Kicker L7T and pre-made enclosures

I briefly skimmed through the thread so if I missed something sorry. I have debated on trying to stuff 2) 12" Kicker L7T subs in my Tacoma and from the measurements I've made it should be totally doable with a custom box.

I currently have 2) DC Audio LVL 2 subs in my truck with Mr. Marv box's built to spec and still have an inch or so I could add to my dimensions. On top of that I have an amp rack in the middle that I could slim down by 2 or so inches. My subs are 5.5" mounting depth so why couldn't you make the 12" L7T work?

 

Are you still running this setup looks like a good alternative to having to remove the cubby completely

 

I am, I was just messing around with it yesterday. The subsonic filter is your friend with the 8". It'll sure try to play low but it will get really muddy and distorted as it's just too small for the really, really low stuff. Don't expect 35hz waves in the windshield and you'll be very pleased.

I still absolutely love it and highly recommend it for the cost and ease, just don't forget the grill.

 

Thanks for the reply, nah I’m getting older in my younger days I used to
Not be pleased until the bass made your nose tingle, I just amped the kicker cs I put in so just looking for some decent
Bass to balance out all the highs, and since it square it probably hits like a round 10 I’m assuming, so it hits decently? Can you feel a little punch in the front seats? Also did
You have to modify or end up taking out the cubby’s? Trying to keep it looking as clean as I can since I just bought the truck, looked good from your picture it looks like it just fits right in there, how many rms are you pushing to it? Sorry for all the questions just trying to
Make a decision this week and this seems
Like a
Good alternative to building a box or
That expensive stealth box oh also cam you close the rear seat still? thanks In advance

 

Had to razor out the little rib in the bin but that's it. Super clean fitment.
I'm afraid to compare to what it sounds like, especially on here. Oh you know it's there, I just don't want to over promise. If you're in the western Carolinas I'd be happy to meet so you can hear it.

 

unfortunately I’m in Cali
But I’ll take your word for it, are you still able to latch the backseat up? I could not find the grill you were talking about for it

 

$19 Kicker 08GL78 Square 8" 200mm Cast Grille

https://www.amazon.com/Kicker-08GL78-Square-8-Inch-Grille/dp/B0017GESRC you can't go without it, the surround and cone will be pressed against the bin.

The seat sits back without issue. My son's carseat is in the right rear position and the seat is always up because of it. Until that changes, I took the back panel off to help the sub breathe a bit, it helped a little.

If you don't have the carseat situation then leave the seat as-is and it'll be fine day-to-day, if you're in a mood then pop the seat forward and it will reward you. I can post a pic of my amp's settings so you can have a baseline. Hell, I really should have made a thread with the build since it has become the invisible beast that it is. I've come to realize that you lose sense of volume in a vehicle when you don't have the subtle distortions to let you know.

I'm not sure how I'll manage to finish it cleanly but I'm going to remove the bins and add the loaded 12" and another 500.1 because I'm slightly addicted. I'm researching the fitment of the utility panel in a 4-door, getting junkyard bins and cutting them or most likely making a carpeted MDF panel with a clean amp rack and power distribution solution. I'll definitely post that up if I go through with it. Clearly, my goal is flexibility in the system, keeping it modular and not permanently changing the truck.

 

I ended up going with a comp rt10 instead might not hit as hard as a lt10 but I’m sure it will hit harder than a lt8

and building my own sub box to fit in the cubby out of mdf since I couldn’t find a 10 box besides jl(780$ Screw that) to fit in the cubby.

might not be the best speaker in the world but on sale right now for $142 can’t complain.

 

My first subs were Kicker Comp RT 10s back in 2002! They're the cause of this addiction and I still have them!

I never claimed it was impressive overall/compared to a custom built box, I repeatedly qualified it with "for an 8..." And yeah, cost to benefit and ease of removal was the original intent. Plug and play for $250 compared to the JL for 780 with no amp? I'll take it!

Besides, I wanted to try something different and I thought I was over having a crazy loud and low system. Ehhhh, not entirely, I still like the low. Ya know when you're front row in the pit and the bass just about takes the wind out of you? I just wanna hear it a little bit. After 100+ concerts, I don't need crazy loud or to damage my hearing any worse. I'm old and wear ear plugs on the riding mower so my ears don't ring for 2 days (kinda funny, mostly sad).

