E30 Touring install

[Apex 693]

Well I finally finished my install, I wanted the system to be easily removed and didn’t want to drill are cut any holes in the standard trim as parts for Touring’s are hard to replace and I also wanted to keep the luggage area usable.

I ended up with a Pioneer DEH-P895BT head unit with Hands free Bluetooth phone and IPod control. As far as features this economical head deck is great but in terms of user friendliness and basic menu navigation it is horrible, the centre drive button controls a whole host of basic functions and is absolutely useless when driving as bumps will have you skipping tracks when trying to perform other basic functions. I needed the CD-I200 cable to have full I pod control witch the sting you a few more bob for.

On the upside it sits nicely in the dash unlike the model up from it witch stuck out like the dogs bollocks. Painted the surround black to match.

Being restricted to the factor mount point I went with TS-C131PRS Component speaker system, the 13cm woofer sounds amazing for their size and the tweeters are defining. Problems faced were the crossover unit’s size and the Woofers restricting the interior light pin switch from working properly as the magnets were so huge. If I were to do it again I would go for a 16cm woofer and door mount them for better mid range.

In the back I utilised the factory enclosures and mounted a pair TS-E1076 10cm 2 ways for a bit of mid range and some rear vocal. These were the biggest surprise for me as mounted in the factory enclosure and amped they do a fantastic job.

I ran all these speakers off a GM-6300 4 channel amplifier mounted in the rear storage side box.

For some bass we used a Kicker Solo Baric L7 10inch sub mounted in a semi compact custom box with port and easy to disconnect speaker cables. This little 10 inch defies logic and produces lots of noise. We mounted the Kicker SX651 amplifier up in side storage box behind the Jack and first aid kit.

You could build a much better system than this but this is a great solution if space is precious and you don’t want to hack anything up.

Thanks

PS: I posted this up in hope it might help someone wanting to do something similar, if you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask.

Big thanks to Jamie at Pro Custom Installs for his help! Jamie is a Kicker retailer and also does Cyclops alarm.. he could build you anything you may want and can recommend the right kind of system for you. He told me this 10†would be better than the two 12†I had and he wasn’t lying.

[isis 16]

nice install mate - hope you're keeping the car and not flogging it off

[Apex 693]

Cheers mate, just posted it up as I was stuck when it come to ideas for the system as most people in the UK that had upgraded them just cut wholes and made huge boxes with external mounted amps, I wanted something usable and relatively easy to convert back to stock if need be.

I can report it sounds very nice, better quality sound than the stereo in the E60.

Have spent too much on it in the last few months to just flog it off, given someone offered me a decent amount for it I would let it go as I really need some garage space.

[Cale 36]

Nice install.

May just have to copy some of your ideas. I have to do something with my touring, stock paper speakers just don't cut the mustard.

[isis 16]

if you're running all the speakers off the 4 channel amp, what's powering the sub? a mono block amp?

[Apex 693]

if you're running all the speakers off the 4 channel amp, what's powering the sub? a mono block amp?

Yep, a Kicker mounted back to front on the other side. You cant mount an Amp under the seats on an E30 unfortunately.

[Five Star 0]

You can't? I managed it to fit a mono and 4 channel under one seat in my e21.

I say flag the rears and chuck the fronts active. I've heard great things about higher end pioneer speakers being run active.

Nice, clean looking install though. How do you have the sub box held down? I used to use velcro with sub boxes that needed to be moved regularly.

Edit - Oh now I remember about the e30. It's possible, but your option is far, far better. Last time I did an e30 install the amp ended up on the parcel shelf (not my idea, but it worked..)

Edited August 11, 2008 by Five Star

[bravo 35]

I screw my amp to the firewall between the boot and back seat, and then build my sob box to fit in front of it. Hides the amp, secure, and best place for sub in sedan IMO. My current install is a huge affair - was an experiment in box design. Planning to rip it all out soon and build a much more compact arrangement.

Once I hung the amp from the underneath of the parcel try on a perspex shelf. Looked cool, but took alot more work than screwing it to the firewall.

Edited August 11, 2008 by bravo

[Apex 693]

You can't? I managed it to fit a mono and 4 channel under one seat in my e21.

I say flag the rears and chuck the fronts active. I've heard great things about higher end pioneer speakers being run active.

