03 vibe sound system question/discussion

[chromelampshade]

hello, brand new user here, 03 vibe awd base trim
working on a sound system (nothing competition, i just love music, and playing it loud )
currently i have a 10"woofer in the rear, 800w amplifier, and 5 3/4 coaxial door speakers (i plan on replacing with 6.5 soon)

anyways main topic, I am doing a tweeter replacement with a 1in 80w tweeter w crossover.
i've removed tweeter cover, and tweeter mount. the main question is, where should i mount the new tweeter? its a flush mount tweeter so i figure if i get a new tweeter cover (seen here https://www.ebay.com/itm/133884053365?h ... SwqylhSvaR) would it be OK to flush mount to the cover, instead of using the mount? (new tweeter is not compatible with it)

Those who have done tweeter replacements i'd love to see how others installed theirs.

once this system is "complete" i'd hope to have 6 channel stereo + 6 tweeters & 6 mids

[chromelampshade]

is it possible to add speakers to kick panel? is there enough space behind it to fit a woofer? i have not removed it entirely yet.

[Bookworm]

So you don't feel like you've been completely ignored - I don't know.

I haven't tried to put in aftermarket speakers into any of my three Vibe/Matrix. (two vibe, one matrix).

However, there should be a good amount of information in the archives from 07-11, when there was a lot of heavy modding going on.

[chromelampshade]

thanks for the reply

yeah im in abit of a pickle with this one. ill just do the do and whatever fails ill use that as experience
i guess with this vibe im going for an audio build considering thats the only decent "modification" i could make.
basically ill use this thread and just go over what i experience so if anyone else ever comes across this could maybe benefit from this thread.

once im finished with the aftermarket midrange speakers, ill begin to attempt to fab holes and mounting brackets etc,, i'd like to install additional speakers to the kick panel, and the rear hatch area. wont be easy to do but it'll keep me busy

[chromelampshade]

just to update, the 1in dome tweeters have been replaced from factory.
i had to remove factory tweeter bracket, purchase a flush tweeter cover (i think they're from the matrix) drilled a 2in hole and flush mounted the tweeter to the plastic cover. i then wired the tweeter using the existing harness & clip. crossover installed as well.

[chromelampshade]

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[chromelampshade]

quick update fellas, amp has fell into protect mode , diagnosing i have found voltage drop down to 7 volts (at the amp) while idling battery was sitting at 12 volts. vehicle off 11v
plan is to add auxiliary battery and new 250A alternator.
will update then,

[chromelampshade]

voltage drop fixed, loose connection on amplifier power terminal. alpine s65c components installed w/o having to remove factory speaker spacer. however, door speaker grill had is removed to compensate for space.

[chromelampshade]

Kilmat 80mil sound deadener installed. Pretty big difference.




before, just had to remove factory plastic , installed foam gasket to make a seal to the door card. deadened inside of the door as well.

[tpollauf]

Nice work so far. Too bad you couldn't have taken a dBa reading before & after to actually see the noise difference. I'll be doing this similar improvement to my 2004 Vibe GT hopefully over the winter. My first priorities once I retire will be to fix the rust/leaky windshield (top passenger side) and an oil leak. I'll have a lot of free time this upcoming winter and looking forward to tearing into MANY overdue projects

[chromelampshade]

Nice work so far. Too bad you couldn't have taken a dBa reading before & after to actually see the noise difference. I'll be doing this similar improvement to my 2004 Vibe GT hopefully over the winter. My first priorities once I retire will be to fix the rust/leaky windshield (top passenger side) and an oil leak. I'll have a lot of free time this upcoming winter and looking forward to tearing into MANY overdue projects

yeah thats true, one of these days im going to get a spl db meter to see how loud my system is. im not really after numbers, but anything in the 120db+ i would be happy. but yet again , i've never measured, so i have 0 reference on decibels, its just a wild guess.

the deadener did improve road noise slightly , (so far i only did doors , and rear access panel area, pretty much spots in the rear side) so rattles is pretty much little to none. i plan on sound proofing the floors and roof , as well as the hatch door in the future. All in all my car feels alot more solid now and maybe i got a decibel at most quieter, who knows, never metered

15$ for rollers and 68$ for the 80mil 32sq ft Kilmat , fun little weekend project.

I just had to get my audio right.

Its time to start taking care of servicing the vehicle

[chromelampshade]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olYEoYam_t8
heres a video of the midrange in action
finished the last bit of doing sound deadening, whenever I find the motivation I'll redo the factory firewall insulation. For now all doors, and rear hatch is deadened up. Not very much rattling left other then the plastic panels.

