[TheStig]

Hello everyone!

I recently booked a Toyota Fortuner and I would like to change the stock ICE with a upgraded one.
I intend to change the head unit and the speakers. I'm not interested in a subwoofer as it will take away the boot space.

I have a few queries though, will I be able to continue using the steering mounted audio controls with the new ICE?
I was told that I would be able to do that by installing some sort of a 'sensor'. I really dont understand what that is.

I would really appreciate it if someone can explain to me what this is and also give me some ideas about the possible head units and speakers to use.
I prefer a touchscreen head unit and the budget is not an issue

[nitinbose]

Hi,
The steering controls would surely work. There are two ways to go about this:

(1). Install the suitable PAC adaptor which interfaces to the existing controls. This may be slightly expensive.
(2). An infrared remote control adaptor is available, which would be installed in the steering. This is quite small in size, so you dont have worry about the SRS bags or any other system getting affected. This control would be connected (plugged) to the steering controls and the other end is the infrared sensor which would be hidden in your roof lights. The sensor would be connected to the rear side of the HU. I have installed mine in this manner.

You may definitely install another HU in place of your stock HU, without worrying about any dashboard adaptors as in some other cars.

I have installed Hertz speakers, amplifiers and the Pioneer AVH-P-3250DVD.

You may ommit the AMP, if you're not going to play at loud volumes as the HU is quite powerful. the 4250 is also a good choice.

Please feel free to contact me for further assistance. You may also visit my thread (speakers for innova stock speakers - i guess that's the name, not sure, you may check my name next to the post).

Nitin.

[wysiwyg25]

I am planning to upgrade stock civic speakers. Intend to keep the stock HU.

Please advise on the following packages.

Option 1:
Rockford Fosgate Power T400-4 400 watt multi channel amplifier
Rockford Fosgate Power T1652-S 6.5" Power T1 Component Speakers
Rockford Fosgate Power T1652 6.5" Full Range Coaxial Speakers
Price: Rs. 26K

Option 2:
Rockford Fosgate Punch 400-Watt Multi-Channel Amplifier
Rockford Fosgate Punch P1652-S 6.5-Inch Component Speakers
Rockford Fosgate Punch P1692 6 x 9-Inches Full Range Coaxial Speakers
Price: Rs. 17K

Option 3:
Rockford Fosgate Prime R300-4 300 Watt Multi Channel Amplifier
Rockford Fosgate Prime R1652-S 6.5-Inch Component Speaker System
Rockford Fosgate Prime R1682 6x8-Inch Full Range coaxial Speakers
Price: Rs. 10K


Thanks for your help

[CJP]

Nitinbose is right about the steering wheel controls for the HU. There is one more possibility, some HUs e.g. Eclipse CD5100, CD7200 come with adaptors that can directly be hooked into the vehicle's steering wheel controls.

for ideas about potential equipment choices, please do read up the several threads on Innova ICE projects. The Fortuner and the Innova are very similar vehicles from an ICE standpoint.

Alternately, if you are happy with the stock headunit, you could change the stock speakers and add a nice amp, several amps come with high level inputs. And there are several subwoofers that can be mounted under seats or in constrained spaces.

My Innova ICE story is here and a more advanced discussion on Time Alignment / Coherence is here.

As for the actual choice of a headunit as a replacement to your stock - I would actually recommend some reading and homework, possibly list out the features that you absolutely want in your replacement and then look for the right unit. My two cents

All the best with your quest and a happy install at the end of it!

[BIBIN004]

Checked if there was a existing thread related to ICE-ing a Fortuner and could not find any & hence started off.

The stock HU on my Fortuner was doing it's job pretty well for about 7 months and slowly I started discovering some of the limitations of the system. To name a few

-Video does not play once the handbrake is released.
-Screen size/clarity too less for viewing.
-Does not read movies from USB.

The next step was to invest on a HU which would pave way for future upgrades.Checked through a couple of HU's and finally decided on Pioneer AVH-X8590 BT. Got this installed and had to have some additional set of adapters to make the steering controls/reverse camera work.

I'm looking forward to getting a good ICE setup in my Fortuner which would unleash the full potential of the HU. Being a novice in this area, it would be really helpful if someone can throw some light on what a good ICE setup [Speakers (Component/Coaxial etc.)Subs (Ported/Enclosed), Amps, Wiring, Damping,Head Rest/Rooftop monitors (max inch possible) with DVD player ] with their fixture positions and brands for a Fortuner would look like.

Some of the good brands I have heard, being installed are Infinity Kappa Reference, Rock Ford Fosgate, Ground Zero,JBL etc. but not really sure on what would suit best for the FORTUNER.

Really appreciate some expert advice from the Gurus & if possible suggest a good place where this can be done in Bangalore since I have heard that a lot lies in tuning etc.