Nice, clean looking install though. How do you have the sub box held down? I used to use velcro with sub boxes that needed to be moved regularly.

Edit - Oh now I remember about the e30. It's possible, but your option is far, far better. Last time I did an e30 install the amp ended up on the parcel shelf (not my idea, but it worked..)

Yep Velcro, didn’t want any holes, it still moves though as I like cornering.

You could maybe fit a compact amp under the seats but there is no way in hell you could mine.

What do you mean active? Like amp the woofer and the tweeter separately.

I screw my amp to the firewall between the boot and back seat, and then build my sob box to fit in front of it. Hides the amp, secure, and best place for sub in sedan IMO. My current install is a huge affair - was an experiment in box design. Planning to rip it all out soon and build a much more compact arrangement.

Once I hung the amp from the underneath of the parcel try on a perspex shelf. Looked cool, but took alot more work than screwing it to the firewall.

Looks good.

Edited August 11, 2008 by Apex

[Five Star 0]

Yeah, active is running the tweeter and woofer on seperate channels. Allows for better tuning, generally.

Dunno why it would sill be moving around with velcro. Add some more if it still is. Have you thought about getting a grill to protect the sub? It's a nice looking box!

[Apex 693]

I have a grill on order, if im loading the boot up I just remove the box. It moves around because I am a tad enthusiastic when I come into tight corners.

I am considering upgrading the front woofers as they just don’t make sufficient mid range, if I do I will take what you have said into consideration as the rear 4†speakers don’t really need amplifying and are currently over powered.

Thanks.

If anyone wants a good deal on non parallel imported quality Kicker car audio with a proper warranty or needs any advice on alarms (he does Cyclops) and installation don’t hesitate to call Jamie, he is mobile and is a top guy! 0211707425.

Edited August 28, 2008 by Apex

[rogan 7]

I am considering upgrading the front woofers as they just don’t make sufficient mid range, if I do I will take what you have said into consideration as the rear 4†speakers don’t really need amplifying and are currently over powered.

Swapping out the midbass drivers won't achieve that much. The lack of midbass is more likely to be install related. IIRC, the E30 front factory positions are absolutely useless so without a decent enclosure there's not gonna be any improvement by simply swapping speakers.

[Five Star 0]

There's a BIG difference in midbass with 6.5 inch drivers compared to anything smaller. Although the gains you seek might not come because of the enclosure... I'd search around for e30 installs (and there's a lot of them) to get an idea of which path, if any, you want to take. It also depends how good you are with fibreglass

That or PM me so I can avoid study a little bit more...

Oh, and fade out the rears then. This can be done in a few ways.. I'd suggest via the HU so you don't have to reset the gains at a later stage.

[Apex 693]

Thanks guys, I was adamant that I wasn’t going to hack up my door cards but I might just have to. Where they are in the factory space is less than adequate as they are too large and restrict the door light switch from operating correctly.

I won’t admit defeat on these speakers just yet as they cost me an arm and a leg an im sure they can perform better if enclosed properly.

So two options then, move them to the door card above the storage bins or mould them into the storage bins and enclose them.

If this isn’t enough I will have to move to larger midrange woofers.

[kiwi535 538]

Thanks guys, I was adamant that I wasn’t going to hack up my door cards but I might just have to. Where they are in the factory space is less than adequate as they are too large and restrict the door light switch from operating correctly.

I won’t admit defeat on these speakers just yet as they cost me an arm and a leg an im sure they can perform better if enclosed properly.

So two options then, move them to the door card above the storage bins or mould them into the storage bins and enclose them.

If this isn’t enough I will have to move to larger midrange woofers.

keep your door cards and get some others to hack up....

[Five Star 0]

The easiest bet would be to hack up your door cards, make custom mounts (depend how much you want to pay/what you can do yourself) and stick 6.5 inch speakers in there then cover the service holes (and dynamat as you see fit).

In the end it's what I did in my e21, it took me years to get the guts to cut up my door cards but in the end the sound was worth it. I went very cheap with the install as i'm planning to fibreglass after I finish my mechanical problems. I simply used $20 carpeted 35mm (I think) speaker spacers from repco and used the biggest screws I could find to go through the metal. The mounts aren't even angled

There will be a big difference in SQ after a good set of splits are properly installed in your doors. You won't be missing the 80-300hz range.. and you'll have far nicer speakers than your current ones if you buy smart