Corolla Levin ZR I.C.E. Upgrade

[69.NIX]

Hey all,

For those of you who really know me well, you shouldn't be surprised that i'm going to go to work on my In-Car Entertainment System before I worry about the other stuff.

So what I would like to do is share for you to in and outs of my stereo install step by step, photos and all.

Step 1: What to install

Being somewhat of an audio nutter, I wasn't looking for some autobarn or JB hi-fi special. I ment business!

Here is an outline of what will be installed in my rolla ZR

Headunit: Eclipse AVN726EA 7" WIDE SCREEN NAVIGATION / BUILT IN BLUETOOTH / DVD-VIDEO / USB

Cabin Speakers (all 4) : Hetrz HSK 165 6.5" Component Speakers

Subwoofer : Rockford Fosgate 10" P3S Slim Mount

Sub Amp : Rockford Fosgate P300-11 Mono Block

Cabin Amp : Rockford Fosgate P400-4 4-CH Amp

Wiring Kit : Rockford Fosgate 4Gauge Wiring Kit + additional 2 Ch RCA lead

Sound Proofing : Dynamat Extreme Bulk Pak 3ft²

:: :: :: :: :: :: ::

-------------------------

Over the coming months i will slowly install this equipment in the car making sure to take as many useful pics on the way to outline how it can be done and maybe provide ideas for other people with there ICE upgrades.

Stay Tuned :)

[DJKOR]

This is going to be a nice clean package. I can't wait to see the progress on it. Clean on the outside, super neat on the inside.

[-DAvo]

nice clean set up you got planned mate :) love that headunit, ultimate all in one B)

[httttt]

I'm keen to see/here the results. Get on it Pete

[1stKill]

Nice one Pete,should sound great...you can't go wrong with the Rockford gear. B)

[Mole]

Hertz and Rockford Fosgate, awesome combination.

[69.NIX]

it has been a while since i posted here but there is progress being made.........slowly

this will be installed over this weekend.

more pics to come

[69.NIX]

Phase 1 complete :)

I didn't put all the pics in because there was no need too.

Toyota and Pop Rivets make Pete sad :(

[httttt]

looks neat. How long did it take all up?

[69.NIX]

HT:

Here are some stats on dynamat install

1. Its a bitch to fold easily

2. Strongly recommend the use of a artistic roller or plastic paint scraper to nail it all into place

3. Heaps of open space to play. A good mate with a double underground garage is the ultimate, but near enough is good enough on this one :)

4. One very quite weekend afternoon. It took about 6 hours all up from go to hoe!

Instant differences:

Much better bass response on stock stereo.....who da thought?!?!!?

Road noise reduction. I think there are some areas where I could go better on this (wheel archers), but that said it did make a difference.

Personal thoughts:

If you just want a fairly cheap, easy upgrade to your stock stereo setup and you know you are going to keep your car, I can only suggest Dynamat and speaker upgrade......then worry about the rest.

If any has questions, please ask ;)

FYI, I will help people install this :)

[InactiveUser]

How much did the Dynamat cost all up and where did you get it from?

[69.NIX]

How much did the Dynamat cost all up and where did you get it from?

$225 from Lifestyle Store

[dutchie101]

Thanks for the info Pete.

Very interested...

Site says AU$339rrp, you got it for AU$225? Ill have to hunt around Adelaide for it.. Hmmmmmm

EDIT, ahhh found it on ebay, from Vic, AU203+25 post. Sounds good to me!

[dutchie101]

Anyone used Dynamat "Superlight"? How does it perform compared to "Extreme"? if i could lose a few kilo on the install, that would be great, but is it as good?

EDIT AGAIN: Ooops, ill answer my own question, "Superlight" has 20% less effect than "Extreme"

[ALLOR152]

hey, sorry to intefere with the purpose of your topic, but i've got a few questions relating to the zre and the speakers. I have a set of focal woofers at home which i picked up for 20 bucks at a garage sale :D but there was no tweeter. So i was wondering if this was possible.

Keep the tweeters in the front, install focal woofers where the factory speaker is in front doors, and move that factory speakers from the front to the rear. I will run the focal woofers active from a 2 channel amp i had lieing around.

Also will the tweeters still work if i only changed the woofer? im not sure how they are actually wired up so im kind of lost if this would work. How did you also remove the door panels? i still have 2 exams and a little busy to check. But im really looking forward to doing this very soon.