It's a sound quality build and it damn sure has that but the low end isn't quite there. It has a ton of punch (fosgate joke?) for almost any type of normal music. I'm just needy. The solobaric 12 will more than make up for it. The 8 picks up where the 6x9s are cut at 60hz, it was very intentional and not meant to be impressive or loud, it was meant for range.

When I set the crossovers between the 8 and 12, I'll be able to give a frequency as to where the 8 runs out of breath. I think that'll be a great combo as the heaviest load will be taken off of the 6x9s by the 8 and taken off the 8 by the 12. Similarly, the 12 won't have to play as high as it would in a single sub setup and my understanding is that the 4ohm 12 version has a dual 2ohm sub wired in series so I can pop it out, swap it to parallel and get all 500w RMS out of that little amp. We're going to try out that thermal protection, I bet. See? Addiction.

 

Bringing this back up...i read the thread but wonder if the lt7 in 10s will fit with the storage and the back seat plastic panel removed?

 

Thanks Doobfucious! I am very happy with my 8" Kicker 46TL7T82 Loaded subwoofer.



I also went with a 5 channel Kicker 46CXA660.5 amp to go with my Kicker CS series door speakers.



The 5 channel amp outputs 300 watts RMS @ 2 ohms for the 350 watt Kicker subwoofer and 65 watts per channel for each 4 ohm door speaker.

 

Did you have to make any alterations to the plastic to fit that L7?

 

I drilled a small holefor the speaker wire and at the bottom of the bin is a small dividing fin. The fin is very thin and is easily trimmed flush so the subwoofer sits flat. No other cutting is needed. The speaker grill will touch the edge of the bin. There is no reason to trim the edge of the bin for the grill. It is snug enough to not vibrate and protects the woofer operating area. I did not have to fasten the sub to the base of the bin. The fit is perfectly snug and will not slide, also the weight of the subwoofer makes it sit where it is placed. I enjoy the sub, the fit was perfect.

 

Bump.....anybody find a way to fit the L7 10"? Are you guys still happy with the 8"??

 

I am happy but 10" and 12" would make bigger smiles!

 

Ive had the same questions and figured I'd find out for myself. Short answer, 12" loaded l7 does NOT fit.

The 12" L7 almost fits after removing the back plastic, but doesn't. Honestly, this subwoofer sounds like crap in the loaded box anyway. I currently have a 10" kickercomp RT in a Skar box and it's hitting the low notes better than the 12" in that small loaded box was. It was a little underpowered when i tested it, but it didnt seem like it would hit the lows even if it was powered at recommended. In my opinion, Its just too small of a box, it really needs a large ported box to sound good. I know they make boxes that can somewhat fit the 12" but again, I think it will be too small of a box to even work well in the 3rd gen tacoma.

My current setup gives the sub about 1" of room between the back seat. This Skar box does fit in the plastic, but it was still digging the edge of the sub into my seat, so I removed the plastic on that side, and the back of the seat to give it as much space as I could. You definitely need the sound deadening if you remove the plastic because you will hear a lot of road noise if you don't, and it just sounds wayyy better.

I went ahead and put sound deadening mat all through the back and this seriously increased the quality of the bass alot, you feel it much more! I plan on doing all the doors next, and then doing anything else I can to get rid of any rattle noises, ect.

If I ever have a place to build my own box, I think I'll try that. But for now the single 10" sounds pretty good in this skar box. Definitely not knocking pictures off people's walls, but its still hitting decent low notes for what it is. Wish it didn't say Skar on it too but... it is what it is.
My wire setup isn't the greatest, but I wanted to keep the truck as stock as possible. I may eventually cut a hole in the plastic to run wires through the back with a gromet. I plan to add a little more padding along the back wall and then clean it up with some nice black fabric. The 10" preloaded L7 might fit, but at this point I'm content with what I've got, so I don't plan on trying to fit anything else. I'm curious if the kickercomp rt loaded with the reflex would hit lower notes than my current setup, I may try it, if I do, I'll update how it goes.


Anyways, I hope this saves someone the headache.

 

Very nice.
One question. Does removing the rear plastic on the seat , affect it's stiffness or anything else, besides looking like ass?