Any one add a "Sub" with AMP to factory radio?

[Ram]

Thinking about keeping the stock radio and speakers, but have a question about adding an amp and a sub speaker/s.

 

Has anyone done this and or know if the stock SE radio with NAV has any out put ports on the back of the unit or will this taking someone at a sound shop to splice into the stock wiring harness to get audio outputs for the sub amp? I don't like the idea of a '14 being cut on just yet...

[junior.29.dh]

Funny you should ask as I had done this last year. Short. Answer is no there is no outputs, yes you have to splice into stock wire harness to add a signal converter to make your sound into a signal your amp can read. I bought one for a $100. I hooked everything up no problems till about a month later when my wife told me the car wouldn't start. Turns out the battery was dead. The only thing I can think of is the car being a hybrid doesn't run the alternator all the time to keep the battery charged to run the amp (I even had a farad cap or aka a lighting cap). I'm sure u could probably get another battery like. A optima yellow top and run them in a series and it might b fine. I just took my sub and amp out (left wiring) until I get the stones and ambition to try it out. Hope this post helps u. O and man it sounded good!! Was running a solo baric kicker 12 1200watt sub with a pioneer class d 1000 watt amp the two match up perfect at their rms wattage.

[murphy]

The car doesn't have an alternator. It uses a DC to DC converter to convert the 300 volts of the HVB to 14 volts to charge the battery. The unit(s) that you added need to draw zero current when the car is turned off. They should be connected to a controlled power source, like the 12 volt power sockets, so the car can disconnect the power when the battery gets low.

[Ram]

I've been reading a lot on this forum about these cars, no alternator, no starter, noise reduction in the passenger area. Junior.29.dh, has experienced a dead battery, one thread I read tells about Crutchfield advising not going over 300 or so (could be more or less) watts and not draw over 30 amps due to battery limitations. This thing is starting to give me the willies over whether I should put the money into an amp and sub speaker. I don't know what frequency response is from the stock head unit. I just don't know if their is any good numbers on the low end to make it worth putting this amp and speaker on the car even if its just a small wattage out fit.

[junior.29.dh]

so basically what you are saying is the lightning cap i installed is what ran the battery dead, because it always draws power from the battery to keep itself charged? so theoretically if i take the cap out and only run the amp which will shut off with the radio, and the signal converter (cant remember the actual name of it) which i have on a toggle switch. i should be fine right? i wouldnt be drawing any current off the battery. thank you for helping me helping someone else, lol. i didnt know they didnt have an altenator.

[junior.29.dh]

also one more question when my battery went dead luckily my car was unlocked. how would i have got in short of breaking a window? the only way to get in the car is the auto unlock auto trunk release and the security numbers on the door. all of which do not work if the battery is dead. i had to crawl thru the back seat to get the manual trunk release to jump start the car. also is there somewhere to jump start the car under the hood?

[murphy]

so basically what you are saying is the lightning cap i installed is what ran the battery dead, because it always draws power from the battery to keep itself charged? so theoretically if i take the cap out and only run the amp which will shut off with the radio, and the signal converter (cant remember the actual name of it) which i have on a toggle switch. i should be fine right? i wouldnt be drawing any current off the battery. thank you for helping me helping someone else, lol. i didnt know they didnt have an altenator.

It depends on what tthe loss is in the capacitor. A good capacitor should charge to full voltage and then only draw microamperes to maintain the charge.

[hybridbear]

also one more question when my battery went dead luckily my car was unlocked. how would i have got in short of breaking a window? the only way to get in the car is the auto unlock auto trunk release and the security numbers on the door. all of which do not work if the battery is dead. i had to crawl thru the back seat to get the manual trunk release to jump start the car. also is there somewhere to jump start the car under the hood?

On the driver's door handle there is a little cap that you can remove to insert the key

[murphy]

also one more question when my battery went dead luckily my car was unlocked. how would i have got in short of breaking a window? the only way to get in the car is the auto unlock auto trunk release and the security numbers on the door. all of which do not work if the battery is dead. i had to crawl thru the back seat to get the manual trunk release to jump start the car. also is there somewhere to jump start the car under the hood?

Page 43 of the second printing of the owner's manual describes how to remove the cap from the driver's door handle that hides the key cylinder. The key blade is inside of the intelligent access key.

 

There are terminals under the hood for jump starting the car or charging the 12 volt battery. Page 235 "Jump-starting the vehicle".

[acdii]

Put a relay in to provide power to the amp and converter that is tied to the power outlets so it shuts completely off when the car is shut off.

[junior.29.dh]

What kind of relay? Could I just run /splice the power cord to the 12 volt socket power straight to the amp or will that not work? I had the power coming off the battery to the cap then to the amp before. My signal converter was on a toggle switch, and the amp shuts off with the radio. The cap was the only thing that was m we still "on". The only other thing I can think is the amp was drawing more current than the battery was receiving. Is that right and by connecting to the 12 volt socket power will that solve the problems. Thanks

[acdii]

You would put the relay between the battery and cap, and energize it from a key on 12v source. You would use a relay that is rated above the max amp of the sub.

[Ram]

What kind of relay? Could I just run /splice the power cord to the 12 volt socket power straight to the amp or will that not work? I had the power coming off the battery to the cap then to the amp before. My signal converter was on a toggle switch, and the amp shuts off with the radio. The cap was the only thing that was m we still "on". The only other thing I can think is the amp was drawing more current than the battery was receiving. Is that right and by connecting to the 12 volt socket power will that solve the problems. Thanks

http://www.amazon.com/Volt-SPDT-Automotive-Relay-40-AMP/dp/B0073W8BTA%3FSubscriptionId%3DAKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q%26tag%3Dduckduckgo-d-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB0073W8BTA

 

This is not the exact relay that I've used in the past wiring my projects, but this will work.