KickPanel Query

[jinu_joseph]

Hi Folks

I have read in various sites that the best place for the Front Speaker is not in the door but in kickpanels in the front below the steering. Please advice on the following:
- Are kickpanels made with the class and finish as seen in foreign countries.
- Are they safe for the speakers, it looks like it is prone to more damage due to accidental kicking etc ..
- How expensive is it ?
- Any body know any place that makes it in Mumbai.

Thanks and Regards
Jinu

[Bass&Trouble]

What do you mean by international standards? They make it from fiberglass, and so do we. What's the difference? The critical part is to get the aiming of the drivers right.

Kickpods are regarded as better than door panels for the simple reason that speakers can be positioned further away from the front passengers, rather than firing into knees and shins. Amongst the best cars I have heard installed with immaculate front soundstaging and imaging have had speakers in kickpanels. In some big cars, the path of the sound waves also remains unobstructed for both passengers because of the positioning. However, since the volume is small, it is not recommended to use very large drivers, or play them too low in the bass, they are prone to developing a hump in the higher bass regions.

In most Indian cars, cramped spaces don't allow for large drivers to be installed. In the US, the advantage is that most cars are automatic transmission LHDs, so they dont have a clutch pedal on the left hand side, so there's sufficient room for the leg. In RHD manual transmission cars, the accelerator pedal could end up perilously close to the right side kickpod.

I would advise using mids and tweeters with robust grilles to be used in kickpods to avoid kicking a hole in them.

It could turn out expensive because it has to be custom built for every car, mid/ tweeter front plate size. That said, there is no choice, because you cant build a kickpanel out of anything else.

I know a few hobbyists in Bombay who play with fiberglass for car audio purposes. One of them would be me.

[anToNIcHeN]

Can you fit a kick panel in a Accent?... If yes, where would you fit / build it? can some one explain it with a diagram / picture?

regards,
ant.

[jinu_joseph]

Hi Bass&Trouble


By International Standards I mean that the kickpanel/pod once installed should look like asthough its part of the car as it came from the factory and not something that was patched on later.

Do you do this commercially or as a hobby, in either case would appreciate if you could share some more info in this. The car audio guys in my area know how to install, but nothing about kickpanels etc..

[Bass&Trouble]

Originally Posted by jinu_joseph

Hi Bass&Trouble


By International Standards I mean that the kickpanel/pod once installed should look like asthough its part of the car as it came from the factory and not something that was patched on later.

Do you do this commercially or as a hobby, in either case would appreciate if you could share some more info in this. The car audio guys in my area know how to install, but nothing about kickpanels etc..

To match it with the interiors, you would want to drape it with the same flooring carpet that came with the car. That would integrate the look. Some people would finish it with body filler and paint it.

Umm, if I find the time, I could take it up. No promises. Which car, which speakers? Which area are you from?

[jinu_joseph]

Car is Chevy Aveo, Area - Mulund. Speakers and works, still havent decided. I have asked for help from the forum in another thread. Which area are you from ?

[jkdas]

With good damping your speakers will work fine at the OE pods.

Browse around to know how a door is damped. There are many pix around here

[929RON]

Contact Anwar or Asif from Bangalore, they are the only ones I have seen do Kickpanel installations which look like they were made by the company,
Both done on Swifts, Mumbai does not have any installer as good as them,
And these guys are International Standard and sometimes better than International.
One downside, since our cars are not that wide, getting into and climing out of the car , one has to be careful not to touch their shoes on the Speaker grill,
Upside : As B&T said, can sound blissful if positioned right

[navin]

I have yet to see a kickpanel doene will the kind of finishing you expect. The Accent has more room than most cars it's size but still I wouldnot advise using aything larger than 5" in it's kick panel.

an alternate (if you going the fiberglass route anyway) is to rebuilkd the door panel out of fiberglass with room to install a 6" 3 way. This way the 6" woofer can be kept low and a 2 way (producing everything above 250Hz or so) can be located higher up.

[Autophile]

Accomodating large midbasses in kickpanels of Indian cars is very difficult because of space constraints. Though one can use kickpanel for midrange driver if the front stage is 3-way (the midbass stays in stock door location)

[low_bass_makker]

http://www2.hemsida.net/bilstereo/2003/63_Midbass.html

http://www.elitecaraudio.com/install...ages/index.php

here are simple steps for making a kick pod........

[navin]

Originally Posted by low_bass_makker

http://www2.hemsida.net/bilstereo/2003/63_Midbass.html
here are simple steps for making a kick pod........

wow. a variovent as well!

[low_bass_makker]

ya navin ji the whole install done is superb job. I liked the way he installed the hu very good job. and this man is a championship winner.......

[Bass&Trouble]

Originally Posted by 929RON

Mumbai does not have any installer as good as them,

Bambai waalon ki to vaat laga daali mamu!

Sam, did you see that? Do you suggest we both sit on him?

[navin]

Anwar is very good B&T.