2001 Mazda Tribute ES

I just recently purchased this Mazda Tribute as a second car for my house. It is the 'bigger' of our cars and we bought it for its capacity and ability to haul stuff. The stock systems in Tributes are horrendous, so one of the first projects on this Tribby was a full system install. Flash was not the goal. I wanted an install that was rugged and could sustain the abuse of normal SUV life and not take up any additional space so as to keep the purpose of an SUV. But it also still had to be stealth and sound top notch. My other car has a competition system so my standards are high. 

To do this, I decided to sacrifice the spare tire and utilize the space for the sub and the amp.
This is the stock spare tire well minus the tire and gear.
(That's what AAA is for).

I custom built a box for an Infinity Perfect dual voice coil 10". The Infinity is great because it requires a small box and still produce HUGE sound. The box fits in one half of the tire well.

The box is loaded with 'Perfection' and lots of poly fill which is essential for small boxes like this. It makes a HUGE difference in sound. The box and amp rack were then mounted in the spare tire well.

The fake floor is constructed from 3/4" MDF. The finishing touches on the false floor include plexiglas to protect the amp, a metal grill that can withstand tons of pressure and color matched vinyl.

The finished product blends perfectly with the interior and is more durable than the stock floor. Once the carpet is in place it is completely stealth.

Once the stock deck was removed the Alpine needed a little extra support.
I fashioned a bracket with a little bit of back strap for added strength.

I also created custom tweeter pods in the A pillars for a complete stock appearance.

Infinity 5x7 separates went in the front doors. I went with Infinity for their great sound, the fact that they fit depth wise and consistency with the amp and sub. The crossovers tuck under the dash. Once in place the speakers look 'perfectly' stock and match the interior color scheme.

The system really shines. I was totally and pleasantly surprised by the amount of bass the Infinity puts out. Plenty of volume, but accurate too.