Captainobvious

This is without any spacers. If you add spacers, they will protrude for sure out past the fender edges. Also your wheel offset makes a difference in this as well. If you get the correct size wheels (bolt pattern and offset) then no you don't need any spacers or adapters. I'm not saying it can't be done if you prefer that look, simply that it's something to note for those wondering.

Hah, no problem BSUPC. We all have different goals and skillsets to accomplish them. As a quick follow up, the TC performed great throughout the season and at the Car Audio North American Championships in October I was able to get a podium finish in all 4 events I competed in: One 1st place, one 2nd place and (2) 3rd place finishes. The North American finals bring the top level of competitors who have received invitations based on season points earnings from Canada, USA and Mexico. Just goes to show the potential these TCs have. This 2018 season I will have some other crazy changes in the works and will be pushing toward my goal of winning the championship. Cheers .

You don't need spacers. In fact, if you use spacers with a wheel that's already that wide, they will protrude out past the fender well and look a bit "odd".

Thanks zalienz. If you have any questions along the way, feel free to post them in this thread or message me. I'm doing some amplifier testing this upcoming week and deciding which ones I want to use in this build and then the amprack and sub enclosure will be completed.

Thanks for sharing. What lead are you using from the stock harness for accessory power to the head unit?

I'll add more as the build continues to progress. I still have to fabricate the amplifier rack and subwoofer enclosure for the rear.

I replaced the stock battery with a Stinger SPP1500 unit. More capacity, lower ESR. It is nearly identical size to the stock unit and fits in the stock tray, however the battery tie down may need a little adjusting. Whenever you are adding power wires, they need to be fused. for the main power feed to the audio system, I installed Stinger 250amp circuit breaker next to the battery and needed a place to mount it. I made a cardboard template and then duplicated to a piece of 1/4" type 1 pvc board. I thin used bolts and nylock nuts to attach.

Under carpeting.

Seats removed.

I also had to run new speaker, signal and power wiring in the vehicle. I removed all the seats and the carpet and ran my wires, including 1/0awg power from the battery position to the rear. While the carpet was out, I also installed some Roxul Safe N Sound insulation in all of the open voids and space under the carpet to reduce noise.

I started off by doing a LOT of speaker testing in the house and then also inside the vehicle. I wanted to check speaker response in various locations and angles and see what performed the best for my tastes. I demo'd stuff for about 4 weeks total before making the decision on what to install and where. What I settled on was a full format tweeter in the sail panel window location, a 5" midrange in the dash corners and a 10" woofer in the kickpanel area. Obvioulsy, these are all non-stock locations and would require plenty of custom work to make that happen. Here are some pics of the completed pieces. The a-pillar/dash speakers and sail panel pods were built by my friend Nick Apicella of Apicella Autosound in NY. They are wrapped in Alcantara suede. The kickpanel pieces I built and wrapped myself in vinyl.

I compete in sound quality mobile audio competitions across the US and my new vehicle is a 2016 TC LWB wagon. Sound quality competition dictates that the system must produce the audio very accurately and with a high degree of realism- something that is challenging to accomplish in the destructive environment of a vehicle cabin. Unlike the home, where speakers can be placed equidistant to the listener and in a large open space, the vehicle rarely if ever allows speakers to be identical distances to the listener as we are seated to one side of the vehicle. In addition to distances, speakers producing the entire audio spectrum are installed in different locations, heights, angles and reflecting off of different shaped surfaces and materials which are more or less absorbent. In short, getting excellent stereo sound in *any* vehicle is extremely difficult due to the inherent challenges of the environment. This thread will likely be the 1% of audio upgrade type builds in the TC and much may not necessarily apply to what the vast majority of owners are doing, but keep in mind this is built for competition and pushes the boundaries a bit because of this. This is my 4th competition vehicle over the years and I've learned a lot along the way (and have much more to learn!) and have made some great friends. With each build I try to improve upon what I have done before and try to improve my fabrication skills and continue learning. This thread will serve as my "build log" for this vehicle, sharing the information I learn about this specific vehicle and the reasonings why I choose to do things the way I do with the TC as I progress. Hopefully it will provide some useful information to you all, and if not- a little entertainment at least. To start off, here is the vehicle: A 2016 Transit Connect LWB Wagon. It has been lowered a little and the wheels are upgraded to 19".

You *can* get wires through the door Molex, but it requires drilling them (CAREFULLY) in the space that no wires occupy. I did mine without any issues as I wanted a larger gauge, direct run for my audio system. The other method would be to remove the door from the hinge, drill a new access hole and install weatherproof fitting/tubing to carry the wire(s) into the door.

[URL=http://s61.photobucket.com/user/soesnake/media/Car%20Audio/1%20Transit%20Connect%20Wagon%20Build/IMG_3136.jpg.html][IMG]http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h75/soesnake/Car%20Audio/1%20Transit%20Connect%20Wagon%20Build/IMG_3136.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL=http://s61.photobucket.com/user/soesnake/media/Car%20Audio/1%20Transit%20Connect%20Wagon%20Build/IMG_3109.jpg.html][IMG]http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h75/soesnake/Car%20Audio/1%20Transit%20Connect%20Wagon%20Build/IMG_3109.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

How so? Mine has the same lowering spring kit and the ride quality is almost identical to stock. I go over speed bumps without problems and I haven't scraped anything due to clearance issues (Haven't had any issues). I was actually very surprised with just how good the ride quality was. You may lose a little bit of weight capacity with less travel, but I've loaded up 14+ bags of soil/mulch and more in there and it still hasn't had any clearance issues.

I have installed steering wheel control interfaces (like the Axxess ASWC-1) in other vehicles with no problems. I'm looking to do the same with this vehicle in order to retain steering wheel controls for the audio along with an aftermarket radio. Does anyone know what wire(s) those are and where to find them? Do I need to tap into those directly off of the steering wheel? My particular 2016 TC wagon has no navigation. Also, I was testing the wires with my multimeter for accessory power and didn't find one that was OFF when the key is out, and comes on in position 1 (acc). Is there another lead that comes on in position 1 acc that you can direct me to? Thanks!

Have you come across any info on which wires are the steering wheel control ones? I'd like to retain my steering wheel controls for a new radio and have an Axxess ASWC-1. I just need to identify which are the wires used for signaling the steering wheel controls.

Perfect. Thank you!

DapperDan- Your TC looks beautiful with those black wheels and the lowering springs installed as well. I guess I'll be the 3rd guy running a 19" wheel on the 2nd gen TC around these parts as not many seem to go with anything 18"+. Here is the wheel style I chose:

Those wheels look great Nate! A little more tire stretch then I prefer, but that's all personal taste. I'm putting a set of 19 x 8.5 wheels on my 2016 TC as well shortly. I'll share some pics when it's done. I'll be doing either 235/35R19 or 245/35R19 tires on them. -Steve

This is on a 2014-2017 TC... Can anyone tell me how to remove the drivers side kick panel which contains the pull for the hood release? Does the dash have to come out in order to do this? The arranged the panels so the dash overlaps this panel...not a great design in that respect if that's the case. I can get the door kick plate out and the rubber weather seal gasket out of the way, but not sure how to pop off the panel with that hood release. Thanks for any info you can provide!

Thanks! That looks fantastic. Perfect amount of lowering. I have the same color in the LWB and am doing 19x8.5 wheels as well. What lowering kit did you go with? Was it the MYC MK2 spring kit (cheaper solution) or the ultimate coilover set? How is the ride quality now and do you get any rubbing with full turn of the steering wheel? Finally, what is the offset of those RS wheels? Thanks for sharing.