Audio System for a 2002 Prius

Alright, I purchased a 2002 Prius as my first car last year. It had 135,000 miles on it, but at the test drive both engines, the gas tank, computer, and the transmission went out... at the same time! The dealership replaced all of these and still sold me the car for the same price. I told myself that if I could go a year without crashing, I could put some money back into my car, so I went to my local customs shop. After about two hours of figuring out how to work around the prius's wiring, touch screen, and computer, we set up a multi-step plan to install a sound system in my car without comprimising the ever so important gas mileage(43mpg). In the next six months, I will install:
Two Rockford Fosgate Power T-152-S Component Speakers (Front)
Two Rockford Fosgate Power T-1652 Full Range Speakers (Rear)
Two Rockford Fosgate Punch P300-2 Amplifiers
A new radio that will fit in the CD changer slot
And a custom box in the trunk with two ten-inch subwoofers.

The best part about this system is that is is functional, I will have a variable power cap allowing me to not sap my batteries for all they have, and The box in the trunk fit perfectly on the shelf in the trunk (the one that no one ever uses)


So, comments, Question? I will update this everytime something changes or is added.

Did you see the repair parts list? I'm especially interested if the transmission was replaced or did they fix something else?

You may want to consider having the transmission oil changed ... just a preventative and if it looks really bad, you may get a slight reduction in rolling drag.

Bob Wilson

I found the repair order, the transmission was not replaced, but there was a part of it that was; however, everything in the car is fine, it all works well, even compared to the new prius.

Update:
What I have installed so far:
Two Fosgate P1653 Triaxial speakers in the rear
Two Fosgate T152-s Component speakers in the front
One Fosgate P300-2 Amplifier (Broken in at 369 RMS, 1107 Peak)
One Audiocontrol LC6i OEM Interface
New 4ga wiring all around
Amp Rack (With predrilled holes for the next amp)
Tee Block (For next amp)


I will post pictures either tomorrow or Saturday.

Oh, and for anybody in the East Atlanta area:
Custom Tint & Sound
5121 Highway 278 NW
Covington, GA 30014
(770) 787-3608

Great staff and great service, they spent numerous hours working on my car, and through their hard work, I haven't lost even a tenth of a mile-per-gallon.

Remember to drive around with the stereo completely off at times to allow your anemic 12v battery to recharge. It really doesn't have much capacity and if you play it hard during every drive session you will wear it down eventually. That's what happened to me.

Upgradeable for the next amp? This is quite an audio setup for a humble little Prius. I was going to suggest sound deadening material under the hood and inside the front doors, but now I imagine that you don't hear engine and road noise any more

I'm impressed that you (and F8L) are able to turn it up without losing tracking on CDs.

Yes, there is always more power and sound to be added!
I am going to put in either another 300, maybe larger amp for the subwoofers. Unfortunately that involves installing another battery and isolator, but it will prevent the problem that F8L was mentioning.
All in all, the system kicks like a mule now, it is just lacking on the LOW bass, the mid bass is more than enough for an average music lover; however, I want the full music experience.(and my trunk will look much more symmetrical)

Everything right now is based on money, which is not the easiest thing to come by these days.

Good to hear it's all coming together! I bet it srounds great!


The CD skipping problem is not so bad. With the newer suspension mechanisms in modern CD players you usually don't start to experience problems until you hit over 138 decibels or the player is mounted poorly for whatever reason. I rarely play CDs unless I am trying for the best possibly sound quality and instead I just use a USB flash drive and music in MP3 format.

I'm sorry for the lack of pictures.(I need to stop setting goals I cannot achieve) With Daylight Savings it is almost night by the time I get home. Hopefully tommorow though, I will be able to take pictures with the door panels on and off.

Here are some pictures of the door speakers, the amp in the trunk, and my latest gas mileage with the system.
I will try to take better pictures of the trunk and the rear speakers tomorrow or Wednesday.
Update on the amplifier: I read the "Birth Sheet" that comes with Fosgate amps, the specifications are as follows:
RMS:369w
Peak:1107w


My current plan for the trunk/ bass is as follows:
Two Fosgate T110D4's
Another battery and an isolator
Either two Fosgate P300-1 or one Fosgate P1000-1bd amplifier(s)
Maybe a power Cap
A custom made box so the subwoofers are on the sides of the trunk

Thank you for your support this far, hopefully It will all come together as nicely as it has this far.

Questions, comments?

Slightly off topic, but today I installed HID headlights, they are much better than the old, faded lights. So much better in fact, I think I may intstall them in all of my cars. Tomorrow, I will install xenon indicator lights to get rid of the grungy yellowish ones.

Glad to see this is coming along nicely.

Alright, I just got my subs and box in. I went with the cheaper option so I could just have some bass with my music. I bought
Two Powerbass S-12d Subwoofers
One Powerbass ASA1200.2 Amplifier
One sealed box (prefabricated, not tuned)

I will upgrade all of this when money starts to flow again. :/
Pictures will follow shortly.

I am extremely interested in how you got the stereo to work and why it would effect mileage.

I've owned my Prius for 3 yrs now and am deciding to keep so I figured I'd make it more drivable.

Any pointers you can offer for putting in a new HU would be appreciated.

yeah i am mainly interested in the head unit install. I have been suffering with the stock stereo since i got it.

The headunit is actually not as bad as you think. I have not installed a new head unit yet, but instead I installed an OEM interface. (Audiocontrol LC6) which gives me the equalizer I want and the power boost that comes with an after market head unit. If you're die hard about installing a new head unit, simply put it into the slot where the CD changer is, I believe it is a very cut and dry install, but I haven't looked very in depth.

TVT: Once the LC6 was installed, everything went incredibly easy. My amps plug into that, and the speakers to the amps.
I also installed a new battery to help with the power requirements of the subwoofers, which I simply ran in series.
As far as mileage, I am just speculating. I have found that around town (speeds <65 mph) my mileage is unaffected (high 40's, low 50's) but when I go on the interstate, my mileage drops to 25-35. Normally I get the same mileage, in the 50's. Once I turn my radio off, my mileage goes back up. Also, the weight I've added no doubt affects mileage somehow.