I just installed this speaker in my 2004 4runner with the JBL sound system as a replacement for the existing 8", 2ohm, dual voice sub, which as many will note tends to blow and produce a horrifying rattle somewhere into the life of the car. Mine just blew at around 180K miles on the vehicle so I consider myself lucky as some note that they lost theirs much earlier. I am pretty handy and decided to take this project on myself and it ended up being fairly straightforward though I will note a few things here that may be helpful to others.
1. Removing the existing subwoofer cover panel
-I took a major shortcut here and haven't regretted it yet, though I'm sure some would scoff at my methods. I would like to note that my car is fairly beat up, with significant cosmetic damage around the car. As well, I use it as a work vehicle for contracting so it definitely has its fair share of battle scars. That being said I decided instead of going through the lengthy process of removing half the interior of the car to get to this panel, I simply jimmied the cover off with a 3/4" beater chisel and viola, the thing was off in under 5 minutes. I ended up breaking some internal brackets and plastic anchors, but, as I said, since my car is already uniformly worn in, it doesn't bother me in the least. I'll report that I was able to even get the cover back on without any additional hardware, even with the damage I did to get it off.
2. Removing the existing (popped) subwoofer speaker
-After removing the screws the existing sub did not just fall out. It was kind of stuck on with the existing foam mount which I had to scrape up a bit and ultimately pry out. As a newbie to car audio I tiptoed around this for a while but realized all that was holding it on was aged adhesive and foam. A thin flathead screwdriver did the trick. Watch your fingers.
-I popped the two wiring harnesses off of the existing speaker without doing damage but ran into some confusion on polarity (read on). That being said, I did mark the existing configuration with painters tape to remind me which was wired for + on both pairs of the wires.
3. Determining Polarity for the new speaker
-The Pioneer sub is clearly marked with black (-) and red (+) push-lock terminals for both of the two voice channels on the speaker. However I was confused about which orientation to attach the speaker wires from the JBL sound-system, since I was getting a multimeter readout for an opposite of what I expected relating to polarity. With some research I discovered that dual voice subs are wired either in parallel or in series, and so, contrary to my multimeter tests and assignments of polarity from the amp, I was not going to be putting the hot and negative wires direct to the hot and negative terminals on the new sub. Instead, I was transferring the existing wiring configuring EXACTLY as it was wired to the old speaker, preserving, I assume, some type of internal parallel or series wiring hidden within the bundles of wires and amp configuration. Because I'm not an expert, I didn't really have an alternative, and since I wasn't replacing the amp, I hoped it would work.
4. Anchoring new speaker
-I applied the foam tape to the rear of the pioneer with the wiring inserted into the terminals securely, pulling each one against the terminal to make sure they were in solid.
-Marked which holes were for the Pioneer faceplate only on the actual amp flange
-Predilled all holes on the pioneer speaker flange through into the plastic mounting bay in the 4runner
-Screwed in with my own panhead screws into the holes which were not marked for the faceplate, securing the speaker to the car. (I realize this step is not entirely necessary but I figured it wouldn't hurt to have extra connections from the speaker directly from the flange, with the faceplate going on top for added connection. If you don't know what I mean, you will see when you open the package and check out the speaker flange and the faceplate.
-Affixed faceplate to Pioneer speaker and screwed in the provided black metal screws
5. Results
-I have only tested this once, but I was very pleased with the results. It seemed like the existing JBL system and amp were powering the Pioneer replacement fine. I tested the sub with the cover off to make sure the of the obvious--that it was getting driven. It was, and then I ran it through some bass-heavy stuff that sounded really good. No more rattle.
-Will have to test further to make sure it is good long term
-Even though I didnt replace the amp, I can EQ the sub at least loosely from an aftermarket head-unit if I want to feel the bass more or less through the sub.
6. Conclusion
-Sub feels good. It has that substantial feeling of something that is well made: heavy, solid. Went in fine. As of now I would definitely recommend this replacement for someone who isn't willing or able to go forward with a more substantial replacement as this was completely drop-in ready, as far as I can tell.
-Would be happy to hear feedback if anyone thinks I did anything wrong or could improve the install.
| Mounting Type | Flush Mount |
|---|---|
| Controller Type | Corded Electric |
| Surround Sound Channel Configuration | 2.0 |
| Color | Black |
| Included Components | Subwoofer^Manual |
| Product Dimensions | 7"D x 7"W x 7"H |
| Speaker Maximum Output Power | 300 Watts |
| Item Weight | 6.2 Pounds |
| Impedance | 4 Ohm |
| Is Waterproof | FALSE |
| Number of Items | 1 |
| Control Method | Voice |
| Speaker Size | 8 Inches |
| Power Source | Corded Electric |
| Signal-to-Noise Ratio | 90 |
| Vehicle Service Type | Car |
| Water Resistance Level | Not Water Resistant |
| Package Type | Standard Packaging |
| Manufacturer | Pioneer Electronics USA Inc |
| Item Weight | 6.2 pounds |
| Item model number | TSSW2002D2 |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Wireless Remote | No |
| Weight | 7 Pounds |
