[opera_bob]

The kicker 11HS8 150WATT sub will only work at 150watt rms if it's hooked up to the battery. The fuse will not work properly unless you're getting 14.4 Volts from it.

It says in the booklet 14.4 Volts to get 150 Watts.

At the moment I am hooked into the fusebox with a fuse tap. I measured the voltage with the car on and only getting 9 volts. With the car off only 8 volts.
This is probably why I hear popping and crackling at the Remote Volume of 3. Anything past 3 is snap, crackle, pop.

I'm running at the empty fuse space, 4th down, from the top left side in the hatch fuse box.

Perhaps someone here knows of a fuse connection that puts out 14.4 Volts?

I'm working on getting a power wire to the battery.

 

[god7illa]

The kicker 11HS8 150WATT sub will only work at 150watt rms if it's hooked up to the battery. The fuse will not work properly unless you're getting 14.4 Volts from it.

It says in the booklet 14.4 Volts to get 150 Watts.

At the moment I am hooked into the fusebox with a fuse tap. I measured the voltage with the car on and only getting 9 volts. With the car off only 8 volts.
This is probably why I hear popping and crackling at the Remote Volume of 3. Anything past 3 is snap, crackle, pop.

I'm running at the empty fuse space, 4th down, from the top left side in the hatch fuse box.

Perhaps someone here knows of a fuse connection that puts out 14.4 Volts?

I'm working on getting a power wire to the battery.

There should not be anywhere near that level of voltage drop on a fuse terminal. I suspect you were not getting a good ground or your multimeter is malfunctioning.

You should see 12-13vdc on any of the live fuse taps.

Re 150watt (not RMS) Watts are a measure of power and the level of wattage is determined by how much current (amps) a device pulls at a given voltage. w = v * a
For example, assuming 12vdc you would need approx 12.5amp of current to deliver a continuous 150watts of power.

Now 150watt RMS is another completely different thing. Without getting too complicated, the kicker statement of 150w rms @ 14.4 is simply a gross measurement of potential output for the unit.

Even if the unit ever did require a longer than a blink-of-the-eye burst of 150 watts of actual dc power, which would be doubtful, 150watts peak is trivial for a fusetap to provide.

At 12vdc on a fusetap you simply need to provide a fuse capable of allowing up to 12.5amp of current draw - so throw in a 15A fuse (which coincidentally is what the kicker's manual recommends) and you're good.

You certainly don't need to waste time and money going back to the battery for a smallish 150w device. You could easily pull 250-300w from a single fuse terminal if needed (with the proper fuse protection).

Cheers.

 

[god7illa]

*deleted*

 

[Roadrunner1659]

I wanted to thank @god7illa for this mod and the installation assistance! I easily would have paid Ford another 200$ to have this be the stock system!

 

[MorningZ]

I'm working on getting a power wire to the battery.

That is the only answer.. you don't want to put that kind of amperage draw on the car's fuse circuit, especially if you don't know what the circuit is supposed to be, it could be 24 gauge wire for all anyone knows and that is where you are going to get loss (or worse, damage).

Just do it right the first time

 

[opera_bob]

That is the only answer.. you don't want to put that kind of amperage draw on the car's fuse circuit, especially if you don't know what the circuit is supposed to be, it could be 24 gauge wire for all anyone knows and that is where you are going to get loss (or worse, damage).

Just do it right the first time

24 gauge? Very good point.

I was supplied with 8 Gauge on the wire harness.

Thanks for the knowledge!

 

[MorningZ]

Just saying it *coukd be*, Theres definitely not 8 gauge on the other side of that open fuse spot, whatever the intended function of that circuit was it very much likely was not designed to handle the load of a sub amp

 

[god7illa]

And yet the RF PS-8 comes with an in-line 10A fuse in the supplied power wire - which *might* tell you something about RF's expectations about what levels of *continuous* DC Amperage the unit is likely to be drawing during typical use.

I have zero concerns about a 10A fuse tap running from the rear fusebox, and the notion that the rear fusebox does not provide 12-13+vdc full voltage is incorrect.

Of course I do think running an 8g (or even heavier) wire to the battery is a great idea if you ever plan on moving up to serious wattage amps in future (e.g., I installed a JL Audio 600w sub amp in the GT-R with 4 gauge to the battery).
If I were to bump up to a bigger amp in the rear of the RS then yep, I'd be running wire to the batt for sure, but ...

In keeping with the *spirit of why I started this thread* - to suggest a simple alternative for average listeners who simply want a quick and easy relatively low-power sub upgrade and who don't want to spend the extra time over-complicating or over-engineering the installation - I suggest that tapping into the rear fusebox is "good enough" for this device.

 

[Nathansvt]

Which fuses back there are switched? I tried several and they were all on while vehicle was off.

 

[XRJoe]

Which fuses back there are switched? I tried several and they were all on while vehicle was off.

Did you let car "power down"? Where the HVAC doors close and gauges go to full rest? There's a weird powered state that's key off, but accessories are powered.

