amp location question

[smarrohvac]

im looking to get a 4 or 5 channel amp to power my system, where are you guys putting it? i plan to get a sub under one of the back seats, and i want to keep the storage space under the other if possible. any info is appreciated

 

[Etroze86]

Back wall or passenger seat works grear

 

[charonblk07]

^^Correct. Back wall behind the rear seat or under the passenger seat, depending on the footprint of the amp.

 

[smarrohvac]

does the back of the seat fold down? forgive me, ive had kids in it since i picked it up from the dealer and ive never tried to move it.......

 

[wsutard1]

No the back does not fold down. You have to take the seat(s) out to get to it. If you put in risers then you can make them foldable.
I'm actually installing amos right now and debating on putting them on the wall. I'm kind of hesitant since you can't get to them without removing the seat again.

 

[smarrohvac]

thats what i was afraid of, everytime id have to get to the amp for something, id have to pull out the kids seats and unbolt the back seat. it seems like there is a decent amount of room under the driver side seat, has anyone tried that?

 

[autokraftgt]

thats what i was afraid of, everytime id have to get to the amp for something, id have to pull out the kids seats and unbolt the back seat. it seems like there is a decent amount of room under the driver side seat, has anyone tried that?

My sub box required seat spacers...i think 5/8"...but I'd install them regardless if my amps were on the back wall simply for that reason...hopefully you can set the amps and forget about them...but if you have to do something back there....removing the rear seats is not too much fun....gosh, removing and re-installing my sons car seat is enough to send me packing....
The back wall is great for amps....but the seats have to fold down

 

[UNBROKEN]

Once it's installed and you set the gains and any on board crossovers correctly an amp shouldn't have to be touched again. I see no issues with a behind the seat install...it's solid and the amp is well protected. Any tuning after gain setting will be done elsewhere so why even worry about it?
Amps are a set it and forget it item.

 

[Bkhsvt]

putting on the back wall I wouldnt recommend, access to the amp is limited, air flow is bad, possible modifications to the truck, kinda ghetto, i can add more to the list if my case is not met yet....Look up my thread on the box/ amp rack i made it houses one sub, amp in the middle and keeps the other side open for storage.....if you didnt want to put the amp there i suggest under one of the seats with a custom mount that would not involve modifications to the vehicle, i have done this numerous times with MDF and metal brackets to the factory seat....

 

[Bkhsvt]

like. so:

 

[Bkhsvt]

and so:

 

[UNBROKEN]

The airflow is no worse than in a closed trunk. Access should rarely if ever be needed. No permanent mods to the truck are necessary...he can mount a board or even a piece of HPDE
with rivnuts and it'll be perfect.
An amp under a seat is subject to moisture, dirt, getting kicked, etc.
Ghetto may be your opinion...but there's more than one way to skin a cat.

 

[Bkhsvt]

so....no material was cut out behind the seat to mount the board and the rivets secured to....what? sounds like modifications to me. I will gaurantee that the air flow under the seat is better, and being kicked? well i suppose if i leave the seat up and jump up and down ill take your point .... so what if the amp takes a dump... the seat has to come out...what if a fuse blows....haha that darn seat again. yes there are more ways to skin a cat, but there are some ways that are better
oh i forgot about the trunk vs behind seat....unless you jam a board (like a seat) up against the other side of the amp then.....it would be the same. but a trunk is open...so that doesnt compare.

 

[UNBROKEN]

If you're only open to one way of doing things remind me to not visit whatever shop you install at for anything.
Any audio addition will require some form of modification. Rivnuts behind a panel to mount an amp will leave no trace once the amp is removed other than the screw holes in the panel. A new panel thrown in and they disappear forever. There's always some trade off but you can easily make an install reversible.
As far as getting kicked...a large footprint, say AB amp under a seat and the seat moved forward will likely expose some portion of the amp. Surely you can agree with that.
He hasn't said which amp he wants to run...if he's looking for a limited airflow area then he could look at amps with built in fans. Your under seat rack isn't getting much airow either if you think about it. If the seat is folded down it's pretty tight under there.
As far as the amp crashing...valid point but a rare occurence with quality gear and if you're popping fuses at the amp you have another install issue that needs to be solved so that's a poor arguement.
My guess is you work at a quick in and out shop and under seat installs are fast and make more money. I can see that as a necessity on flat rate work for sure. Don't discount other ways of doing things though and don't make poor counterpoints about fuses blowing and stuff because that won't happen in a proper install. I actually don't think I've ever blown a fuse on an amp in over 20 years of installs and competing...none that I can remember and I've had amps in some odd places including inside the dash with zero airflow.

 

[Bkhsvt]

Don't work at a shop that pic just happened to be taken at a friends , ill mount amp where ever it needs to go, but generally speaking id avoid behind the seat, if there is better option, which doesn't make anything narrow minded if you prefer one thing over another now does kit? a lot of people just slap a board back there and silicone it in place or even screw through the damn cab......which makes me sad...if it's gotta go back there I'll do it and it will be good, with the proper precautions. I'm not blowing fuses either but I'm sure a lot of people on here are. So my recomendation is also kept in mind for those who don't have all the experience im the world either.

 

[012RAMbo]

My amp is behind my fold down rear seat....out of sight...not able to be seen, at all...ghetto? Lol I remember the first truck I ever had. It had a home theater sub box sitting on the back seat, WITH THE AMP UNDER THE DRIVER SEAT. Talk about ghetto lol

 

[Dieselhed]

Do a search on the "backseat mod". Works great and allows the seats to be folded down.

 

[myoung84]

I had my amps behind the seats of my 2010 and 2012 and never had a problem. Whenever I get time, I'll be putting the sub amp in that same location on my 2014. I cut a board to the size of the amps and screwed it to the back of the cab. What's the big deal about this method? I've pounded the amps on long drives and never had heat problems. There's a lot more air space behind the seats than there is under the front or rear seats. And in the last two installs, the amps were mounted, gains adjusted, and they weren't seen again until it was time to remove them to trade in the trucks.

So is everyone supposed to build bad ass fiberglass racks to showcase their amps? I don't get why this is a bad spot to install them.

On my 2004, I had the amp under the driver seat and that was a terrible location. It was constantly getting kicked and it ended up tearing up the cables.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note 3.

 

[Bkhsvt]

Screws through the cab.....? Please tell me that isn't how it was mounted. That means screws are going straight through the outside of the truck if I'm reading that correctly...rust anyone??? The ways I've seem them mounted with silicone or screws through the cab is no bueno. It can go behind the seat if it's done well.

 

[autokraftgt]

Put the amps where its best for your application...for me, the back wall was best.
I have four back there and have never had an issue with over-heating in 4 years....and I lean on my system pretty hard. I personally used 3M double sided tape to mount my rack to the wall...it isn't going anywhere, but can be removed if need be.
amps are out of sight, safe, functioning perfectly, and is safe from theft. Under the seat is fine too, I simply chose the back wall.
Ghetto?
I believe ghetto would pertain to HOW something is mounted....not WHERE