A Few Questions...

Hey guys. I'm Scott.

I'm a car audio nut, and have been for the past few years. You'll probably find out that I am quite knowledgable in the realm of car audio, and I'm also here to help. I've done a ton of work on my 94 Protege, but my parents are going to give it to my brother, as he is graduating college this semester.

At first I was pissed... but then they said they are planning on picking up another car in the $10-12K range to replace it, and will be given to me when I graduate college.

The first car I thought of was a 6th gen accord coupe. I've always loved these cars. I'd get an EX (4cyl, 5spd).

I have a few questions for you guys.

What are the dimensions of the trunk opening (from the rear seats, not from the trunk lid itself)? I need to know this, because I recently completed an IB install of a eD 16ov2 sub, (pics here) and I really want to transfer this over to the new car.

Is it a big deal to make a 3/4" MDF spacer for the doors? Will the door panel fit back on? Is it easily trimmed? I read that the Accords have shallow doors... I'm used to it in my Protege. I have eDi 6500's in my protege, and I would like to bring these over to the new car.

What size alternator comes with the 4cyl model? I am running an eD NINe.1 (@ 2 ohms) and an ARC 200.2 (4 ohms stereo) for amps, and need ample power. I have a 65A alt in my protege... hopefully the Accords are stronger.

For those of you with subs and midbass-heavy component systems, do you notice alot of rattling, or is the Accord coupe a pretty solid car? I already have about 200 sq ft of sound deadening in my Protege (God, not looking forward to doing that again ), so I know that this will need to be done.

What size DIN (1, 1.5, or 2 DIN) is the HU?

Is there ample space on the 5-speed models for kickpanels (something I plan on doing in the future)?

Is there a fair amount of road noise (stock, with no sound deadening or anything)?

Sorry for all the questions... but I have a few more, non-car-audio related.

Is the 4cyl, 5spd model really wimpy? I don't need to be running 11's or anything, just enough to zip around?

In the coupe, is there a reasonable amount of headroom? I'm a big guy, 6'5", 240.

Is there a reasonable amount of legroom in the backseat?

How does the car handle (stock)? Tons of body roll, or somewhat stiff?

I guess that about sums it up... I don't expect any of you to answer all the Q's, but I'm just looking for some help on a car I am new to. If you have any questions on 1st gen proteges, I could help you out there

What size DIN (1, 1.5, or 2 DIN) is the HU?

A: the h/u is all din comatable, haha, basically you can put a 1, 1.5, or 2 din in there.

Is there ample space on the 5-speed models for kickpanels (something I plan on doing in the future)?

A: yes, theres room. i think q-logic makes kickpanels for our cars?

Is there a fair amount of road noise (stock, with no sound deadening or anything)?

A: its not too bad

Is the 4cyl, 5spd model really wimpy? I don't need to be running 11's or anything, just enough to zip around?

A: its good, i have a 4 banger auto, but just dont get the v6, unless you wanna spend most of your money on tranny replacements.

In the coupe, is there a reasonable amount of headroom? I'm a big guy, 6'5", 240.

A: hmm, not sure, i have a sedan, but i think the sedans are a bit taller inside then the coupes. the coupes windshield has a higher angle rake then the sedans.

Is there a reasonable amount of legroom in the backseat?

A: in my sedan there is, but im not sure about the coupe.

How does the car handle (stock)? Tons of body roll, or somewhat stiff?

A: well, my first car, also the car i had before the accord, was a 91 continental with OEM airbag suspension, soo yea, tons of body roll with that, so this car feels like a race car to me, hahaha. but yea, its gots a little bit more body roll then i would like, but thats why im gonna lower it this year hopefully.


i hope i helped you out a little bit. in my car i just have a basic h/u, amp, and sub set up, haha, nothing special. im getting more into performance these days, haha, its more fun to me to push my car to the limits.

wassup man? i notice youre located in milwaukee...you go to uw-m? im up in mequon. anyway, ill answer a couple of questions sketch didnt answer. i have the exact car he does (even the color haha) so i dont know about the dimensions of the trunk.

a 3/4" spacer might be pushing it. the door panel can be trimmed, but only a little bit. the opening in the door is only 2" deep, and you might be able to create 3/4" of more depth total (by trimming the weather shield behind the speaker). and thats a big MIGHT.

the alternator is 80a i believe. how manys amps do your amps pull? lol

personally, my car rattles quite a bit. the passenger front speaker grille, the rear package shelf, the spoiler (INSIDE it haha), and the sunroof at some frequencies. my trunk is pretty solid though. id suggest deadening the doors (or kickpanels) and the trunk lid itself, and possibly under the rear deck.

the hu is double din (as most japanese cars). theres a mount kit that converts is to single din with a 3 cd pocket underneath. no cds are going into mine--my epicenter remote is in there. crappy pic:

and if youre wondering, a 7" monitor will fit in the space, or something like a pioneer avic d2 can go in there too.

kickpanels:
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-zapmGCy0OiD/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=182850&I=044K60061

hope this helps, and hope to see you drivin a coupe before long!

Thanks a bunch guys.

Yeah, I go to school @ UWM... I am originally from Minneapolis though.

With those Q-forms... is there any way to get them to fit 6.5"?

ahh, nice. finally, someone else from the midwest.

about the kickpanels, this is from the link i posted earlier. you click on the "crutchfield hands-on research" tab and it says this:

Installation

Compatible Speaker Sizes: You can mount a tweeter with a maximum diameter of 2-1/2". The midrange/midbass section of the Q-Forms is made to accept speaker sizes ranging from 3-1/2" to 5-1/4". The maximum frame width/diameter allowable for the midrange/bass driver is 6-1/8", so a few 6-1/2" units may fit. Our database contains information relating to cutout requirements, frame width, and mounting depth for all of our speakers, so please check with a Crutchfield Product Advisor before ordering if you wish to use 6-1/2" speakers in these kick panels.

so idk what would fit because the basket might be too big. i honestly didnt even look to see that it only went up to 5.25" since these were the only kicks that i found. i spose some 6.25s would fit. if you go down a little father it says that you need to cut the holes out in any case but... i hope mine would fit. if i cant get em in the doors, im going to have to buy these. my speakers are about 2.6" tall so they might fit. im going to wait until may to put them in when im back home so i can put an amp on them right away. and im sure if youd call about what would fit, theyd have no idea unless they stock that brand and model. so they couldnt tell you about your speakers, neither could they confirm if mine would fit (mb rce 216). if you need to make some kicks you could always play with fiberglass. from the sounds of it, youve done some fabrication already so it shouldnt be a problem (just some work).