 

[Nathansvt]

Did you let car "power down"? Where the HVAC doors close and gauges go to full rest? There's a weird powered state that's key off, but accessories are powered.

Good advice. I went back and re-tested the circuit after leaving the car for a while and it was 0v in F25 so that was what I needed.

 

[NYC RS]

Just had this installed but unfortunately its distorting with my high bass tracks (drum and bass). I think i might just be using the wrong settings so im going back to the shop on monday to see if they can help me. But b4 i go maybe you guys who are using the PS-8 can share what settings you are using on the sub and in car audio settings

 

[god7illa]

Just had this installed but unfortunately its distorting with my high bass tracks (drum and bass). I think i might just be using the wrong settings so im going back to the shop on monday to see if they can help me. But b4 i go maybe you guys who are using the PS-8 can share what settings you are using on the sub and in car audio settings

I PM'd this, but thought I'd share it here in case anyone else is interested... I want to emphasize the first word in my thread title "Cheapie" . :joyous:

------

I have the output level dialled way down to about 1/4 or 1/3 of max. Yes, if you crank the gain way up it will distort.

This is not a unit that's going to put out bone-shaking bass, but rather it puts out "some" decent bass when set to not too high gain level. It's a noticeable & easy improvement over the complete lack of bass from stock for a couple hundred $, but I would not expect too much.

My settings

From the manual...
Adjusting Level
1. Turn amplifier level to minimum (counter-clockwise).
2. Turn the source/head unit volume up to 7/8 maximum (or when distortion is just inaudible)
3. Slowly increase amplifier gain control until adequate volume is achieved.
NOTE: Best signal to noise and dynamic range are realized with gain set to minimum.
For a more in depth setting procedure, contact Rockford Technical Support.
Avoid setting amplifier level high as noise and distortion will greatly increase.

Adjusting Crossover Frequency
The crossover frequency can be adjusted between 50-120Hz.
The cross-over is set to LP (Low Pass) only.
Turn the crossover adjustment knob all the way down.
With the system playing, turn the crossover adjustment
knob up slowly until the desired crossover point is achieved.

Phase Switch
Allows you to conveniently switch the output phase of the amplifier between 0° and 180°.
This has the same effect as physically reversing the Positive (+) and Negative (-) speaker wires

Input Level
Set the Input Level switch to match the outputs of your source unit. (LO -RCA or HI - Speaker Level)

 

[JBRS]

In Australia we don't get the factory sub and I am trying to install the Kicker unit referred to elsewhere in this thread - I need a simple way of picking up the high level speaker inputs.

Fortunately the wiring harness next to the rear fusebox has a plug/connector that would be used in the US/UK cars for the sub system but it doesn't pull out very far, certainly not far enough to get good access to the wires - easiest way would be to find the female plug/connector equivalent and run the wires I need from this.

So I am asking for any help to identify this plug/connector from the attached images?

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

 

[DeanHart]

I agree with the settings advice. I have the Kicker HS8

- moderate output

- no or low gain

I also found the crossover adjustment gives significant effect, mine is set quite high

Next step for me will be to maximize the space by removing more plastic trunk liner and install a larger sub, preferably powered and ported

 

[awkwardmoment]

Can someone post a part list for all things we would need with links to purchase from start to finish?

This is a little intimidating for someone like me. I not entirely electronically savvy, but I want to replace the stock subwoofer. I'd be using the Kicker HS8 for my install.

TIA!

 

[Satomic]

Thank you @god7illa for the write up. Took about 1.5 hours. Now I just need to clean up the wires.

 

[Critical Max]

Bought the rockford fosgate sub, but happened to receive a broken unit. (looks like it had been previously used and returned) Even worst was that it didnt come with one of the connectors so I had to buy the connector before I could even test it. Was thinking of going with an alpine sub because of its even smaller dimensions then found an 8 inch rockville sub that not only had good reviews but was priced at just 100 $. Same rated rms output as the RF sub. The smaller dimensions actually allowed me to mount it the way that you see and works perfectly with my spare tire mod. All the plug and wires end up in the same convenient general area so I didnt have to extend any wires or hack anything up. Wiring is same as everyone else with the fuse tap going into the fuse panel with a 15 amp fuse inserted. The ground going to the spot I drilled to mount a brace that I attach the spare tire to.

Made a frame for the stock electronics and stacked them

Made a frame in order to raise the floor a bit to even it out with the spare on the other side.

All in all I am seriously impressed with this sub, especially for the price. It gives exactly the kick I wanted with the gain set up around half way and the size is perfect for that space. So ended up being even more cheapie sub upgrade than before. Also the blue accents match the blue theme of the rs, not that you can see it under the cover.

 

[TinkerRS]

So. .. I just got this done today. I had to unplug the fake noise in the cabin. Crazy how much quieter the car is. Side note my question and I hope someone can answer. I feel like after the stereo is turned up past 15 on the volume the bass dies. Idk if I am just tripping or someelse has experienced this? They shop tuned the amp for me and it sounds good just at lower volume

 

[MikeT]

All shallow all in one subs shine the best when they have something they can resonate. Like the whole car, or an empty compartment