Kicker Hideaway Install

There has been some interest in how this powered sub fits under seats, so I took some pics yesterday while putting mine in. Some of this info has been covered already, so I'm not proclaiming to break new ground, but just getting it all in one thread. And much thanks to those who have done that stuff before me!

Let's get started. The first thing to do is pull the passenger seat, which was accomplished by disconnecting the battery, unplugging the wires underneath the seat, and removing the 4 bolts holding the seat down. Once the seat was removed, I wanted to loosen and rotate the seat brace underneath the rear of the seat, (in some of these pics, I highlighted the area I am talking about).



To loosen this brace for removal or rotation, you'll need a T-40 Torx bit. On the seatbelt receptacle side of the seat, you will need to remove that assembly first:



Then remove the single bolt holding the brace:



To remove the other side, you can remove the plastic skirting to access the single bolt, but I found it easy to just use the Torx bit, with a 1/4" wrench on the shaft of the bit:



A picture of the bar before I rotated it:



And, from the front of the seat, after I rotated it 90 degrees, to the rear of the seat:



With that work done, I wanted to test fit the Kicker, to see how the seat moved over the top, as I slid it back and forth. From the rear:



And front:



Not a ton of room, but manageable. So I ran all the wiring, blah, blah, blah. That part was pretty standard, power to battery, ground to metal, and I used the Kicker ZISL RCA cable to connect to my Pioneer HU, which has RCA outputs for the sub. Here is a pic, after wiring, and with two patches of velcro, (the "hook" side), applied to the base of the Kicker. It comes with straps, but I don't see a need for them. Why drill holes in the Taco when you don't have to?



Flipped it over, hooked up the wiring, and it was ready to test!



It sounded great, after tweaking the controls a bit, as is usual with subs. My Pioneer HU (AVH-P2400BT) has basically all the controls I need to run the sub, so I chose not to hookup the Kicker remote control.

I then put the seat back in, reconnected the wires under the seat, and bolted it down. Pics of the unit in place:







A couple of lessons learned. First, rotating that brace 180 degrees, instead of 90, would be best. After bolting the seat in, and with the seat itself fairly forward, (as it is in the last pic above), I heard a buzz coming out of the sub. It was the brace on top of the sub, and moving the seat back to a normal position removed the contact. I'm going to leave it, as I have had someone in the back seat exactly twice in the two years I've had the truck, but if you normally have folks back there, or have someone who insists on the seat being close to the dash, you'll want to rotate that brace 180 degrees.

Also, if you do get the Kicker RCA cable mentioned above, ignore the diagram in the manual when connecting the wires. Use the +/- indicators embossed on the connection itself. Don't worry about left/right, as you have a mono sub, but get the polarities correct.

I hope this has been useful, it's my small way of giving back to the Taco community!

 

That's sweet! Do you think this would work in an 12 access cab?

 

Can't say, don't have one, but I don't think the seats changed from '11 to '12...

 

Wow, that looks snug. How does the unit cool? Are there vents somewhere for the amp? It looks sealed up tight.

 

Well, you have to take it out of the bag...

There is actually a fair amount of air space above the Kicker, check out the pics that show the bottom of the seat. The product was made to "hide away", so I'm sure it will be fine. Another place I thought of putting this was in the space between the back seats in my Access cab; where the factory unit sits, for those that have it. I didn't do that, as I didn't want it out in the open, or to drill holes in the plastic, but I'm sure it could be done.

 

Sorry, didn't look to see you also have an access cab. Just assumed when you said how little back seat passengers you have(nobody really sits in the jumpers) that meant you had a quad cab. I've been looking for a way to install a sub and not loose valuable cab space. The only other one I've seen was the arm rest mod mount, but I don't even want to give up that space. And this is half the price of that. I wondered about the airspace issue but I agree that they should have that worked out. I wish factory head units had pre amp outs. Not ready to commit to a head unit yet. I always like the factory look but the aftermarket sound is worth it. Plus with no nav availabe for the access offroad I'm looking to get the hu that does it all. $$$$ This sub should keep me content till I find the right nav hu. Thanks for posting the install!

 

Sound Ordnance and Focal also make units that fit under the seat, I chose the Kicker, after reading some pretty solid reviews on it. I couldn't use the center console/arm rest option, as I have a Console Vault installed, to hold my skuz eliminator...

