How to wire your 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Toyota Tacoma amplifier,component speakers, crossovers, tweeters, subwoofers and distribution blocks. Ipod, Alpine, Kicker and Image Dynamics gear. .
If you have a really good idea about how to install a full audio setup, skip all the info below and proceed to the next step(s), otherwise the info below may be very helpful to the majority of folks looking to upgrade their own system.
Below are some pretty good notes to consider when putting your system together. We have complete install packages ready to go for a few Toyotas. We have spent countless hours testing, researching and designing systems with different manufacturers. Due to space limitations and other constraints, we field tested a number products that work very well in our Toyotas.
Below are some pretty good notes to consider when putting your system together. We have complete install packages ready to go for a few Toyotas. We have spent countless hours testing, researching and designing systems with different manufacturers. Due to space limitations and other constraints, we field tested a number products that work very well in our Toyotas.
1.In the picture above there are two wire harnesses. The harness on the right will be included with most new head units. The harness on the left is included with our dash installation kits. When you order a dash kit from our site, we will include the proper harness that connects directly to your vehicle. With this kit you will not need to cut any of your factory (vehicle) wires. This makes it very easy to remove the unit down the road. Also, it keeps you from putting any wires.
Please do not order harness kits for other vehicles listed on our site. Some appear to be the same but they are NOT.
Please do not order harness kits for other vehicles listed on our site. Some appear to be the same but they are NOT.
2.The wiring harness provided by the stereo manufacturer will need to be stripped to allow you to connect your head unit harness to your vehicle specific harness. If you purchased the dash kit from our website, we have included the wire stripper/crimper that you will need to strip the wires. As you can see in this picture, simply strip away about 1/2 inch of the protective covering.
3.Simply match the colors together and twist the wires as shown. Then using the crimps provided in our kit, you will crimp the wires together. This will allow the new stereo to connect to your vehicle without cutting any wires.
4.Crimp the wires together using the crimper and crimps provided in our kit.
5.Above is a picture of all the wires crimped together. Since we are going to install an aftermarket amp, it is really not necessary to crimp all the wires. However, we recommend crimping them all.
NOTE: There is a wire labeled remote (remo), this wire will be connected to your amp. It will tell your amps when to power up. This will be covered in the powering your amps section.
6.Connect the wire harness to the new head unit as shown.
7.This head unit has a great Ipod interface. The cable shown in this picture plugs into the head unit.
8.Above is a picture of the head unit and Ipod connected.
9.The head unit is ready to go into the Toy.
10.We will be using a Kicker ZX350 - 2 channel (left and right side) amp to power our component speakers. The unit will produce 110 watts X 2 @ 4 ohms (220 watts total RMS) or 175 watts X 2 @ 2 ohms (350 watts total RMS).
Sounds confusing? Hang in there it is really is not that bad . .
You can purchase speakers in 2, 4 or 8 ohm ratings. Most speakers sold are 4 ohms. For this install we chose speakers that run at 2 ohms and can handle over 150 watts (RMS) each. Why? Because our amp can produce more power at 2 ohms. Why purchase an amp and limit the output - by buying the wrong speakers?
What is RMS?
The amount of CONTINUOUS power, measured in watts, that an amplifier produces is called RMS power. Ignore maximum output ratings from manufacturers, focus on RMS when choosing audio equipment.
NOTE: It is always better to have more power than you need when driving your speakers.
11.Your amp will be clearly labeled and color coded to make installation easier. Here we are using high-end, oxygen-free, twisted patch cords that came in our amp kit provided from our website, http://www.tacotunes.com. Plug the blue cable into the red input and plug the silver cable into the white input. These plugs are called RCAs.
12.The head unit will provide signal to the amp via the patch cord. In a later section (tuning your sound) we will disable the internal amp in the head unit and set the filters to keep the music clean. The next step is to get the power to the speakers
13.Another View.
14.After field testing a number of components, we chose the cXs62 component speakers from Image Dynamics. They will provide crisp highs and great mid bass. As mentioned earlier they can handle over 150 watts RMS at 2 Ohms.
15.The picture shows the midbass drivers, tweeters and crossovers. The crossover controls what frequency is allowed to each driver (speaker/tweeter).
16.As you can see from the side view, these drivers are very deep. Make sure you purchase the correct mounts for your vehicle. We have mounts for your vehicle on our website, http://www.tacotunes.com . If you purchase mounts to shallow they may cause problems with your windows and other moving parts. Our speaker mounts offer the deepest mounting of any other adapter.
17.You can see the positive terminal is marked with red.
19.Strip away about 1/2 inch of the protective plastic.
20.Insert the blue wire into the positive output on your amp. Use the allen wrench provided with your amp tighten the cable. Peform the same step for the silver cable in the negative output.
21.The other end of the speaker wire will be connected to the crossover. As you can see in the picture the crossover is clearly labeled. Simply connect the speaker wire from the amp to the terminals labeled amplifier.
22.Be sure to plug the blue wire into the positive and the silver into the negative.
23.Perform the same steps for the tweeter.Red is positive.
24.Another view.
25.Strip additional speaker wire and connect terminal connector. These terminal connectors are also included in our complete amp kit.
26. Crimp the connector using the crimping tool.
27.Perform same steps as before. Carefully connect the terminals to the speaker and connect the other side to the mid bass driver location on the crossover.