[treesleavedents]

I've used killmat and mounted new tweeters in all 4 doors. Sorry I didn't see this post sooner!!! Your tweeter install in the front door looks nice, does it have a crossover?

As for the sound deadening, I noticed the biggest difference from doing the entire floor. Gravel roads, debris, mud, dirt, leaves, none of it makes more than a muted dull thud if it's a really strong hit. I'm in the process of finishing my car and will be doing the firewall, roof, and rest of the interior as well. I'll let you know how it goes!

[chromelampshade]

I've used killmat and mounted new tweeters in all 4 doors. Sorry I didn't see this post sooner!!! Your tweeter install in the front door looks nice, does it have a crossover?

As for the sound deadening, I noticed the biggest difference from doing the entire floor. Gravel roads, debris, mud, dirt, leaves, none of it makes more than a muted dull thud if it's a really strong hit. I'm in the process of finishing my car and will be doing the firewall, roof, and rest of the interior as well. I'll let you know how it goes!

Thank you so much for the support!! This is my first full fledged audio build and so far I've came across a lot of hurdles!
I do plan on redoing factory firewall deadening, and whenever I have good freetime I'll go about removing carpet and applying deadener to the floor. I should also consider doing my roof as well if I'm going to be running 3k watt rms worth of power or even more in the future
Utilizing Crutchfield for door speakers, the 2 way midrange has a crossover built into the driver, to prevent low hz from passing through the midrange tweeter. The skar SPXT tweeter on the A-pillars are using the same wiring from the stock ones, however I added the crossover , even though there is a capacitor for the stock tweeters. I couldn't be bothered to look for it to i decided to just throw the crossover with it, I didn't suffer from any SQ loss or nothing drastic, so I figured it'll be fine for now. The skar SPX tweets included "bass" blockers or crossover as we can call it, which is set to 1.3khz - 20k hz. If you are looking to run these tweeters please make sure you have high pass and low pass crossover capability on your headunit, or midrange amplifier (if you have one installed) or your ears will bleed (not literally) from how high these things get without tuning.

This project will be "complete" when I am running 1kW rms midrange amplifier (4ch), 5kW RMS sub amplifier (monoblock class d),
8in deafbonce around the doors, triple 10in woofers @1.33ohm final load. It will be slamology.

How do your 2 way components sound in the rear? I was thinking about adding tweeters to the rear but unsure because my sound stage is already pretty damn good.

[treesleavedents]

I think you might be on a whole separate audiophile level of planet from me haha. I take a ton of road trips in mine and wanted better sound all around so I went with a budget 5 channel amp and the best speakers I could to keep the whole package around $700 with wiring. Honestly anything would've been an upgrade over the stock speakers, but with the sound deadening in and the mid level setup I have, It's great for road trips, and even to sleep in occasionally.

edit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGuwKpUkkOg&t=5s Here's episode 2 with the interior mostly stripped if you wanna see what I've got done.

[chromelampshade]

I think you might be on a whole separate audiophile level of planet from me haha. I take a ton of road trips in mine and wanted better sound all around so I went with a budget 5 channel amp and the best speakers I could to keep the whole package around $700 with wiring. Honestly anything would've been an upgrade over the stock speakers, but with the sound deadening in and the mid level setup I have, It's great for road trips, and even to sleep in occasionally.

edit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGuwKpUkkOg&t=5s Here's episode 2 with the interior mostly stripped if you wanna see what I've got done.

Holy, your getting real gritty with it! If only you were in AZ i would've had you do my deadening . your setup is looks really clean and im sure it out performs stock systems. i haven't started road tripping the vibe because im trying to do some servicing and performance upgrades because it's slower then a turtle, damn base awd...
What im doing for my audio system will be full fledge audio build, at first i wasnt after numbers, but my first goal is to achieve 120db @~35hz , then we'll go from there. yeah it's crazy but i have nothing better to do with the car
high output alternator, big three wiring , and AGM battery ~750cca is planned to be installed soon. once i throw more power at it, switching out to 35a lithium cells.

[treesleavedents]

I used to be in west valley phoenix lol. But that was back in 2018... As for performance upgrades for a base AWD, don't bother haha. maybe a ram air intake if you wanna make fun intake sounds but there isn't much performance for you to gain without massive modifications and money...