ALSO, you have inspired me to sound deaden my car when changing my speakers as well :D

Edited June 27, 2010 by ALLOR152

[69.NIX]

Glad to see so many peeps take up my idea :)

ALLOR152 - it comes down to the speaker itself. are they actual car speakers or home theater ones? I ask because I have known people in the past find some great stuff at garage sales and wot not, they try and apply them to the car. This makes the audio gods upset and you will pay! And sorry the tweeter will not work if you change the woofer.

If you miss out the tweeter, you are going to miss all your high end frequencies and rely on the woofer the drive everything. This is why the back set of speakers in my rolla need to change and sound hopeless without the fronts.

Personally, I would build up cash and wait to get some half decent 6" splits. I not going to suggest ONE brand because every ones music taste is different. I can suggest a few to look for:)

Hetrz

Boston Acoustics

German Maestro

Focal

Response - yes the jaycar brand!

If you dont want to part with much cash but feel the need to spend money on it

Clarion

Alpine

Kenwood

But, at the end of the day it all come s down to personal preferences and dollars!

Hope this Helps

[InactiveUser]

If you dont want to part with much cash but feel the need to spend money on it

Clarion

Alpine

Kenwood

Pete,

Are Alpine speakers bad at all then? I've got the stock speakers and after putting in a new Alpine headunit I've lost a lot of bass etc so I was going to match the speakers and sub. The thing is, it's a 8 year old car that I intend to part with in 3-4 years so I don't want to spend a fortune. In saying that though, if there's little improvement, I also wouldn't want to spend the money getting the Alpine gear.

[ALLOR152]

ah damn, finding tweeters is so hard. Oh well, was worth getting. they are 6.5 inches but im not sure which series they come from. I guess i'll just leave those in the back for the bass and leave the current stock speakers as they are. I am thinking about getting splits but not 100% yet. But the Hertz HSK 165 are a great choice, and to have them all off an amp, your system going to be awesome. Im going more SPL than SQ.

Also pete, how did you remove the doors? i checked today while sitting in the car and wasnt 100% sure.

Aucix: The alpine gear are ok, the type s are quite ordinary so you might just go with gear from like clarion and pioneer. But the type r are quite bassy. If you've got the money and willing to take it out, get the type x, they'll compete with the higher end gear but cost a bit more.

[69.NIX]

ah damn, finding tweeters is so hard. Oh well, was worth getting. they are 6.5 inches but im not sure which series they come from. I guess i'll just leave those in the back for the bass and leave the current stock speakers as they are. I am thinking about getting splits but not 100% yet. But the Hertz HSK 165 are a great choice, and to have them all off an amp, your system going to be awesome. Im going more SPL than SQ.

Also pete, how did you remove the doors? i checked today while sitting in the car and wasnt 100% sure.

ALLOR152:

I'm going more for SQ, SPL does nothing for me.

Door removal: under the door handle (champagne bits) there are 2 screws and under the door handle, there is a plastic cover with one screw under it. Remove all 3 screws and then peel the top part of the tirm off till it clicks out. Then using a softish plastic tool (so you don't scratch panels), run the tool between the trim and the metal door carefully. Everything will slowly pop out and the trim will come off.

Laos, make sure you unplug all the switches first!

Aucix:

As I mentioned before, I'm not going to recommend any particular brand, it all comes down to what you like the sound of and your budget. That said, I do have a mate that has a fully alpine setup and it doesn't pretty good. He wasn't wasn't going for HQ audio, just something better than stock with a good range of features and well priced

[InactiveUser]

fully alpine setup and it doesn't pretty good

Lol huh?

[69.NIX]

sorry "full" :P

[InactiveUser]

sorry "full" :P

Ha, I was more questioning the 'and it doesn't pretty good' part :P

[69.NIX]

sorry "full" :P

Ha, I was more questioning the 'and it doesn't pretty good' part :P

Sorry man, I half dead typing this stuff

my mates alpine system does pretty good for the price

[InactiveUser]

Ok oooone more question if you don't mind lol. Where did you/will you be purchasing the speakers from?

[69.NIX]

Ok oooone more question if you don't mind lol. Where did you/will you be purchasing the speakers from?

The store can be found if you look >> HERE

The prices should only be used as a guide