Has anyone built a custom subwoofer enclosure in the spare wheel well of a Leon ST?

[welin_]

Hi! I’m considering building a hidden subwoofer setup in the spare wheel well of my Leon ST (5F).


The idea is to build a custom octagonal enclosure that sits underneath the upper boot floor. The available space is roughly 60 cm in diameter, narrowed to about 50 cm in length, with up to around 32 cm of height. I estimate around 65 litres gross internal space before accounting for the enclosure material, subwoofers, bracing, etc.


I’m mainly considering:

• 2×10” or possibly 1×12”
• Sealed vs. ported
• If ported, building a custom slot port that runs through one of the side compartments, where the removable panel can be taken out
• Potentially mounting the amplifier in the space in front of the spare wheel well
• Keeping the original upper boot floor completely intact for a clean, OEM-looking installation

Has anyone here tried something similar in a Leon ST, or know of anyone who has? I’d especially be interested in experiences with available space, vibrations/rattles, mounting the enclosure securely, and whether a ported enclosure with the port exiting through one of the side compartments would work well.


Pictures or examples of previous builds would also be greatly appreciated!

 

[SuperV8]

The optional beats audio sub sits in the spare tyre - so your idea under the boot floor should work ok.
Personally, i'd look for sub which works best in a sealed enclosure - K.I.S.S - easier to get right.
Back in the day I used to use WinISD for designing sub enclosures.
65L is loads of room for a sealed sub box - which are usually smaller than a vented enclosure. You might even find you can make a simple cube box fit in the space - much easier to make than a hexagonal.
the standard speakers can rattle the trim - so definitely look into adding sound mat in the doors and boot.

I have an Kicker zx460 and a nice 10" sub sat in my garage - I have been musing about fitting - but I just don't find the standard system that bad! We have 8" front door speakers! and tweaking the EQ gives me reasonable sound at mid volumes, through i'm sure I would have fitted it if I'd have had the Leon before kids!

Keep us updated on your progress.