64impalaSS

The aftermarket Kicker speaker you recommended does not have a dual voice coil and is 8 ohms. Is there a newer speaker out there that works better without having to purchase the stealership's sub? Or is this still the closest replacement that will not burn up the amp? Thanks

Jabberwock

Its likely that any 8 ohm sub woofer will run OK , just don;t get a 4 ohm one as that will definitely cause problems.

Another alternative is to have current speaker repaired -
http://www.parts-express.com/speaker...nter/index.cfm

64impalaSS

Thanks for the link however the website states they do not repair car speakers.

coldbay

I tried the hot glue trick and that lasted a week! Where can I pick up one of these kits above?

Thanks for the detailed thread!

2004TOYO

Just installed my pre-owned JL Audio 8w0 12ohm sub.....works PERFECTLY, so excited

64impalaSS

Did you have to do any modifications to make the JL speaker fit?

2004TOYO

No mods @ all, it literally dropped in the slot. One thing though, I did not put the top bracket back on that holds the speaker down but the speaker fits snug in the bottom bracket anyway. The JL sounds about the same or a little better (matter of opinion). I just didnt want to spend the $350+ that the "stealership" wanted for a replacement. I found the sub on ebay for $65 & it took me about 2 hrs start to finish.

BizEagle

I just installed the Kicker 8 Ohm Sub. You can tell by comparing the Kicker versus the Mark Levinson sub that the Kicker has way higher construction quality. To use the Kicker sub, you have to drill holes in the metal deck to anchor it down. There does not appear to be a way to use the OEM mounting hardware. I used #8 stainless steel 3/4" sheet metal screws with thread locker glue to screw it to the deck. You need one of those mini cordless drills to drill the holes because the clearance between the deck and rear window is too small for a full size drill. I placed the Kicker sub in the speaker deck and used a fine point sharpie to mark all 8 mounting hole locations. It took me a few of tries to get it perfectly centered but you need to pay attention to this step or you will be drilling in the wrong places. I actually wiped off the first 2 marking attempts with a little acetone on paper towel because I wasn't satisfied with the alignment. After I got 2 holes perfectly aligned, I screwed down both holes and then drilled the remaining 6 holes right through the speaker anchor holes for perfect alignment. I vacuumed the drilling metal chaff out of the speaker deck and off the sub before moving on with the install. BTW, removing and replacing the rear dash panel was the most difficult part of the project. The project did have me cursing at times but the new kicker sub has a great sound to it. I haven't cranked up the volume yet because Crutchfield suggests a 20 hour break in period before playing it loud. The Kicker 8 ohm was the closest spec brand new sub I could find to the 12 ohm OEM. All the stereo experts I consulted told me that it was highly unlikely for the 4 ohm difference in resistance (8 vs. 12 ohm) could cause a problem with the amp (why would Lexus use something as obscure as a 12 Ohm sub??)

64impalaSS

BizEagle, Thanks for posting your installation procedures and outcome. I think I will try this but was initially concerned since it did not have the dual voice coil as described earlier. Did the wires clip on the new sub easily or did you have to purchase new hardware for that as well. Thanks

HiloDB1

iTrader: (3)

Anyone? Want to instal a new deck in my LS but dont want to loose use of the steering wheel controls.

BizEagle

The Kicker 8" 8 Ohm has some high quality spring pressure quick connect contacts designed to insert the ends of bare wire. You just depress the spring with your thumb, insert the end of a bare wire in the hole and let it go. It clamps down very firmly on the wire. Theses connectors are very strong and well made. I wanted to do a neat job and use the existing OEM wiring as much as possible so I de-soldered the leads from the ML sub woofer to retain the OEM connector with it's speaker wire designed to plug into the car's wiring harness. I found that the wires were now a little too short for the Kicker sub because of the distance between the + and - contacts on the new sub. I bought a couple of small rolls of stranded 18 gauge hook up wire from Radio Shack (same size and color as the OEM wire - black and red) and soldered them to the ends of the OEM wiring to add about 4" to each lead. Then I used some common 1" heat shrink insulation (also from Radio Shack)to cover each splice individually, heated the heat shrinks with a hair dryer and viola! a neat little insulated wiring lead was ready to go. I stripped about 1/2 "insulation from the new ends of the 2 leads, heated them with a soldering iron and melted some solder into the fresh ends of the new stranded wire just to give it a quality finish and to insure that it would very durable. I also put one 1" heat shrink insulator over the wires as they exit the OEM connector to hold the 2 wires together and reduce a potential stress point (probably overkill but I am a little OCD about my projects). Then I just plugged the fresh wire leads into the two connectors on the new Kicker sub, dropped the sub into the deck, plugged it into the car's wiring harness and screwed it all down.

Also, one more step I did not mention earlier is that there is thick foam insulation on the rear dash cover and when you remove the dash cover, the foam may come loose from the dash cover. Mine was loose but I suspect the mechanic who replaced my rear struts actually pulled it loose because you have to pull the rear seat and dash to get to the bolts atop the rear struts. To reattach the foam, I used 3M Super Trim Adhesive. Follow the directions on the can which will tell you to spray the adhesive on both surfaces and let it cure for at least 4 minutes before pushing the surfaces together. I also put some pressure on the bond to be sure the surfaces stuck together.

Another helpful point was that I put the seat bench in the car to sit on while I drilled out the deck and re-installed the rear dash. It was a lot softer than sitting on the bare metal in the car. Again, it was a bigger project than I anticipated but if you have the time, it was rewarding. I just parked my LS430 for a few days and drove my other car so I would not be under any time pressure. If you have any other questions, just leave them on here and I will check back in a few days.

64impalaSS

FYI, Kicker is on sale for $49 at Crutchfield with free shipping. Just ordered mine today.

Wheel_Man

iTrader: (1)

Just ordered mine today. Thanks for all of the info Guys ;-)

64impalaSS

Just installed my Kicker sub and it sounds great. Not an easy job. Took every bit of 3 hours from start to finish but I could easily do it in under 2 hours now that I know how everything comes apart. I completely took out the entire rear seat out of the car (much easier with two people btw). All in all, I am very happy with the effort and love the quality sound I have now. That crackling was annoying enough that I never turned music on. Thanks to all who contributed to this thread. Anyone else needs help, let me know.

cjsmuscle

Just got my Kicker sub yesterday....did anyone take pics of the rear seat removal/sub hookup?