28.The power is coming from the amplifier to the crossover. The crossover will deliver the power properly to the mid bass driver and tweeter. The crossover is setup to only allow certain frequencies to reach the correct driver. Component speakers generally have a larger crossover than your run of the mill 3 and 4 way drivers. Three and four way drivers are simply marketing ploys to get you to purchase lower quality speakers. Super tweeters are super marketing.
29.Another view.
30.Perform the same steps for the other speaker and tweeter.
31.If your installing front speakers only, you will want to skip the following instructions. The following instructions are for installing subwoofers and an amp to drive them.
We will be using a Kicker 400.1 Mono (1 channel) amplifier. This unit will produce 200 watts X 1 @ 4 ohms or 400 watts X 1 @ 2 ohms RMS. Again, by selecting the proper subwoofer you can get a lot more power from the same amplifier.
32.As in the previous amp, connect the patch cord to the input on your amplifier. Here we are using high-end, oxygen-free, twisted patch cords that came in our amp kit provided from our website, http://www.tacotunes.com . Plug the black cable into the red input and plug the silver cable into the white input. These plugs are called RCA jacks.
We used different color patch cords in our amp install kit to make it easier during the actual installation of the equipment.
33.The head unit will provide signal to the amp via the patch cord. In a later section (tuning your sound) we will disable the internal amp in the head unit and set the filters to keep the music clean. The next step is to get the power to the subwoofers.
34.Note the small footprint of the amp.
35.NOTE: All amps come with a birth sheet. They are certfied RMS output for the amp. Kicker amps are known for exceeding the stated wattage. So the chances of your amp providing more power than stated is very high. For example, the amp (350.2) here was listed at 372 watts RMS. That means I will get 186 watts to EACH of my front components. The sound will blow you away!
The 400 amp on the right is actually putting out 468 watts RMS. That is 840 total watts RMS.
36.We chose the IDQ 10 V.3 - 2 ohm component subwoofers from Image Dynamics. They will provide amazingly tight bass in the small cabinets that we provide on our website: http://www.tacotunes.com .
We will show you how to wire them to get a 2 ohm load so your amp can push them at 400 watts.
37.This picture shows the dual connectors on each subwoofer. These subwoofers are wired with dual voice coils that must be wired properly. We are using to two 2 ohm subs. When properly wired, they will provide a 2 home load.
38.In this picture we are making a ridge wire to connect the two voice coils together. The crimps and wiring are included in our amp kit.
39.Left subwoofer:
Using the bridge wire we made earlier, connect the negative to the positive as shown. Connect speaker wire, blue to positive and silver to negative. This speaker wire will connect directly to your amp.
Right subwoofer:
Make another bridge wire (we used blue), connect the negative to the positive as shown. Connect speaker wire, blue to positive and silver to negative. This speaker wire will connect directly to your amp.
40.By wiring the subs this way, you will get a 2 ohm load.
41. Bird's eye view of the system thus far.
42.If you are planning on a single 10" subwoofer. This is Dual 4 Ohm Image Dynamics ID 10. By wiring as shown above you will get a 2 ohm load from ths subwoofer. Connect left negative to right negative (bridge) and connect left positive to right positive (bridge). Now the positive and negative will connect directly to your amp as shown above. We have used the equipment described to help you avoid purchasing the wrong equipment.
43.Next we will be showing you how to power your amps. This is an example of how much of the jacket to strip away when connecting your power. You will want to expose as much wire as possible. However, you want to make sure you do not leave any exposed wire.
44.In this example, you can see how the exposed wire is "hidden" inside the terminal connector. There is not bare wire exposed. Tighten with an allen wrench and ensure that the wire will not slip out.
45.The distribution block above splits the power coming from the battery to your two amps.
46.As an example, this is a shorter version of the actual wire that will be installed in your Toyota. The red connection will be attached directly to your battery. The first fuse block will attach within 24 inches of the battery. Contrary to what most installers believe, this fuse is not to protect your amps. Your amps have their own fuses to protect them. This fuse if to protect against a short in the event of an accident. All the items you need for your Toyota are included in our in amp install kit for your Toyota.
47.Close up of the connections.
48.Close up of the connections.
49.Here is a close up of the power wires connected to the 400.1 amp. In our installation we are using the blue wire as the positive. The silver is the negative that will be connected to the bolt holding the seat in place. The small blue wire in the middle is connected to the remote connection from the head unit. This will tell the amp to turn on when the head unit is powered on. We have actual in car installation instructions on our site as well. These are intended to help you understand the methods used to power your amps.
50.As in the previous picture this is a close up of the wiring for the 350.2 amp. Our amp installation kit will include all the wiring and hardware you will need properly install your amp. The kit we are selling is for a smilar setup that we are installing. If you are planning on a lot more power, you may want to email us to ensure that your system will work with our amp kit. Our amp kits include just about everything you will need to mount, install and setup your stereo system.
51.This is a "bird's eye view on how your power installation will look in your Toy. We have detailed pictures and instructions on the actual install for your Toyota. Consider one of our pre-designed kits to save you a lot of time and money. Why spend countless hours on designing your own install after we have already done all that work? We have complete install kits that will make your installation a breeze!
