CzarR

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Hi, I already have a Helix G one amp and a 12 inch stereo integrity BMK V shallow sub. I am not hands on. Anybody in DFW area that can help me?

1.) Also, will it affect the warranty?
2.) Will the dealerships perform recalls without any concerns.
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Garbanzo

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WARNING: This is a long winded write up of my very simple, easy and fairly inexpensive upgrade for the sub bass of the Mach-E audio system. Once I started typing, I figured I would explain also why I did it not just how I did it.

A couple of days ago, I had no intentions on upgrading the lack of low end bass in the Mach-E. The sound inside this car is decent. Not great and not bad. I have upgraded many, many cars and trucks in the last 51 years I have been driving. I currently have three other vehicles that have much better sound systems that I have upgraded and I drive all of them about equally, except the GT500.

I was finishing up my sound deadening project on the Mach-E (one on of the first things I do to any vehicle besides changing wheels and tires) and in the last trim panel I removed, came across the pathetic, cheap, 6x9 paper cone subwoofer, if you can call it that. I thought to myself, this has got to go. Some cars I revamp the entire system and limit myself to between $5000-$8000 and others I just change out the sub and call it a day. The Mach-E is one of those. I’ve had all the door panels off and even the dash soundbar cover and the speakers in this car are not of the highest quality but they sound decent and get the job done especially if you don’t need to turn it up too loud. Speaking of volume, the amp in this car measures about 5”x5” and powers all the speakers. I am pretty sure it isn’t very powerful so the speakers are obviously very efficient.

My go to sub and sub amp manufacturer is JL Audio. I have been installing their equipment since the early 90’s. No, I have no affiliation with them but I’ve just been a happy customer for all these years. There are many good subs out there and JL is not the only one for sure but they have never let me down and make a quality product here in the US. I also use their subs for my home theaters. They start at $900 and go up to $16,500!!

Back to the Mach-E sub install, I could have gone all different routes. Small 8” with built in amp all the way up to dual 12” subs with a separate amp. This car does not warrant or need that much volume as it would certainly overpower the rest of the system and you are just wasting money. As it is, even the 8” lower powered sub JL makes would be 10x louder and have a lower range than the OEM sub.

While I had a lot of options, I also had a few requirements. 1. Wanted to be able to continue to use the cargo floor in both the upper and lower position in case I needed the extra space. I normally keep the cargo floor in the upper position so it is easier for me to take things in and out and it gives me the room under the floor to have quite a bit of air space for the bass sound to come out thorough the back seats. I can still store the charge cords, electrical air pump, portable battery charger/starter, rags, cleaners, polish, etc. 2. Ease of install. Really no need to install a sub and separate amp as there is more mounting and wiring to do and not really necessary for this system. 3. Cost. While I have no problem spending any amount of money on this project, again unless I were to revamp the entire system, it is not worth it.

JL makes all kinds and sizes of subs and you can usually find something that fits your application. I prefer a sub with a sealed enclosure because I like tight, accurate bass. While sealed enclosures are not as efficient, it will have more than enough volume for this system. Ported enclosures are much more efficient but at the expense of being a boomy and less accurate. This also depends on the type of music you listen to. Classical, Rock and Pop, you probably want a sealed enclosure. Rap and electronic music you might want the ported enclosure. I listen to mainly Rock, Pop and Country.

My sub of choice for the Mach-E was the JL Audio ACS110LG-TW1 Single 10” PowerWedge+ with built in 400 watt RMS amp. I chose this because of the requirements above. Height is only 5” so fits with the cargo floor to the lower position. It has a built in amp so all wiring (only four wires plus volume control cable) terminate at the sub. Cost is $520 for the sub/amp. I did buy the optional remote volume control which I always do with their subs so I can adjust the volume depending on the music I’m listening to. The RBC-1 remote volume control is $45. Total cost including wiring and power fuse was around $610.

Before I removed the OEM sub, I wanted to test the loudness and frequency that it added to the rest of the system. I was sure it was not much but it actually does add some, just not as much as I would like in the lower frequencies which is what the job of a SUBWOOFER is supposed to do. Adjusting the bass setting in the sound settings of the Mach-E actually is controlling more mid-bass and it is centered around 125 Hz. Now after the install I have two controls, the Mach-E mid bass setting and the JL sub bass setting which is centered around 50 Hz.