[chromelampshade]

I used to be in west valley phoenix lol. But that was back in 2018... As for performance upgrades for a base AWD, don't bother haha. maybe a ram air intake if you wanna make fun intake sounds but there isn't much performance for you to gain without massive modifications and money...

yeah i don't disagree, I'm sure I'll be spending 1k+ for only 20hp gain, but its less about speed or going "fast" more or less just want to get that 1zzfe less restrictive and I'd assume doing some modifications would increase fuel eco as there would be less "strain" on the engine if this makes sense. lightweight pulleys, headers, etc,, but this could be a topic for a new thread

[treesleavedents]

I used to be in west valley phoenix lol. But that was back in 2018... As for performance upgrades for a base AWD, don't bother haha. maybe a ram air intake if you wanna make fun intake sounds but there isn't much performance for you to gain without massive modifications and money...

yeah i don't disagree, I'm sure I'll be spending 1k+ for only 20hp gain, but its less about speed or going "fast" more or less just want to get that 1zzfe less restrictive and I'd assume doing some modifications would increase fuel eco as there would be less "strain" on the engine if this makes sense. lightweight pulleys, headers, etc,, but this could be a topic for a new thread

Unless you go forced induction, I doubt you'll be able to get 20 HP out of the AWD. I think the ecu on the AWD is much more conservative as the AWD system isn't designed for a lot of power. I wonder if the TRD supercharger kit would fit? That would be a perfect bolt on addition for some HP!

[chromelampshade]

I used to be in west valley phoenix lol. But that was back in 2018... As for performance upgrades for a base AWD, don't bother haha. maybe a ram air intake if you wanna make fun intake sounds but there isn't much performance for you to gain without massive modifications and money...

yeah i don't disagree, I'm sure I'll be spending 1k+ for only 20hp gain, but its less about speed or going "fast" more or less just want to get that 1zzfe less restrictive and I'd assume doing some modifications would increase fuel eco as there would be less "strain" on the engine if this makes sense. lightweight pulleys, headers, etc,, but this could be a topic for a new thread

Unless you go forced induction, I doubt you'll be able to get 20 HP out of the AWD. I think the ecu on the AWD is much more conservative as the AWD system isn't designed for a lot of power. I wonder if the TRD supercharger kit would fit? That would be a perfect bolt on addition for some HP!

if i could find one, trd sc, cai, standalone ecu, i would def see power gains. but i havnt found any for sale . its okay ive went through all the stages of greif. i am now at acceptance that my vibe will be slow, atleast i have audio. like i said if i want to focus on fast i should probably look into another project car.

SLOW N LOUD

anyways, I'm thinking about buying new amp for my mids n highs

[treesleavedents]

I'll tell you the same life advice my dad gave me that has served me REALLY well with vehicles. It's 1000% more fun to drive a slow car near the limit of it's performance and still be under the speed limit than it is to have to constantly suppress any urge to have fun lest you immediately reach felony levels of speed...

[chromelampshade]

I'll tell you the same life advice my dad gave me that has served me REALLY well with vehicles. It's 1000% more fun to drive a slow car near the limit of it's performance and still be under the speed limit than it is to have to constantly suppress any urge to have fun lest you immediately reach felony levels of speed...

You are absolutely right, nothing is more nice then riding around going the speed limit rolling around with my audio, sunroof open! As I said, I'll keep my car as-is (except for audio LOL) just to ride around the city, and I plan to look into another vehicle to ride around long distances where I can have power when I want, and be extremely comfortable lol (im 20 coming on 21, going to start a new job soon, trying to keep my life simplified haha)

Heres where we're standing at the audio build right now. [youtube]https://youtube.com/shorts/Hw0ZAtENjvo?feature=share[/youtube]

I just purchased a 320A output alternator, going to take up to 2 weeks to be built, then it'll be shipped to me. From there I will begin the lithium swap (linglong 35ah 1bank, maybe two for headroom) diode or two to get idle voltage to ~15 volts (whats the max voltage with vibes?) .

6th order bandpass designed for the hatch, to run Skar DDX-10in (1kw rms)

I'll let you folks know how it goes. Appreciate the support!!

[chromelampshade]

Mind you I did clamp my sub system, It did 600w RMS before clipping (Im on stock electrical!!) Mids/highs are wired to 4ohm, could be seeing less then 30w rms (stock factory amp, going to be swapped soon!)