 

OP this came out great! i would love to hear it. i bet it sounds fantastic. that unit looks beefier than the Focal. you just got it squeezed in there! nice job, and a helpful write up.

side note. im sure you were playing it super safe, but if anyone's doing this and wants to be lazy... it is not necessary to disconnect the battery. as long as the truck stays OFF, you can remove the seats out of the truck without disconnecting the battery, it wont trip the airbag fault light.

it will work on your truck. now we know the Kicker and the Focal units fit as long as you remove or rotate the bar.


and for discussions sake... these units are almost identical. i would love the hear the kicker. Ive always enjoyed their subs.

Focal Specs iBus 20

Kicker Hideaway

 

I may have missed this, but why did you decide on mounting the Hideaway under the passenger seat vs. the drivers seat. Any specific reason?

 

I believe it could go under either, but the passenger side floor gives you a bit more flexibility, as far as where it can be placed. And some might say their lady friends don't mind sitting on a subwoofer, ifyaknowhatImean...

 

the floor under the passenger seat is flat, has more depth and width, the area under the drivers seat is not. when you remove the bar or rotate the bar under the passenger seat 180 degrees, there is also much more height to work with.

 

I just installed one of these in my 12 Access cab. The OP's write up was very helpful. Here's what I can add. I'm not convinced you can actually rotate the bar 180*. Not enough clearence, I think you would have it pressed up into the seat bottom enough that you might actually notice it when sitting in the seat. Plus, even just to rotate it towards the back 90* I had to grind a notch in the tab that is there to keep the bar from spinning when tightening. Sorry, I forgot pics(doh). Was harder to get the bar out than it was to notch with a grinder in the vice. The OP pretty much covered everything else spot on. I mounted my remote sub control in my console(I don't like anymore visible clutter than needed.) I love the result, this is just the sound I was looking for(still dialing in) and I didn't give up too much space to get it. It does eat up some toe space for anyone that might sit in the rear passenger seat. I did as the OP and stuck some velcro to the bottom which makes it next to impossible to try to "slide the unit forward for extra toe space". My factory floor mat needs about 2-3" trimmed off the front to sit down flat. Or I need to try to slide the unit forward that much. It's tight. But that's how we like'em right?

 

Did you use the factory HU and also do you feel the sub when in the pass seat

 

Good install but I personally wouldn't waste my money on that lil kicker box

 

Thanks for the write up. Any thoughts on how this sub sounds in comparison to a sub mounted behind the rear seats?

 

I am using the factory HU until I settle on a Nav unit. If you crank up the sub you can feel it. I put the remote bass adjustment knob in my center console so if the ol lady is going to ride with me I can just dial it back to a little more moderate level. She says she can't really feel it when I scale it back, though every once in a while i crank it up until her eyes roll back in her head. I wish I had one of these years ago in my reg. cab nice little thump and don't have to give up all the space. Well worth it in my opinion.

 

Just depends on what you mean by "a sub behind the rear seats." There's plenty of equipment out there that will out do this unit. But I would be willing to bet you're going to spend alot more $ getting all that other stuff to fit.I think the Kicker is a pretty good bang for the buck. Decent sound for minimal space.

 

Care to elaborate why you think it's a "waste"?

 

I wouldn't have tried this install without the OP's great writeup/pics. Couple things to add. I just went back and looked at the pics a little closer now that I did my install. There are a couple difference in his pics as opposed to what I encountered when I did this on my 12 Access cab Offroad. I'll try to get pics soon, I'll need to take my seat back out to get good detail. The bar in the first pic above now has a tab on it that had to be modified to rotate it. And second, the floor isn't as flat as it is in the 2nd pic above, which makes the unit have to sit back farther or else it will not fit under the bar that the electrical pin connectors mount to. Sorry I know I need pics or it doesn't make much sense. I'm not trying to talk anyone out of this unit/project. As I am very satisfied with it all.

 

Sorry, just getting back to this thread, I'm not on the forum much.

Not using the factory HU, have the Pioneer 2400. The wifie says she definitely feels the sub in the passenger seat, <insert joke here >.

Personal choice is great, ain't it?

I'm sure it's not the window rattler as some of the stuff other folks have behind the seats, but it suits my needs just fine. The pluses for me are not needing a separate amp, not giving up any cab space, and providing as much bass as I personally need.

I was wondering why you said you had to remove and grind the bar, to get it to rotate. Regarding the bar with the connectors, mine is more of a stamped piece of metal, and I bent it up slightly, to gain a little more room.

Still think it's a great option for a sub!