hjones4841

Anyone have experience with adding a trunk mounted sub to a non ML stereo in a 2011 LS? Is the stock sub accessible for connection to speaker level inputs on a sub amp? On the fence about doing this and would like advice. Almost happy with factory system but would like more bass. LS is recent purchase CPO and would not want to void warranty. Thanks for your input.

Lextrician

I had a shop do it I used the the rockford fosgate 360, but a shop can get you in the right direction, I tried on my own but was unable to get it to work. maybe someone else will chime in.

Shibumi1

if u have the non ML system theres no need for anything so extravagant as the rockford 360.3.. any l.o.c. (line out convertor) will do.. but yes if you dont have the skills to do it yourself then definitely goto a car audio shop.. they can gain access to the sub leads from the oem sub or the amp on the pass side of the trunk.. removing the oem sub requires removing the rear seat and rear deck lid.. then its a simple matter of choosing products that suit your musical tastes..

good luck

hjones4841

Thanks. I do have the skills, but was wondering about getting access to the sub output of the amp. I agree that the 360 is not needed; I have a MS-8 that was in the previous car, but the imaging of the stock system is just fine for me.

If I do anything I will only add a truck box type sub in the trunk under the package shelf, using the speaker level inputs of the sub amp and perhaps a remote sub level control. Removal and replacement of the stock sub is a little more than I care to do.

I really am pleased with the stock system, but there are times when I wish the sub had a little more power.

Lextrician

only reason i went that route was because i had one laying around, or that would be overkill.

ngerstman

I am visiting from the rx forum. Hello there! I just bought a CPO 2011 rx to replace my 2005 rx. I have always been a high end car stereo guy who loved to put great stereos in my cars. I still have my 2001 Mercedes e55 with around $8,000 worth of stereo including Zapco amps, Pioneer Premier head unit, Focal Utopia speakers and JL audio woofers. I no longer have the energy or the ears(to many Grateful Dead concerts!) to go that crazy any more nor is it really practical to fool with the integrated car stereos any more. I have the 12 speaker non ML stereo in my new rx. I have to say the stereo is not too bad with the tweeter and mid-range being mounted near ear level. But the subwoofer in the rear cargo area really never woofed any where near enough or low enough. So not wanting to go too crazy(yet) I bought a Rockford Fosgate p300-10 powered subwoofer to put in the cargo area. It's pretty compact, only 9.75 deep at the base. I took the speaker leads off the stock woofer into the speaker input on the new subwoofer. Just got it back yesterday. I paid $180 for the sub and the install shop charged me $100 to hook it up. They did a great job. They also installed a Passport radar/laser detector. The new sub, needless to say is way better, not ultimate high by any means but great for the money, better than the no true low end from before. Some of the problems I see are that I don't know if the stock system is equalizing the stock sub(which I disconnected). There is not much one can do about that. Also not sure where the signal is crossed over but I'm assuming around 125 cycles or there about so I set the crossover on woofer all the way up at 200 cycles. Your plan should work with the caveats that I mentioned of not knowing the state of the audio signal to woofers. Are the woofers in the rear deck free air or are they boxed in some way? Let us know how it works out. Hopefully what you want to do doesn't affect warranty. It shouldn't but you never know. Your dealership should support you, they have no reason not to. Warranty expenses don't accrue to them after all. Regards. Ned.

hjones4841

Thanks, Ned. That is kinda what I am thinking. I have a ScanSpeak Discovery 30W/4558T 12 Subwoofer that I took out of the trade-in car as well as a older 12" Hsu car sub, along with a Rockford Fosgate mono amp. So, really all I need is a truck style box to put it in and new wiring. The sub box from the trade-in car is too big for the Lexus trunk.

I, too, am beyond making major mods. With age and arthritis, crawling around in a car interior is not as easy as before

I think I will wait until we take a short road trip to see how luggage, etc., packs in the LS to decide if I can sacrifice the trunk space. Trade-in was a Town Car, which had about 3-4 cu ft more trunk space than the Lexus. (Yeah, I know, going from the Lincoln to the Lexus was quite a trip!!)