subs w/ stock HU

[s_bd7]

is it possible to hook up two 12" kicker subs to the stock HU, what must be done? If its possible, will I be able to "bump" to them as if they were connected to an aftermarket HU?

[navylife59]

The OEM HU has a connector for the optional pioneer underdeck or the bazooka cargo pod subwoofers. I am not sure if these are line level outputs, but it would seem logical that they were. You can buy the harness from TRD Sparks. Crutchfiled also sells the Metra harnesses and PAC adaptor to make your own lineout setup. Spend the little extra money for the plug harness either way that you go. It is a far smarter alternative than hacking wires. My personal motto, "Don't cut what you can unplug". You can either "Plug and Play" or "Cut and Pray"; your choice.

[Nick06tC]

Also available, are LOC, LINE OUT CONVERTERS. No cutting needed, dont even need to take anything apart. Just use some wire taps and tap into the rear speaker wires. Takes 30 seconds to hook up.

[navylife59]

No knock on you Nick06tC, but from my experience, I don't trust t-taps. They are a better alternative than cutting and crimping, yes, but they have some drawbacks that ya'll should know about. They were originally designed to be for temporary connections, thus the name "quick" taps. The following issues are not infatically going to happen 100%, but they are definate possibilities. I was a car electronics installer since the early days and have seen it all happen.

First, they still cut into the wire's insulation. This is a big corrosion problem if under the hood/body. Corrosion cause the wire to fail and can add resistance. Any changes in resistance can skew measurements taken by sensors or can cause the HU's amplifier stage to overload/overheat. Second, they only make contact with less than 20% of the given surface area of the wires, thus creating resistance. Therefore, it is strongly recommended not to utilize these for connections for sensitive electronics.

Another issue is more of human error. Many an installer have incorrectly utilized the improper size t-tap for the wire they are working on. Too large a tap for the wire gauge will cause an intermittent or poor connection. Too small of a tap will cut the individual strands in the wire and can sever the wire all together!

On a professional note, I would not think too highly of the quality of work done by shops that solely rely on quick taps to get the job done fast. I have never had nor seen a solder and shrink tubed connection ever fail. For car alarms, there is one more thing to consider; stealth. A car alarm is useless if the criminal element can easily find and disconnect the wires!

Please don't take this as a bashing on t-taps. I think they are acceptible for some tasks in the interior when they are properly sized. Many people can atest to their reliability in their installs. Knowing the possible negative aspects will help make your installs succesful and longlasting.

[Nick06tC]

I deffinetly agree that there are drawbacks. but for the situation stated, i dont see any. the power drawn from a LOC is very minimal. It is a barely amplified signal from a stock headunit. The tap will be in the car, where corrosion isnt an issue.

The only other draw back is, incorrect tap size. And thats all human error, so that can happen with anything. I have never had an issue with them, but I only use them on small guage low draw wiring. I would never use it on anything critical, or high draw!

[chyz-dad]

I did a stock H/U on an 07 tc (mine) and added 2 - 12" pioneers. I used the scoche line-out converter, and have had absolutely no problems. The key is to follow the directions.

I like this brand because it also has the gain controls at each "speaker" connection. I like my music even better now.

[monkeyzz510]

i got a question.
do you need to buy the wiring harness when buying the cargo 10" bazooka subwoofer? i was planning on buying it on trdsparks.com

[zxravenxz]

i Have a question for you. I have the upgrade alpine navigation for my 08 tc and i am having a lot of trouble making my line-out converter work, i know it is wired properly in cause i do get power. when i turn my volume up to a certain point my whole sound in my car goes dead, i am having a hard time finding out the problem. i am putting in two mtx 10" subs. would someone please give me some ideas!

[travis1041]

well the problem couled be any number of things i would start with making sure all my conections are good it might be a wire is grounding out. i would unwire the loc turn the volume up see if it is still doing it get a new loc make sure all your ground wires are in good solid grounds not to a seat bolt drill a hole and clean off the metal then bolt it down if you have your loc wired up unplug the rca and see if you still have a problem.

[zxravenxz]

i have tried that i bought a new loc and when i disconect the loc my stereo works fine. even if my amp is not drawing any power but the loc is connected my sound cuts out. its very odd and i cant find out what it would be, the only thing i can think of is having my rear speakers hooked up to my amp but i dont want to do that, that is only a last resort. my ground seems to be fine. another thing my subs wont push out power, i know they work great i hooked them up to a buddy of mines system and they push hard.
this project so far has taking me four weeks so far and is starting to get very aguvating for me lol, so if anyone has any other ideas please shoot. thank you

[travis1041]

well it is a process of elimination try different rca different amp one sub at a time it really sounds like you have a short, check your ground what are you using for a turn on wire

[zxravenxz]

what do you mean by turn on wire? i have tried different amps and have tried using one sub at a time, i fixed the problem with the LOC i bought a new Loc and it doesnt cut off my power now, but now i cant get my subs to push out, they bearly work and i cant even feel them, would my ground have anything to do with this?

[travis1041]

the ground can cause allot of problems i would make sure it is in a good spot eliminate all the possible causes

[cbehage]

Where did you guys connect the loc. By the head unit of the rear speakers. I searched and am having a hard time finding info on accessing the rear speaker wire.

[navylife59]

Do yourself and purchase two Metra Electronics harnesses:

70-1761 Into car
71-1761 Into OEM Radio
You can easily splice these two harnesses together along with your LOC for a plug an play harness. I did that for a while with a PAC LOC no problems. The wires have a standard color codes, labeled, and prestriped. How cool is that?

72-8104 Into harness at speaker. This would allow you to replace the factory speakers and/or connect your LOC in the rear for a short path to the amplifier.

[JMSTC]

What is a HU? There is no pre outs? How much is the harness? I have no money to play with.

[travis1041]

HU= Head unit you can get loc dirt cheap

[JMSTC]

What is loc? Sorry I don't know all the lingo yet, I've been under a rock or somthing but I do learn fast.

[travis1041]

loc=line out converter

[JMSTC]

Where can I get one? Dose it come with directions for instalation?