JL Audio 10W3 in Ported Enclosure?

I have a JL Audio 10W3v3 subwoofer that I would like to install in a ported enclosure in a soon-to-be-bought 2018 DCSB Tacoma Off Road. Now, assuming these new year models are basically unchanged behind the seat from the 2017's, would this fit? What is the maximum size enclosure I can fit behind the back seat? Will the depth of the 10W3 fit?

My goal is to use the 10W3 in a custom ported enclosure (ported is my preference) powered at around 500 watts RMS. I modeled it and my goal is at least 1.5 ft3 and tuned at around 27 hz. The modeled response looks great. The sub is currently in a different double cab truck in a nearly identical enclosure and it sounds awesome.

Is this doable in a new Tacoma DCSB?

 

You will not be able to easily fit the 10W3 behind your rear seats in a DCSB, but it can always be done if want to put the effort into it (or pay someone more to do it).

I had a 10W3 back when I first bought my 2nd gen Tacoma, but I was not able to fit it because I did not want to add spacers and use thinner material such as fiberglassing the back of the box. I ended up going with a Image Dynamics IDQ10 subwoofer which was only 0.1" shallower, but the magnet diameter was also slightly smaller too. Even then, the back wall of the box had to be shaved slightly thinner (to allow room for the magnet), plus I had to remove the plastic backing on the rear seats. No spacers tho...

Which way do you plan on having the port facing?

Keep in mind, you also have to take into account that there is a motor (for the rear window) and air vents that are located midway up the cabs rear wall. It's stuff you can work around it to some degree, but I just wanted to make sure you had thought of it.

 

Thank you for the reply, sir. That's what I figured and you confirmed it. It IS possible but I may have to get creative with box design, materials or seat bracket spacers. I really want to use this sub because I already have it, it's only like 2 years old and I love the way it sounds for this application.

I *really* don't want to lose any further leg room in the back seat since it's somewhat tight back there already. I was hoping maybe someone like Mr. Marv can make a custom enclosure that can squeeze this sub in using various tricks. I don't mind removing plastic seat backing if need be. My last resort would be the seat bracket adjustment method. Can the wood behind the magnet be shaved or thinned to allow it to fit better? Or maybe a stronger but thinner wood? Fiberglass? Any enclosure I have built would take into consideration the rear window motor, vents, etc. I was thinking of a side-firing port but not sure of there is sufficient clearance for air flow from the port.

Are custom fiberglass (or hybrid fiberglass/woof) enclosures much more expensive to build? Are you still running your ported IDQ10? How do you like it?

 

Take a look at my 2nd gen build thread (in my sig). It has a picture of the box Mr. Marv made for my IDQ10. You'll be able to see how he made the magnet fit for me.

I remember someone on here who made a fiberglassed the back of their box with wood everywhere else (hybrid style) to make their sub work...that was along with some spacers.

For the spacers, they don't move the bottom seat cushions forward, they only move the backs of the seats forward. You can see a good picture of these washers in post #32 of this thread where he put in a 2.65 cu ft box (but I think he has a 2nd Gen)! It's Marine 8541's post:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/sundown-12.513110/page-2

I do have the IDQ, but I have not installed it since the old box would not fit into my new 3rd Gen. I liked it a lot...it was well balanced for SQ purposes. Very detailed notes. Only downside was that it didn't hit as hard as the JL Audio I had before it. It still hit nicely when given enough juice tho. Now that I think about it, I have used the IDQ in 3 different vehicles now! Anyways, this time around, I am kind of curious about trying the Sundown Audio SD3 subs that have many good reviews (for a semi shallow sub).

 

Well, I decided to go straight to a real pro for this mission to fit my JL 10W3 sub - I contacted Mr. Marv from this forum. We talked specs and what I'm trying to accomplish. He said he could do it and is now working on a new ported enclosure design for this great, all-around workhorse of a sub that will fit behind the rear seats of a 3rd gen Tacoma DCSB. We are striving to maximize the airspace to slightly larger than the (minimum?) JL-recommended amount for a ported enclosure and tune it slightly deeper at around 30hz or so. Maybe I will post a pic of it eventually.

 

Well,I got a Shitty box from Taco tunes don't ever buy anything from them I waited a month for them to finally get the supposedly custom box that fits behind the driver side backseat I cant secure my back seat now I'm Sooo disappointed in Taco tunes they suck

 

Alright, mission accomplished. I got my system all installed and mostly dialed in and it sounds AWESOME.

