Erick G

does anybody make kickpanels for the lexus gs400?
do kickpanels make a huge difference?

thanks

erick

Kyle Harty

iTrader: (17)

I don't know of anyone that makes pre-mades for a GS, but you could have a set custom made by a shop for around $400, give or take. Custom kicks will have much better results than pre-made since they are designed specifically for your speakers and listening positition.

I'm an advocate of kickpanels, I wouldn't do my own car without them; but it depends on what you're going for and how picky you are. Properly aimed kickpanels will give you great soundstaging and imaging, which can be incredible when done well. If you don't really care much about staging, kickpanels would probably be a waste; my suggestion would be to try and listen to a car with nice kicks and see if it's something you're willing to put time or money for.

If you're interested in DIY, I did a step-by-step tutorial on kickpanels from my old car, you can see it at members.cardomain.com/kyle_harty

Mean Gene

Erick - Well, if U've seen my pics in the GS Forum or Percy's Audio Primer U'll see my stance on kicks!! They really made a big difference in the front staging ( just as Kyle says ). Percy doesn't care for them too much as it does have a slight "frowning" effect; that is, they can tend to lower the stage height. However, I just put a set of 1" silk dome tweets in the A-pillars ( not Dyns but Diamond Audio ) & attenuated them down so that they don't scream at ya. This brought the staging back up to roughly ear level & the kicks kept both sides hitting the driver equally. This is a tradeoff - if ya aim them to maximize things for the driver ( & for competition ) then the passenger side isn't quite as good ( but much better than w/o kicks ). It's almost like the music is coming from just beyond the front windshield ( got max points for staging at every USAC event I entered last year ). Q-Logic doesn't make them for ANY Lexus that I'm aware of but if ya don't mind spending some time with a laser pointer & long dowels, U can get them aimed perfectly! Another advantage to custom making them is U can make them to fit any size components that U have. I think the prefab ones from Q-Logic only take 5.25" drivers & I wanted my 6.5" Focals in there so i had no choice. Took me about a full day to rough in a pair ( used 1/2" MDF for the speaker mounting & 1/4" fiberboard for the surrounding edges ). Then another 2-3 hours with the pointer & dowels for aiming. Didn't like the other option of HLCD's ( too close to my knees ) & I was gonna add a small center channel just for the Dolby 5.1 processing ( plenty of room in the center of the dash to bottom mount one ). Right now it sounds so good I don't see the need for the center speaker!

lex400sc

My friend made kick panels for his GS400 and used a matching wood veneer as his trim. Looks very nice I think. He's using Boston Proseries 6.53s all around and the cigarette lighter doubles as an NF attenuator when you twist it side to side. I'll snap some pics of his car tomorrow if I get the time.

sirsomo

Erick, I would do kicks if I were you. Like Gene and Kyle said a lot of it depends on the quality of install, more specifically aiming. Some installers will "mark" where your head is when you drive to get the best positioning. If done right your imaging and staging should be fine. Im not aware of any pre-fabbed enclosures, maybe check the Aristo? In my last car, I used Q-Logic but beefed them up with fiberglass and mdf. You might be able to modify another kick panel, but it would better just to do it custom.

When I used to do IASCA shows the majority of competitors used kicks, but its been a few years. Guys were winning shows with 5 speakers in their car. Im sure it hasnt changed that much, maybe you should check out some big sq shows and see what works best for you.
Good luck.