Spare tire sub

OK gurus. So how does something like the JBL Basspro Hub work acoustically? IB?

Daughter has a VW Beetle and not much room for a sub. Might even consider losing the spare tire and jack and using the well. Just brainstorming for some ideas at this point. Thanks in advance.
 
Assume it's a long throw 'pancake' sub woofer driver with amp/DSP, i.e. a different shape Carver Sunfire except maybe no PR. IIRC it was Brian Steele that long ago made a fiberglass mold of his vehicle's spare tire well to create a subwoofer, so with today's components you can build a functionally same one as the JBL Hub and similar: pancake subwoofers - Google Search

GM
 
That JBL Basspro Hub thing is basically an active subwoofer that bolts into your spare tire (assuming that your car's spare tire faces down into the trunk, rather than upwards - I'm not sure it will work in that scenario). It's a small unit with its volume limited by the volume in your spare tire's rim.

As GM mentioned, I built my own spare tire well enclosure using fiberglass and wood, and mounted two 12" drivers in it (sealed enclosure). If you going to try this route, work with someone who's experienced in doing fiberglass work, in order to get the best results.

More information about what I did here - The Subwoofer DIY Page v1.1 - Projects : Hyundai Tucson audio upgrade
 
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or just turn the spare into a sub!
 
You don't want your daughter to get a flat somewhere and be stuck without a way to get out of there. Not just talking about convenience, but potentially her safety.

Tony.

There's no reason why inclusion of a new location for the spare tire can't be included in the design. In my case, I strap the spare tire down securely in the trunk on top of the subwoofer box when I don't need to use the trunk, and when I do, there's the can of "Fix a Flat" that I keep in the toolkit.
 
Tony and Lord, yes, safety first but 'tis a different era now. I had to look it up but 50% of new cars do not come with a spare now. Cell phones, AAA, etc. I actually forgot about fix a flat. I will get a can... I also researched when you call a tow company for a flat they plug the tire on the spot and do not use the spare. Of course, sidewall or big problems would then turn into a tow. Daughter is just now driving and local, plus we live a small town so odds are I will end up tire change duty anyhow.



Interestingly, VW actually makes a sub and they can factory tune. $600 plus install... I am curious to start simming stuff and see if DIY is even a better solution. Also, might even leave the spare alone and just do a small shallow box. Tons of active setups pretty cheap and not looking to win an SPL contest.
 
No man, it’s not so much safety as the bloody cost, which you as dad and sub provider will no doubt have to pick up... 😀

I am a German and Italian car man, those bastards have had fun flat tires for years now and they are the biggest pain in the *** you can imagine.

I hate them with a passion that borders on obsession. 😀
 
"That escalated quickly". All good guys.



Not 100% sure about anything. Might even throw some better drivers in the doors and forgo the sub. For now, I really want to see what kind of bass I can get from the spare tire well "on paper". Might not even be that good. From my research the well is 1.5ft3.
 

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I knew it was high in some Honda, etc., size late model cars [made a TH believer out of my neighbor behind me when blew out his rear window on a hot Summer day several years ago], but my only trunk 'sub' was in a 70-1/2 Camaro and it sounded fine for us, though didn't have much gain at all using a pair of Radio Shack 12" 'HIFI' woofers doped to protect them a bit. Didn't measure it, but definitely < in room corner loading that can only peak out at +9 dB.

GM
 
"That escalated quickly". All good guys.



Not 100% sure about anything. Might even throw some better drivers in the doors and forgo the sub. For now, I really want to see what kind of bass I can get from the spare tire well "on paper". Might not even be that good. From my research the well is 1.5ft3.

Apologies for my part in the thread’s downfall, I simply didn’t see what business of another’s it is what a man does for his children.

In addition to having to get recovered three times in 6 months through not having a spare I found that the upwards facing sub position that using a spare wheel well dictated didn’t sound as good as having the sub pointing backwards in the trunk.

I got around the low volume by using two tens in an isobaric sealed box, with 1.25 cu. ft You could use something like a JL audio 12w0 or w3 sealed and meet their own box spec easily.

An 8W7, though expensive, would rock in that wheel arch space box I posted earlier and keep the spare.