1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

New subwoofer and system creates bad exterior rattle

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Audio and Electronics' started by Kevin cease, Jun 4, 2018.

  1. Kevin cease

    Kevin cease New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 17, 2017
    1
    1
    0
    Location:
    Bothell, wa
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    hey all, i am new here. I hope this is the right area to post. I bought a 2017 prius 4 and put a new systen in it. I have a 12” sub in the trunk and everything sounds great inside the car, but outside there are major rattles in the rear. I bought a dynomat licence plate frame and that helped a little, but i cant really locate the other rattles. It may possibly be the rear tail lights but i alse feel like its generally all over around the rear window in the plastic somehow. Id love to dampen this as much as possible even if its only a little bit. Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do before i start trying to pry my vehicle apart like an idiot?
     
    jamiec123 likes this.
  2. kithmo

    kithmo Couch Potato

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2010
    2,404
    2,773
    47
    Location:
    South Yorkshire, UK
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    The panel across the rear with the Toyota emblem on is plastic, so not as solid as a metal part.
     
  3. KK6PD

    KK6PD _ . _ . / _ _ . _

    Joined:
    Mar 24, 2008
    4,003
    944
    118
    Location:
    Los Angeles Foothills
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    unh.... lower the volume, you have basically built a loose parts test facility in your car...... good luck with that!
    But, let us know what you found that was loose, or loosened up!
     
    RCO, RRxing and Adam1a like this.
  4. fmerkel

    fmerkel Member

    Joined:
    Apr 28, 2018
    88
    46
    0
    Location:
    Seattle, WA
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    That's my teeth in the car 3 behind you considering road rage as a viable alternative to listening to that.
     
    Mendel Leisk, Adam1a, KK6PD and 2 others like this.
  5. jamiec123

    jamiec123 Member

    Joined:
    May 17, 2017
    89
    74
    0
    Location:
    Ohio
    Vehicle:
    2021 Prius Prime
    Model:
    XLE
    Man, the people on this forum are ridiculous. Rather than offer help or suggestions they offer their opinion on how they don’t approve of what you’re doing.

    I’ve been building custom cars and stereo systems for 18 years. Some cars are worse than other with rattling, you just have to spend the time with the stereo on and touch things to find the culprit. I have a single Memphis 12 in my Prius and mine doesn’t rattle very much. More so than anything my sunglasses holder rattles but it doesn’t bother me. Good luck!

    And for the record, I have built competition SPL sound systems and never loosened anything up. Even when I was younger and built a wall with 4 15” subwoofers in my cavalier and ran 2 batteries. Nothing loosened up.
     
  6. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 12, 2018
    6,686
    6,375
    1
    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    Vehicle:
    2018 Prius c
    Model:
    Two
    I don't know these cars well enough to give you a shortlist of likely rattles, but I'll share a technique that has helped me- I have used a variable frequency tone generator to produce test tone so I can better locate sympathetic resonance. These days there are phone apps to do this, just plumb that audio into the system, get some good hearing protection and buzz the car with tone while you crawl around prodding and checking until you find it.

    The availability of constant test tone makes the detective work go faster.
     
    kithmo likes this.
  7. RCO

    RCO Senior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 31, 2016
    3,709
    5,182
    0
    Location:
    Cornwall
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    I think you're being over sensitive to the community's response. Nobody came right out and said it was wrong to have very loud sound systems. When you're young you tend to associate power and volume with quality/fidelity and forget that the sounds are not confined to your immediate environment, whether that's at home or in your car. Others in the vicinity, for whom you seem to have scant regard, it is a noise pollution from which there may be no escape. I am being as polite as I can for you and hope you are not offended. There are times and places for loud sound systems and it's just possible, a car is not one of them. Respect others as you would wish to be respected in return.