KickerCS Upgrade with Kicker Key amp Install Assistance

Alright harness is done and ready for the install.

 

Does anyone have recommendations on the best areas to apply the sound deadening material? I ask as I have seen it applied to the inside of the door, interior of the door as well as both? Percentage of coverage needed etc.?

 

Now THAT is what harness should look like! good job!

 

Thanks man appreciate that! It took some time but I am very happy with the outcome. Hopefully it works

 

putting that much effort into a harness is what makes it work! keeping it clean and tidy just makes life easier

 

Couldn't agree more. I'm pretty OCD about wiring/cabling etc. Knowing that wires were a mess behind a panel would drive me nuts lol. I've already wrapped the wires that will run from the tweeter harness down to the crossovers which I plan to drop in the kick panels.

 

Beautiful!

 

I put some between the door and speaker mount and also a 10"x 12" piece on the exterior panel directly behind where the speaker is mounted(front doors). Seems to be fine. I don't get any vibrations and the KSC speakers have solid and powerful kick to them. I didn't do the rear doors but also have the DSW kicker 6.75 and to be honest they don't sound all that great on bass especially when cranked up. I plan to put the KSC 6.75 in and will add deadening to those doors at the that time.

 

This is where I'm confused as to where and how much to lay down. It sounds like you went with a more minimalist approach versus covering one of the door panels entirely and its working for you. Seems like a big jump from the DS to KS series so it seems like you should hear an improvement.

 

Yeah, I wasn't going to go all out on covering the entire door panel. At least not at this point. Honestly, for me I don't see the need. If you have all the sound deadening on hand it sure wouldn't hurt to use it. Too bad there wasn't a way to hear two Tacomas with identical set ups minus the deadening to compare. As the saying goes, you don't know what you're missing. I know they have foam rings that go in back and create a funnel if you will on the front. I forget what they are but I've seen mixed reviews not sure if they really make an improvement or not. Sound is subjective so someone's feed back may not apply to all.

 

A side by side comparison would be nice. I did see one video where they took some sort of before and after measurements which were than displayed on a graph. The graph showed an improvement after the material was installed. I have some of the RoadKill foam kits, figured it couldn't hurt. I did order enough Noico to cover one panel on each door so I will continue with that plan. Now back to which panel lol.

 

My guess would be the exterior panel? Stop some road noise and help the speakers since sound also goes back directly behind the cone. I'm no expert. Lol. Maybe someone with more knowledge on speaker performance and acoustics could chime in. I'm all for improving my system even if it sounds great now. Can never be too great!

 

Agree it can never be too good. My thinking is we are already trying to do this project on a budget so it's even more important to maximize the equipment that we are installing.

 

Update - I have installed the system and WOW amazing upgrade to the factory components. Everyone that has installed this setup has been really happy but it exceeded my expectations.

I installed the deadener on the exterior panel of all four doors with 95% coverage. I also added material on the inside panel around the speaker opening. It's crazy how solid the doors feel and sound now. The speakers went in with ease and wiring the tweeters and crossover was super easy using the PnP harness from *********. I also used their tweeter adapter for mounting. Tested the speakers for function and all was good. I connected the amp and placed it in the space behind the head unit at the bottom. I think that little nook behind the radio was made to fit this amp lol. Tested system and ran auto setup. Auto setup dialed the levels in and it sounds super good.

I want to thank everyone involved with this thread. Without it I most likely would not have attempted it on my own. The help and guidance made for a really fun project. Now I can sit back and enjoy the Tacoma and some good tunes to boot!

 

Great work! Enjoy the new sound!

 

Thank you!

 

Awesome job man! Now I may put the sound deadening on the whole door as well. What speakers did you put in the rear doors?

 

Thanks man! The sound deadening installation wasn't too bad. I measured and cut the main 3 pieces for the first door then used them as templates for the second door. Once the main pieces were in I took some time cutting smaller pieces to cover areas the main pieces didn't.

I installed the KSC6704 6 3/4 and they fit fine. I gave up a bit on the lows going with the components up front so my plan is to install a powered sub at some point.

 

Awesome thread! Thanks for all the info! I'll be building my harness tomorrow and starting the install along with a hideaway this weekend. What does the above underlined mean?

 

Do the wires from the metra Blue, Blue/White, and Blue go together with the blue from the Key? So 3 blue wires and 1 blue/white wire. I already unpinned the looped wire.