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16 Posts
I recently bought my first Ridgeline after test driving a 2017 model. I also looked at a 2012 and ended up buying it as I liked the interior better that the more car-like interior of the 2017. What a great vehicle! I like the way it drives and the space inside. The rear trunk is what really sold me though. After a month or two with the archaic Honda nav and infotainment system, I felt something needed to change. I had an amp and speakers left over from a prior vehicle that I removed prior to selling, so I had a head start- a JL Audio 400 x 4 channel amp, 4 Polk 2 way 6.5 inch speakers, and an 8 inch MB Quart DS1-204 subwoofer. I purchased the Kenwood DNX 893S head unit from my local dealer, PAC SWI-RC steering wheel interface, Tianle AMT 40 tweeters form Madisound, 2 Rydeen Miny HD cameras, and a Sirius module.
The subwoofer was a tough call as to build a box or modify the existing cabinet. I did not want to give up any floor space, so mounting behind the seat was my goal. After inspecting the factory box, I decided to mount the MB Quart driver, seal the port, and add Dynamat around the outside to add mass. It sounds pretty good I have to say, but I still may build a box in the future. I mounted the JL Audio amp under the drivers seat and it fit well where the former nav system disc drive resided. The Polk DB652's were mounted with the Scosche adapters. Adding a third screw at the bottom is important, but it has to be drilled. The Tianle AMT tweeters were installed in the stock dash location using PAC tweeter caps. I thought about using a cap that would crossover around 8k, but the PACs, which I had already, sound great around 5-6 k. I put a Rydeen camera in the stock tailgate handle, tapping power from the green positive switched wire that runs in the bundle along the driver's side of the bed. I utilized the lower hole in the left side cab wall that had a sealing grommet. Front camera was mounted in the Honda grill emblem, power tapped at the head unit. I really like the two camera setup. I used switched power rather than a backup light as sometime I like to look back without shifting. Reverse signal was from a green wire in an 8 pin harness under the driver's seat. Also installed a USB port in the center console near the 120V receptacle so I can have the phone connected and tucked away.
I'd like to thank all the posters here as I referred to this group quite a bit to study before I started. Little things like how to get the plastic bed trim pieces off (1 screw under a cap, then slide back) were a big help, as well as the tailgate trim (remove 5 screws, tap with rubber mallet to the right side of vehicle). Also, the PAC SWI-RC instructions referred to a pink wire in the civic24 connector, but my wire was green/red stripe with silver dots.
The subwoofer was a tough call as to build a box or modify the existing cabinet. I did not want to give up any floor space, so mounting behind the seat was my goal. After inspecting the factory box, I decided to mount the MB Quart driver, seal the port, and add Dynamat around the outside to add mass. It sounds pretty good I have to say, but I still may build a box in the future. I mounted the JL Audio amp under the drivers seat and it fit well where the former nav system disc drive resided. The Polk DB652's were mounted with the Scosche adapters. Adding a third screw at the bottom is important, but it has to be drilled. The Tianle AMT tweeters were installed in the stock dash location using PAC tweeter caps. I thought about using a cap that would crossover around 8k, but the PACs, which I had already, sound great around 5-6 k. I put a Rydeen camera in the stock tailgate handle, tapping power from the green positive switched wire that runs in the bundle along the driver's side of the bed. I utilized the lower hole in the left side cab wall that had a sealing grommet. Front camera was mounted in the Honda grill emblem, power tapped at the head unit. I really like the two camera setup. I used switched power rather than a backup light as sometime I like to look back without shifting. Reverse signal was from a green wire in an 8 pin harness under the driver's seat. Also installed a USB port in the center console near the 120V receptacle so I can have the phone connected and tucked away.
I'd like to thank all the posters here as I referred to this group quite a bit to study before I started. Little things like how to get the plastic bed trim pieces off (1 screw under a cap, then slide back) were a big help, as well as the tailgate trim (remove 5 screws, tap with rubber mallet to the right side of vehicle). Also, the PAC SWI-RC instructions referred to a pink wire in the civic24 connector, but my wire was green/red stripe with silver dots.
