Revin
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Kevin
- Joined
- May 16, 2023
- Threads
- 4
- Messages
- 82
- Reaction score
- 171
- Location
- Northern Vermont
- Vehicles
- 2022 Rivian R1T / 2015 BMW 335i
- Thread starter
- #1
I wanted to add a little more bass in my R1T but really didn't want to modify anything that I couldn't return to stock. On other cars and trucks I've had, I am always down to cut drill into parts since you can easily buy replacement parts online. But that's not the case for Rivian! I landed on this 10" JL powered sub from Crutchfield with their 8awg power kit. I also got the JL remote and RCA to speaker wire adapter.
First off, big shoutout to @Mohelp for his install thread here! He has some great info on power connection, wire routing, and OE plastic removal!
I poked the power wire though one of the free tentacles on this gromet and connected the wire to the free screw terminal on this power block (circled in green) with a M6 bolt. I attached the main fuse and ring terminal to the end of the wire too, just not in the pic.
I ran the wire behind the passenger side carpet and under all the side plastics until it entered under the rear seats. I already removed the OE sub and cargo tray using the thread I linked above.
I attached the ground wire to the OE bolt on the floor. For the ignition source, I found the thicker pink wire in this main harness that turns on when you walk near the truck or open the doors. It is quick to turn off when you leave the truck so it's fine with me. It works the same as a hardwired radar detector using the power behind the mirror.
The OE sub has 2 wires that plug into it. I tapped those into the RCA to speaker wire harness by pairing both negatives to one wire and both positives to the other. I also had to extend them a little with the extra ignition wire from the power kit. Then I reinstalled the OE sub and plugged in the power, ignition, and RCA wires to the JL sub. It powered right up!
To hold the sub in place, I cut a big piece of polyethylene foam I had around and wedged it next to the sub. I also zip tied a tool bag in the empty space so I can still use the storage space without scratching the metal floor.
The last step was to install the remote knob. I wasn't sure if I needed this at first but it makes a huge difference for adjusting the sub while driving based on what you are listening too. I just ran the wire under the floor matt and into the center console storage. I then drilled a hole in the aftermarket organizer to mount the knob. Now I have a stealth way of making adjustments!
After fine tuning the settings to sound the best I laned on this. I'm not sure if it is because I mixed up the positive and negative when connecting the RCA to speaker wire adapter but it sounds a lot better with the polarity set to 180deg.
This sub makes a HUGE difference in the overall experience for all music I listen too in my R1T! With the bass knob set halfway all of the time, it adds just a little more bass over the OE sub with a clean sound, not obnoxious at all. If I turn the knob up to 3/4 then the hits really hard and fills the cabin nicely. It's nothing too crazy but IMO this is exactly what the Meridian system was missing.
First off, big shoutout to @Mohelp for his install thread here! He has some great info on power connection, wire routing, and OE plastic removal!
I poked the power wire though one of the free tentacles on this gromet and connected the wire to the free screw terminal on this power block (circled in green) with a M6 bolt. I attached the main fuse and ring terminal to the end of the wire too, just not in the pic.
I ran the wire behind the passenger side carpet and under all the side plastics until it entered under the rear seats. I already removed the OE sub and cargo tray using the thread I linked above.
I attached the ground wire to the OE bolt on the floor. For the ignition source, I found the thicker pink wire in this main harness that turns on when you walk near the truck or open the doors. It is quick to turn off when you leave the truck so it's fine with me. It works the same as a hardwired radar detector using the power behind the mirror.
The OE sub has 2 wires that plug into it. I tapped those into the RCA to speaker wire harness by pairing both negatives to one wire and both positives to the other. I also had to extend them a little with the extra ignition wire from the power kit. Then I reinstalled the OE sub and plugged in the power, ignition, and RCA wires to the JL sub. It powered right up!
To hold the sub in place, I cut a big piece of polyethylene foam I had around and wedged it next to the sub. I also zip tied a tool bag in the empty space so I can still use the storage space without scratching the metal floor.
The last step was to install the remote knob. I wasn't sure if I needed this at first but it makes a huge difference for adjusting the sub while driving based on what you are listening too. I just ran the wire under the floor matt and into the center console storage. I then drilled a hole in the aftermarket organizer to mount the knob. Now I have a stealth way of making adjustments!
After fine tuning the settings to sound the best I laned on this. I'm not sure if it is because I mixed up the positive and negative when connecting the RCA to speaker wire adapter but it sounds a lot better with the polarity set to 180deg.
This sub makes a HUGE difference in the overall experience for all music I listen too in my R1T! With the bass knob set halfway all of the time, it adds just a little more bass over the OE sub with a clean sound, not obnoxious at all. If I turn the knob up to 3/4 then the hits really hard and fills the cabin nicely. It's nothing too crazy but IMO this is exactly what the Meridian system was missing.
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