Mr. Marv (@Mrmarv) built my custom enclosure to my requested specs (modeled using WinISD) and, let me tell ya, it's a thing of beauty. He really is a master at his trade. Even the pro installers said the same when they scoped out the quality of the enclosure they were installing along with the rest of my system. I seriously considered adding a fine wood finish or bedliner on it but it isn't visible behind my seat so decided against it for now.

The JL Audio 10W3v3 (2 ohm) is in a slot ported enclosure with a bit over 1.3 cubic feet of net volume and tuned to 30hz. We used 13mm Baltic birch wood to gain even more enclosure volume than was possible using 3/4" MDF. It fits perfectly like a glove behind the seats and the seats fold back as normal. The enclosure is not visible at all and everything looks perfectly stock with the seats back.

The sub is powered by a Alpine PDR-M65 (rated 650W RMS x 1, though birth sheet says tested 731 watts) with Alpine level knob mounted up front. It sounds incredible. I have played a wide variety of music through it so far and it hits clean and DEEP. This thing absolutely slams for a 10" and everyone thinks I must have a 12" or more. Rock, rap, metal, jazz, whatever...it all sounds great and really well-rounded due to the pretty flat response curve down to 28hz or so. I have it crossed over fairly deep, which sounds better to my ears as it pairs really well with my components mid-bass response. This sub seems to love this ported enclosure spec and really shines in it, IMO. I have attached a few quick pics of the sub and enclosure behind the rear seat of my 2018 Tacoma Off Road DCSB. I also have a 10W3v3 grille from JL Audio covering it.

In case anyone is curious, for mids and highs I am running JL Audio C5 6-inch components up front with the tweeters mounted in the A-pillars (not the crap stock locations) and coaxials in the rear all powered by a JL Audio HD600/4 (150 watts x4).

If anyone is looking for a great-sounding ported subwoofer setup for a 2016+ Toyota Tacoma double cab, this is your solution. Contact Mr. Marv and ask him to build this design. You won't be disappointed. Hope this helps.

 

Noice! I love it!

 

Looks Great (as always by Mr. Marv). With the components you have, I be it sounds great too!

Did you have to remove the rear plastic from the driver-side rear seat?

 

Looks great! Thats probably going to be powerful sounding sub setup. I'm so tempted to ask Mr. Marv to build me a new box for the 13TW5V2.

The C5's really don't get a lot of love (American design, German built!--can't beat that) - but they pretty much are monitors that can play very loud and clear. They might be a slightly overpriced at retail, but all JL stuff is a little overpriced once you start getting into their 'better' and 'best' categories...I've started saying you can either save money in auditioning and installing/removing speaker gear at the budgeted pricepoint, or save time just going with JL - do whatever makes sense.

What crossover and slope are you using for the C5's?

 

Yep, Marv's work is impeccable. And yes it is very clean even at very high volumes. Honestly, it goes much louder than my old ears really ever need. I really prefer quality over quantity so I rarely crank it, but it sure can crank when I want it to! I had the gear laying around from my last vehicle and working perfectly so I figured I'd put it to good use in my new Tacoma.

I did remove the plastic behind the driver's side rear seat but I don't know if I even needed to with the speaker cover. I just did it to eliminate potential rattle from the cover hitting it and allow more air/sound flow directly from the sub. Plus, it is invisible to anyone in the truck so what the hell.

 

Honestly, it suprised me how powerful that "little" 10 inch sub hits in this enclosure in the double cab Tacoma. It sounds tremendous. I am probably pushing close to it's limits with power but it seems to like it.

Yes, I definitely feel the JL C5's are underrated. I think they sound incredible. They are clean even at the highest levels and the silk-dome tweeter is super smooth. I spent a lot of years with titanium tweeters (MB Quarts, etc) and these are much less tiring on the ears. I got them at a great non-retail price, but they are expensive like all JL products. I have just had great experiences with them over the years so I keep coming back.

I am crossing them over with the HD600/4 around 80hz at a 24dB slope at the moment. They can go lower but I was getting a lot of mid-bass at first so I raised the crossover point a bit but I am still playing with crossover points between the comps and sub. The sub is crossed over using the Alpine sub amp at 55-60hz or so at 24dB slope. I love my bass deep. I think the Tacoma cab emphasizes certain frquencies. I am new to this truck so still trying to play with the sound until I am satisfied. I'm getting close!

 

Well said. That sounds like my experience and thought process.