[Akshay1234]

Didn't the stock HU have video outputs? You could have attached screens to that.

Anyway since you have changed, I would suggest you get headrest monitors, since the second ac system is on the roof. The screen would have to be placed very far in front if it is to be a roof screen.

I think you can get 6.5 or 7" headrest monitors.

Everything depends on your budget. Ideally I would suggest 2 sets of 6.5" component speakers for the 4 doors, the brand etc depends on which sound you like the best. A 4 channel amp to power this.

And a sealed sub (12" probably), unless you like loads of bass in which case go for a ported sub. A sealed sub would also sound tighter. A monoblock or 2 channel amp to power this.

And yes damping on all 4 doors will be great.

As long as you go to a reputed installer, the wiring and installation method should be just fine.

[Diamond_dawg]

Check out this post

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/ask-gu...ml#post3255179

[amolpol]

Originally Posted by BIBIN004

I'm looking forward to getting a good ICE setup in my Fortuner which would unleash the full potential of the HU.

Really appreciate some expert advice from the Gurus & if possible suggest a good place where this can be done in Bangalore since I have heard that a lot lies in tuning etc.

Bibin,

The short answer to your question is - it depends on the budget you have and the type of music you typically listen to.

To unleash the full potential of the HU, you could spend anywhere between 40k upto 200k or even more. This section of the forum can particularly prove to be very dangerous when you don't have a specified budget or requirements.

The simplest setup would mean you get a set of components on both front and rear doors since there's no way you can mount a 3-way speaker without making it look ugly and take up additional space in the boot. The choices in the 6.5" components is very wide and it mainly dependent on the budget and sometimes on the typical characteristics of certain brands for eg. some speakers may be typically brighter than others etc.

My experience with JBL GTO, Infinity Reference and now the Infinity Kappa series components has been pretty good so I have developed a sort of brand loyalty. But, if you need more premium then Focal or JL Audio should be good I guess. Then there are Rockford Fosgate, Kicker and a lot of other good brands to choose from as well. It's best to audition the speakers before you settle in for something that you haven't heard before. The better the quality - the higher the price is the mantra in general when it comes to audio systems because of the materials used in construction.

If you need full range of music, then you'll need to add in a subwoofer to your component system which also means that you now need amplifiers for your setup since the HU won't be able to drive the subwoofer directly. Again, you could choose the amplifier based on the speakers you have chosen and the size and specs of subwoofer you're using etc. Every company has their amplifier range and you could choose from Pioneer to JBL to Infinity and the more premium Audison to suit your requirements and budget. IMHO, it's best to have a separate 4-channel amp and a mono amp since it helps in fine tuning your system more accurately than with a bridged channel setup. The amplifier has to have enough output on each channel to power the speakers or the subwoofer you're connecting to it - the higher the better isn't always required here since you'll mostly listen at less than half of the available volume range.

Overall, since you already have the HU figured out,

• You could choose component systems for the doors starting from 5-7k a pair to begin with and go upto 20-25k for a pair for the so-called premium offerings.
• Next up would be a subwoofer that will cost you between 5-15k depending on what brand you choose. The 12" sub was a very tight fit in the Fortuner and my advise would be to stick to a 10-inch sealed enclosure for tighter bass and space saving.
• 4 channel amps would range from 8-10k to begin with some decent options and go upto 25-50k for really nicer ones.
• Same with mono amps - start at around 7-8k for the decent ones and go upto 20-25k for the more premium ones.
• Damping will cost you about 5-7k depending on how generously you ask them to use the sheets.
• Installation should be about 1-2k since there is no additional work apart from cabling and fitting speakers etc in stock positions.
• If you're keen on video, then the headrest monitors are a good buy, I wouldn't advise on the roof mounted screens for obvious reasons.
• The HU has dual zone playback which means that you could listen to some music on the front speakers and play a movie on the headrest screens at the back.
• Net-net, keep aside about 70-80k minimum for the entire setup and you shall come home like a happy man! Of course, there's no upper limit to the happiness and the more you spend, the more you'll smile.

Oh and not to forget, the HU you have can only be unleashed fully once you have the AppRadio cable to connect to your Iphone or "select" Android phones. The cable costs about 4-5k here and about $60 in the US. I just missed my opportunity to have someone buy it from Amazon, will wait for the next time now (can't justify 5K for an interface cable).

Last but not the least, tuning your system would depend on the kind of music you listen to. A lot of options are also available in the HU that can be customized for different kinds of music, so all you need is someone knowledgeable enough to get the basic settings right on the amps and you can always keep refining it later on. It's not all rocket science you see.

On where to get the work done, I'd always recommend Sachin's Autoshop since that's where I go for all my audio needs. But you can look up Thouqueer and/or Satya on TBHP, they're both very reputed names in Bangalore.