I set the volume at 15, all three eq settings flat and pumped some pink noise through the system via an app on my iPhone. The analyzer was set to 80db. I was surprised to see how nice and flat the midrange was and the high end looked good too (it is supposed to have a roll off like it shows). In the first two photos of the spectrum analyzer, the first one is without the OEM sub, second one with it. There is only a 2.5 db difference with and without. While it is something, that is not much. As I suspected, most of the bass in this system is coming from the four door speakers. Adding in the OEM sub, just adds a bit more volume to the bass and doesn’t add any more to the low frequencies. The third analyzer photo is after adding the JL sub. Now of course I have the remote volume control and can vary the output but what is more important is the low end frequency. 31.5 Hz is now much higher than it was before and there is also a little more at 63 Hz all with very little effect on the higher bass frequencies. The final analyzer photo is what I ended up with after setting the bass eq of the car up +2 to remove the dip at 250 Hz.

In the past I’ve taken many photos while doing mods on my cars but in the last few years have gotten lazy but mostly forget to do it. Below are a few photos I did take while working on this. Removed the panels and storage bin in the frunk to gain access to the positive terminal of the battery. Ran the blue 8 gauge wire from the terminal to a fuse that I zip tied to the negative battery wire. It was a good location for the fuse and if I ever need to access it I only have to remove the one panel across the back. In one of the large rubber boots in the firewall with a large bundle of wiring going into the interior, there was an area that looked like it was intended for more wires but closed off. I made a small cut in that rubber area and again made another one on the inside of the firewall under the dash to allow the wire to come through (it is a double wall boot). Ran the 12+V wire down behind the left side kick panel, under both front and rear kick plates and to the rear cargo area.

I removed the right trim panel in the cargo area in front of the OEM sub and disconnected the wires to the sub. Attached an 18 gauge speaker wire to the two wires that were going to the sub for my audio input to the JL amp. Green/Violet + and Gray -. Just above the OEM sub is the B&O amp and to the left of it is a ground to the metal wheel well. I also used this grounding point to attach my 8 gauge ground wire for the JL amp.

Next was mounting the remote bass volume control. There are several places in the Mach-E to do this but I generally like to mount the control where I can easily adjust it without reaching to the dash or taking my eyes off the road. I found the perfect spot at the front of the console. The console cover that has the shifter dial and parking brake switch just unsnaps and lifts up. I drilled a 3/8” hole and mounted the control. It is easily adjustable using just one finger and you cannot see the control while seated unless you move the seat all the way forward. Ran the 18' cable along under the left side of the console then under the driver’s carpet then along the underside of the kick panels to the back and popped through the hole I had made for the other wires in corner of the padded floor.

The sub box fits nicely in the area that was occupied by the styrofoam container that housed the air pump and charging cords. I did not bolt down the sub box as being 20 lbs. it is decently heavy and does not slide at all because of the carpeted box on top of the padded floor. The two materials together are like Velcro. It’s not going anywhere especially since there is a cargo floor and a very heavy Lloyds custom fitted carpet above it. I still have room for all the stuff I had below the floor and now there is a real subwoofer too. If I want to drop the cargo floor down to the lower level, I do have to remove the charge cords and roll of paper towels. On the lower level, the cargo floor actually sits on the grill of the subwoofer which sticks up about 3/4". I can remove the grill and then the floor would be flat as it was before but I'd rather keep the grill on the woofer.

How I have the levels and controls set up: The car’s EQ is set to plus 3 on the treble (I like it a bit brighter on the top end), left the midrange alone and bumped up the bass +2 to bring up the 250 Hz that was lacking a bit. On the sub amp I have the input level set half way, crossover frequency set at 50 Hz. The remote sub volume is set around Âœ way which sounds about right for most tracks I listened to . That means since I have the input level on the amp 1/2 way up and the remote volume 1/2 way up, I am using about 1/4 of the volume the sub can put out to match the audio of the OEM system. Tons of volume in reserve if I wanted to produce some rap bass for everyone to hear down the block. The turn on power for the amp is set when it sees an audio signal. I may have to change this if it drains the battery. Have had that happen in the RS if the car supplies signal to the sub for various reasons even when the car isn’t on. I can pull and ignition wire from the B&O amp for the turn on if that is the case.

Ok, done boring everyone with something that could have probably been written in two paragraphs. ?

UPDATE: I posted if using the 12" JL Audio PowerWedge+ sub amp on this post. #14

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First, thank you for this information. It is well done as many have stated. Excuse my rookie brain but where does the “remote turn on“ come from and is didn’t see wire terminated to that terminal on the amp.
 
