we are all insanely jealous of. It's awesome, we just all wish it happened to us. I lost my job, someone should give me a free s4.
Thanks for the nice words, but luckily no hate's come my way lately. I stand up for the points I make, but there's no real reason to defend my "self" online, and only a few of the comments were personal. It's all good.
Puttin a lot of love into the car lately, though. I'm finally getting off my travel project so I'll be home eeeevery day working on it after work. Time to finally fix the suspension, auto dimming mirrors, strange-ass ABS problem, air bags, install the JHM shifter, lip spoiler, do piggies, get some nice COs + rear sway, and new wheels + tires.
Damn I have my work cut out for me. That's all stuff to do before I even START my RS6 build. Balls!
On teh topic of the LED tails - it's something I've been thinking about for a while (If I can get my hands on a set of cheap stock S4 tails) since I saw this:
Looks all stock sans regular bulbs add LED's. Think it would be great for the S4 tails, I know some people prefer amber turns as well so you could probably make amber LED's work to be red behind plastic when unlit and yet shine amber thru the red when activated. And if you could find some white ones bright enough for reverse... whew. But ya, one day when I have some spare hours and tails.
You may have to have a name/pass to view that post. If so just make one, and if you're too lazy to do that let me know and I'll rehost everything so you can see. I'm nice.
I do WHEEL REPAIR and HEADLIGHT RENEWAL in the Atlanta area
Chrome window trim hazy and oxidized? I can fix that, too!
If it's in the automotive refinishing business I can either do it or know someone who can!
On teh topic of the LED tails - it's something I've been thinking about for a while (If I can get my hands on a set of cheap stock S4 tails) since I saw this:
Looks all stock sans regular bulbs add LED's. Think it would be great for the S4 tails, I know some people prefer amber turns as well so you could probably make amber LED's work to be red behind plastic when unlit and yet shine amber thru the red when activated. And if you could find some white ones bright enough for reverse... whew. But ya, one day when I have some spare hours and tails.
You may have to have a name/pass to view that post. If so just make one, and if you're too lazy to do that let me know and I'll rehost everything so you can see. I'm nice.
I think it's about time that this thread is updated with something good. When I first got the car, it's clear that I had no intention of going stage 3. Well, that changed pretty fast.
I had this waiting for me from VAST when I got home from Milwaukee today:
Aside from that, last week I put on some nice Vogtland GTs. Man those feel good! Finally, it's starting to feel like I can use the power...
New 19.8lb 18x8.5 et35 wheels are in the mail.
Next step: Save up for Rosten Rods, rod bearings, and main bearings.
Originally Posted by awtst3.a6
respect to that. I am not upset or mad :P sorry if I came off that way
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Also, I can't really argue with the pricing of your 13Ov.2's. One other thing I'd suggest when bracing your box: take a look at the hooks that are bolted to the floor. You could just run the bracing under the bolt rather than having to create a new location. That should give you a lot of room to safely mount the amp on the seat, if in fact that is what you're doing. I'm gonna get in there this week to find a good location so I'll update you.
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