Rear Door Popper / Custom Subs

[kpaske]

I am planning to remove my donut spare and build a custom subwoofer installation in the rear door of my VX (similar to the one -X- posted pictures of in another thread). I'm guessing that this might add a considerable amount of weight to the rear door. Is the rear door popper kit that Tone sells on his site capable of handling the extra weight?

[driver3]

I dont' think any speakers would weigh as much as that spare, so I think you'd be ok. I'm pretty sure people have the subwoofer in the spare which is all in the door, and they have the popper too and it works.

[BOARZHEAD]

My rfl's weigh 100lbs a piece. But wouldn't mount them in the door, only about 1 cubic foot. I put my 3 gel cells in the rear door.

[kpaske]

I'm not sure how much the subs and enclosure will weigh, but I know they won't be light. I'll be using 2 Orion P12 subs in an MDF and fiberglass enclosure with a volume of 2 or 3 cubic feet.

X - Any idea how much your subs and enclosures weigh? Have you noticed any difference when opening and closing the door?

[Tone]

Popper works just fine with loaded doors - mine is completely Dynamatted and carries a sub and rear camera. Popper spring is rated at 50lbs and only needs to push the door out a 1/2” to clear the latch once the solenoid releases the latch. Look foward to seeing your finished subs!

[kpaske]

Hey Tone,

Have you considered packaging your Door Popper kit with the Rodeo tailgate release button? These two items together would make a perfect kit for the VX and I'm guessing you might be able to get a volume discount from Isuzu. What do you think?

[Tone]

I’ll look into it but Isuzu is not famous for any kind of discounts. I really prefer the glove box mount that looks factory and can’t easily be accidentally triggered.

[Daver]

Don't forget it's the door hinge that supports the weight of the door, not the popper.

All you need is to move the door on the hinge, and on a properly balanced/mounted door, that force should be minimal. Our door is balanced to stay open in any position. It's not balanced to swing itself closed.

I've been tempted to mount a sub in place of the donut spare and hang my full-sized spare on the outside of the door, but I'm worried about the hinge having to support the extra weight.

If anyone has any info or opinions on that, let me know...

-Daver