Good luck with your purchase!

PS> If you want, you could listen to the setup I have and see how it feels. It'll atleast give you an idea of what you want different even if you don't like it. PM me your number and we can catch up someday when I'm on your side of town or you're in and around my area.

[columbus]

Originally Posted by amolpol

Net-net, keep aside about 70-80k minimum for the entire setup and you shall come home like a happy man! Of course, there's no upper limit to the happiness and the more you spend, the more you'll smile.

The cable costs about 4-5k here and about $60 in the US.

It's not all rocket science you see.

Bibin thanks for starting this thread.

An Amol thanks a lot for your inputs. I am right now sailing in the same boat as Bibin. My Fortuner will be 3 years old in November. And with any warranty issues becoming redundant i am now thinking of going for an ICE upgraded.

I generally listen to warm sound. I like my system to have a very controlled treble and tight bass. No boom and no chan chan..! Since i drive sometimes for 12-24 hrs at a stretch i like fatigue free ( for ears ) speakers.
I listen to 70s-80s rock, Rehman, Gazhals, Hindi classics, RD Burman and anything which please my ears.

OK Budget first : 75K max including the head unit. Can be upped a little if there is improvement in sq expected .

Head unit finalised : Pioneer 8590 BT
Front comps : Infinity 6500 cs ( open for change )
Rear coax : not decided yet
Amp 4 channel : JBL 646 ( open for change )
Mono block for sub : ( not yet decided )
Sub : Ground zero 10" sealed enclosure ( finalised based on your report )
Damping : Dynamat
Wiring
Steering adaptor


Now the head unit is around 29-30 K. So that leaves me 45K for the rest of the stuff.

Qs

1. What functionality does one loose by putting a steering adaptor ?
2. Will it make a difference in sound if i choose a JBL GTO series amp ? Price diff is about 4.5K
3. Speaker recommendations. Can up the budget slightly
4. How do you use the AutoEq setup. Do i need a special CD and mike ?
5. Amp and mono block recommendations
6. Can two head rest monitors be connected ?
7. Whats the benefit of high volt outs ?
8. What precautions to be observed vis a vis a fortuner during installation
wiring / relays etc ?

Thanks

It sure is rocket science for novice like us

[amolpol]

Originally Posted by columbus

OK Budget first : 75K max including the head unit. Can be upped a little if there is improvement in sq expected .

Head unit finalised : Pioneer 8590 BT
Front comps : Infinity 6500 cs ( open for change )
Rear coax : not decided yet
Amp 4 channel : JBL 646 ( open for change )
Mono block for sub : ( not yet decided )
Sub : Ground zero 10" sealed enclosure ( finalised based on your report )
Damping : Dynamat
Wiring
Steering adaptor

Now the head unit is around 29-30 K. So that leaves me 45K for the rest of the stuff.

Here's what you can start exploring with keeping your budget in mind:

HU - 8590BT - 29k
Front Compos - JBL / Infinity / Focal - 10k
Rear Compos/2-way - JBL/Focal - 6k
Damping - 6k
Wiring/Installation - 3k
4-ch Amp - JBL GTO - 10k
Mono Amp - JBL GTO - 7k
Sub w/enclosure - 10" GZ - 5k (I'd suggest 10" Kappa if you can get it)
Steering adapter - 3.5k (you could source a PAC adapter cheaper from US if thats an option)
Total ~ 70-75k

I'm no ICE guru here but will attempt to answer your questions to the best of my knowledge. I hope some of the stalwarts will take notice of this thread soon and pour some of their knowledge to make it more resourceful.

Originally Posted by columbus

What functionality does one loose by putting a steering adaptor ?

Except for the fact the steering controls won't work directly if you install aftermarket HU, nothing! I was initially going down this path of having all the steering buttons disabled, but my wife insisted that she'd like to retain some functionality atleast.

2. Will it make a difference in sound if i choose a JBL GTO series amp ? Price diff is about 4.5K

Honestly, I'm not sure but GTO is a much popular series and even though you may have peak power lower than the 646, I'd still suggest GTO based on the feedback on those products so far. The amp is a long term investment and 4-5k price differential won't be felt as much. I'm using the same Blaupunkt 4-ch amp for more than 7 years and it's doing duty on the third car now and yet going strong.

3. Speaker recommendations. Can up the budget slightly

Check the Focal range since you needed a bit warmer sound. The Infinity Ref series may be a bit bright from my experience with them in the i10, and even the Kappas can get really sharp at times. The Kappas are the best on the JBL/Infinity range and I can testify based on real life usage.

4. How do you use the AutoEq setup. Do i need a special CD and mike ?

The system comes with a mic for the AutoEQ setup, no CD is required. Its not a perfect process since without DSP the system wont let you choose the default listening position, but works just fine to get the right level of adjustments to the EQ setup.