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markboris

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First, thank you for this information. It is well done as many have stated. Excuse my rookie brain but where does the “remote turn on“ come from and is didn’t see wire terminated to that terminal on the amp.
Hi Gary, you don’t need to use the remote turn on. The amp will automatically turn on when it gets an audio signal and turn off 30 seconds after the signal drops.
 

Garbanzo

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Hi Gary, you don’t need to use the remote turn on. The amp will automatically turn on when it gets an audio signal and turn off 30 seconds after the signal drops.
Hello Mark, Thank You very much. You have given me the confidence to make this happen. I appreciate You. Keep on keepin on. We need people like you.
 

CzarR

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Hi Gary, you don’t need to use the remote turn on. The amp will automatically turn on when it gets an audio signal and turn off 30 seconds after the signal drops.
Hi, I am planning for an Helix G one amp for which I need a remote to turn off the amp. Can you suggest where I can get it from?
 


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markboris

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Hi, I am planning for an Helix G one amp for which I need a remote to turn off the amp. Can you suggest where I can get it from?
You won't need to use a remote turn on/off with the Helix G One amp. Since you will be using the High Level audio input on the amp (OEM Ford sub audio wires go to this input) the amp will automatically turn on and off when it sees a signal. It performs the same way the JL Audio amp that I used.
 

CzarR

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You won't need to use a remote turn on/off with the Helix G One amp. Since you will be using the High Level audio input on the amp (OEM Ford sub audio wires go to this input) the amp will automatically turn on and off when it sees a signal. It performs the same way the JL Audio amp that I used.
Oh ok. Got you. Appreciate the quick response.
 

Zman1750

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Hey folks. I have a GT with the B&O system, and I’d like to add a subwoofer. I have no experience at all with audio systems or wiring anything into a vehicle, so I’m thinking that a Kicker HS8 wired into the 12v outlet as some have mentioned is likely my best option.
My question is: how easy could someone with literally no idea what they’re doing wire that up, and does anyone have a tutorial or pictures to help walk through that install specifically? If not, what do you think I could expect cost-wise for a professional install?

Secondly, would an HS10 fit under the lowered floor cargo space, and would it be powered fine by the 12v, or would I need to stick with the HS8 to check both of those boxes? Thanks in advance!
 

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The amp used in the JL Audio sub I'm using is their DCD Class D which as you know is much more efficient than other amp designs (A, B, AB, etc.). While they might not have the best sound, I feel Class D amps are just fine for a sub. I do however always use Class AB amps for all other channels in my car systems.

JL Audio recommends 8 gauge wire for this particular 400 watt RMS amp which has a 30 amp fuse. At that amperage, if you run a power line less than 16 feet, you can get away with a 10 gauge wire. My power wire length was around 15 feet but I still went with the recommended 8 gauge.

Screenshot 2022-11-17 at 9.58.02 AM.jpg
Hi Mark, Can you recommend a repair manual please? I’m looking online and it appears there are several. Thanks in advance.
 
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markboris

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Hi Mark, Can you recommend a repair manual please? I’m looking online and it appears there are several. Thanks in advance.
Repair manual for the Mach-E?
 

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Repair manual for the Mach-E?
Yes, for the Mach E. I need direction on removing panels. Usually have installs done but think it’ll be fun to do myself after the information you provided. Makes sense to me.
 
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markboris

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mkhuffman

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Hey folks. I have a GT with the B&O system, and I’d like to add a subwoofer. I have no experience at all with audio systems or wiring anything into a vehicle, so I’m thinking that a Kicker HS8 wired into the 12v outlet as some have mentioned is likely my best option.
My question is: how easy could someone with literally no idea what they’re doing wire that up, and does anyone have a tutorial or pictures to help walk through that install specifically? If not, what do you think I could expect cost-wise for a professional install?

Secondly, would an HS10 fit under the lowered floor cargo space, and would it be powered fine by the 12v, or would I need to stick with the HS8 to check both of those boxes? Thanks in advance!
A good start would be to read though this entire thread, starting with the first post. The information you need is all here.
 

Zman1750

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I’m reading that the Kicker HS10 “slightly exceeds” the power supplied by the 12v outlet in the back. My question is by how much? And if it were to be wired to that outlet, as long as it wasn’t blasted at max volume, would it likely be fine?
 

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I’m reading that the Kicker HS10 “slightly exceeds” the power supplied by the 12v outlet in the back. My question is by how much? And if it were to be wired to that outlet, as long as it wasn’t blasted at max volume, would it likely be fine?
Personally I think it likely would be fine. As a backup, find the location of the related fuse in case you have an aggressive listening day and need to do a replacement. Be prepared!
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