[chromelampshade]

going in the vibe, along with big 4 upgrade. 320amp output
certified, 179A @650RPM, 339A @1800RPM

[chromelampshade]

oscope ordered, i've checked my audio signal going from amp > subs and signal going from midamp > midranges.
I did not check to see how clean signal is from headunit, however after amplification the signal is very dirty, even at 22/40
Plan is to replace headunit with clean signal 40/40 and replace factory amplifier, and add a dedicated ground, to fix any ground loops or hissing

[chromelampshade]

HO alternator & oversize cable almost installed.
Does anyone know of top of their head what the max charging voltage is on the vibes before things go crazy? Going for ling long 40Ah, dual bank =80Ah, best bang for the buck.
16.5 idle voltage im going for, any rebuttles?

on stock alt and battery I currently charge at 14.35 at idle, drop down to low 13s on full tilt, high 12s. 800W rms amplifier.

[chromelampshade]

Today I have installed the HO alt (320A), done big 3, and upgraded battery to a deep cycle optima yellow top 55aH (just temporary until i do lithium)
Charging voltage is 14.9 and resting voltage is 12.9. Optima yellow top battery are 15.2 max for anyone wondering. The vibe so far handles the 14.9 just fine no issues. Had some belt slipping issues but after realigning the alternator and adding a spacer it made all the difference. I was able to retain factory harness(s) in a event I'd sell the car (god forbid i'd never) and also was able to retain the factory serpentine belt, the smaller pulley + the piston tensioner didn't cause any trouble. Belt still looks like it's in good shape, no cracks or tears.

spoke too soon my belt is slipping, going to be hunting for a smaller belt. Full tilt on the RP800.1D doesnt affect my voltage at all when im at 1400RPM (alternator peak output speed). solid 14.89 even when the bass hits. I dont quite reccomend the optima battery, but it gets the job done.

[chromelampshade]

replaced with oem 72.5in gates micro v belt. 14.4 idle 14.9 peak alternator output. going to bump up idle speed a hair to get more output to achieve 14.9 idle.
autotechengineeringusa.com for anybody wondering. running 320A alternator and 55aH yellowtop. Big 3 1/0 oversize upgrade.

[chromelampshade]

I am ready to replace with lithium cells, capable of producing up to 12kW of clean power. (well thats the plan )
has anyone else done pro audio in a 1st generation vibe?

I do not like how the wiring setup came out, I am going to redo it, with dedicated fuse mount. Bare in mind factory battery connectors has been retained, via side post.

[treesleavedents]

Damn you're going all out! TBH your build would be better off in an audio forum with the level you're working at haha. How much was the HO alternator? Also why not run a supercap? Buddy of mine just gave me a few of em, I just need to get the bus bars and all the other stuff to install em.

[chromelampshade]

Damn you're going all out! TBH your build would be better off in an audio forum with the level you're working at haha. How much was the HO alternator? Also why not run a supercap? Buddy of mine just gave me a few of em, I just need to get the bus bars and all the other stuff to install em.

320A alternator was 350$ i had mine chrome powder coated so total came to 400$. The LTO bank yinlongs will be "supercaps" with busbars from probably jimsmachineworkz, haven't decided yet lol . Of course lithium cannot be ran under the hood, so it will be in the trunk. Battery delete upfront.
I'm not much of a fan of audio forums, not after competition, this is just a hobby of mine however I am in a audio discord server.

I wanted to share my build here considering I learned a bit about vibe audio , and I can help others if needed.
Thanks for the positivity

[chromelampshade]

6th order bandpass for single 10in rated @1kW rms going in the hatch

[chromelampshade]

{THIS ISNT MY NOMINAL VOLTAGE, I WAS FULL TILT AT IDLE}

installed voltmeter to replace the cig lighter. the cig lighter never worked but it illuminated. Tor off the a/c panel and guess what. Ciggerette lighter harness never was plugged in i guess someone before me must've had done something behind there. Also the a/c panel light sometimes goes out caused by a faulty wire, no big deal though, smack the panel and it turns on

next up is double din headunit!

[tpollauf]

next up is double din headunit!

Nice work so far. I did a similar mod with the factory cig lighter! When you get to the audio unit, get one with a backup camera. I'll be doing this to my 2004 Vibe GT real soon and will get input from you and others who have already done this mod!

[chromelampshade]

doood looks sick! It was funny when I popped the panel and I see the cig lighter not even plugged in eff it we tap in voltmeter

gonna get a alpine ILX w650 or ILX 407 or 507, we'll see how my pockets are looking when I'm ready. They have front/rear camera compatibility, 6ch preamp output. The 507 series has abit more features such as a built in voltmeter, and some other things, however most of the features wouldn't work as it's made for newer tech. So im probably gonna stick with the choice of ILX w650. Clean sine signal 38/38 volume, dont wanna send amplifiers a dirty signal

edit: you can also find voltmeters with built in USB3.0, if that helps