5. Amp and mono block recommendations

4ch with 150 per channel should be good, for most speaker setups. I'd recommend JBL GTO in the economy range, but there could be other equivalent options based on price. I'm not aware of the market prices so can't comment with details. I'm also a bit biased towards JBL/Harman.

6. Can two head rest monitors be connected ?

Yes, I don't think that should be an issue.

7. Whats the benefit of high volt outs ?

Better clarity due to lesser signal distortion going into the amp. Nothing beyond that really.

8. What precautions to be observed vis a vis a fortuner during installation
wiring / relays etc ?

Get a wiring harness to avoid cutting/splicing wires. Use scosche or equivalent wiring kits for long lasting and reliable results.



Mod Note : Please do NOT reply to posts using bold text within a quoted post, as it leads to visual discomfort for readers. Additionally, it's inconvenient to quote & reply to such a post.

For the correct way to quote, please see this thread.

Thanks!

[jkdas]

Three questions

1)What do you 'hear'
2)What is your budget
3)How would be your installer?

[SolidSnake]

Originally Posted by columbus

OK Budget first : 75K max including the head unit. Can be upped a little if there is improvement in sq expected .

Head unit finalised : Pioneer 8590 BT
Front comps : Infinity 6500 cs ( open for change )
Rear coax : not decided yet
Amp 4 channel : JBL 646 ( open for change )
Mono block for sub : ( not yet decided )
Sub : Ground zero 10" sealed enclosure ( finalised based on your report )
Damping : Dynamat
Wiring
Steering adaptor


Now the head unit is around 29-30 K. So that leaves me 45K for the rest of the stuff

Headunit : Get pioneer 8490bt( previous model ) . It has all the features of 8590bt except some connectivity options .You can save some 5k on that.
Pioneer 8490bt - 24k

Steering Adapter + Fascia = 4k.

Speakers - DLS / Rainbow - 15k

4ch amp - Mosconi One 120.4 - 25k

Sub - Infinity Kappa / HAT IMAGINE ( if u love sq)- 10k / 16k

You wont need a monoblock if u hav this amp.Its so powerful.
Also get rear coaxials after some time

Get this setup. You will be extremely Satisfied.
These are much better than the JBL and Infinity Stuff you hav mentioned.

[BIBIN004]

Originally Posted by columbus

Bibin thanks for starting this thread.

Steering adaptor

Qs

1. What functionality does one loose by putting a steering adaptor ?

Nice to see an another passenger in the same boat. Regarding the Steering Adaptor,please go ahead with the AXXESS ASWC-1, else your telephone controls might not work.

http://axxessinterfaces.com/index.ph...roducts_id=197

Amol & myself had Connects2 [Rs 3500/-] installed and have already gone through this issue & I had to spend around Rs 4800/- for the AXXESS one to be fitted

[BIBIN004]

Hi guys,
I'm planning to upgrade the ICE setup in phases on my 2013-Fortuner. Need some expert advice from the Guru's as in whether this would be the right approach for an upgrade. My main confusion lies around the wiring kit. Some product/brand recommendations for a decent setup for each of there would be really appreciated.

What I currently have :- Pioneer AVH X8590BT
What I'm planning to upgrade in phase-1

Front Components
Rear Components
Damping [Front & Rear Doors]

What I'm planning to upgrade in phase-2

Mono Amplifier
4 channel Amplifier
Subwoofer [Enclosed]
Wiring Kit

What I'm planning to upgrade in phase-3

Headrest Monitor [Front Seat & Mid Row]

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by BIBIN004

... I'm planning to upgrade the ICE setup in phases on my 2013-Fortuner. ...

Good plan - go ahead.

* With many fake kits in the market, it is difficult to recommend a wiring kit. Good installers usually get the original stuff (like a Scosche kit), but one need not be limited to kits

* For power wiring, one can use teflon-coated multicore cables from Havells or such known brands

* Initially, when you are changing only the speakers, you can use the existing speaker wiring. When you put in the amp, you will have to put in new speaker cables. The installer would have the cable

* To connect the amp to the HU, you will need a pair (or more) of RCA cables. This is critical, since inferior cables - usually with a loosely woven shield - can create havoc with noise. Buy Scosche or such known brand

* Your brand / model choices are good. Just make sure you audition the speakers before buying, so that you get the characteristics that you like - everyone has different tastes

* Do audition other brands too, like Polk, DLS, Rainbow etc.

* Look for an Infinity Kappa 120.9 sub or a Ground Zero sub in the 10-12K range, rather than a <6K sub. Makes a lot of difference if you want to hear really tight, fast bass along with electronic bass in hip hop etc.