So I got the Kicker/Ford sub installed and it has the issues that others have mentioned: it has no gain control, is out of proportion to the rest of the system, and basically takes over the rest of the sound and is so loud that it distorts. I listen to a wide variety of music, but even when I listen to rap, I don't want to make the windows rattle. Fortunately, I have a Rockford Punch PBR300X1 already wired to a Rockford P3SD4-8 4ohm. I built that to replace the very similar setup from my ancient 2002 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer (it doesn't need sound in its new life as my side by side). My thought is that into the 4 ohm sub, this amp will produce 75W RMS, which is well below what the factory connector can provide. The wires are thin white/black (sound signal), big Red (Power) big Black (ground) and thin red/blue (remote). My plan is to wire up a WPT-1212 and test out my RF amp and sub combo. If that works and has enough oomph, then, I'll just keep the factory harness. If it leaves something to be desired, then I may buy the 2 ohm version of this sub, which would push the RMS wattage to 150 from this amp. That raises the question about power. If I blow the fuse, then I'll run a power cable from Fuse 28 in the body control module around to the sub and run a ground wire to the seat bolt. I'll keep everyone posted on how this works out.

 

Update: I got the kicker factory sub installed, was unimpressed (mostly with the "16 year old kid who just got his first sub from Walmart and is so proud of it that he cranks it up until it makes a horrible gurgle like a dying elephant" factory DSP, but once I took it apart, also with the garbage components), and decided to upgrade. I had an RF 8" Punch sub and PBR300x1, which I supposed could use the factory hookup. Of note, the factory hookup is no longer just hidden in the panel..... I traced it looking for the WPT-1212 to make installing it easy, but there isn't one....it's just wires goin every which way. Also, the power tap is now wired into the underhood fuse box, and is basically a 14 AWG wire with a 30A fuse near the battery box, basically a smaller version of what I would've done. The speaker wires work as does the remote turn on wire, and the color coding is easy to follow (thin black/white are signal, red/blue is remote, thick red is power and thick black is ground). I got it all hooked up today, and the difference is night and day. It went from overpowering and not adjustable to punchy, accurate bass that isn't overpowering. It is quieter, but now it blends into the rest of the system and the horrible distortion is gone.

I'm adding RF 1675S speakers in next, and wired in Crutchfield 250 Hz bass blockers on all of them (the PBR-300X1 has a variable crossover, and that's where I have it set). My hope is to one day change the head unit DSP so that it doesn't waste any of its 7W RMS on bass signal, but the bass blockers will at least keep the speakers from trying too hard. Anyway, my point was that the factory box and hookups can be used to get decent bass that doesn't cost you any storage space and doesn't mess with your electrical system.

 

Woo! I think I've gone through like 100 pages of posts. Thanks everybody!

So, I have a 2015 XL and the plug is there in the C pillar. I do not currently have a receiver with Sirius. From everything I've read, this set up will not send the speaker signal - just power, remote, etc. If I were to switch out my current receiver with one that is Sirius enabled, would the speaker signal start working? Or is there something else that inherently gets installed when you get an XL with Sirius from the factory? I can get a receiver with Sirius used for like $50.

I know I can tap into the speakers but I'm hoping to avoid that. If I do have to go the route of tapping into the speakers, is there a difference between tapping the front and rear? I swear I read something about the rear not having all the bass, whatever that means.

 

Have you confirmed the 6v switch is active? Though the plug is there doesn't mean it does anything.
If you can get a head unit that does what you want for a good price do it. Since you will need to run wires from the dash for the speaker and power, get the pass through adapter that plugs into the APIM in your truck.. It will probably cost as much as your head unit you're looking at. The adapter is referenced in many posts you went through above. That's probably the easiest and quickest way to get going and you won't need Forscan to activate anything..

 

Although possible, I doubt that you’ll have speaker output at the plug. But power should be there just fine. Unfortunately the only way to know for sure is to try. I had to tap into the rear speakers and it was super easy. The sound out of my sub is fine using the rear channel.

I use a Kicker 8” sealed (48TCWRT82) and a cheap 350w Jensen amp. It fits behind the left rear seat nicely and is kept at 60% full power otherwise it’s too much. I also upgraded the pillar tweats to Pioneers(?) that were almost plug and play which made a HUGE difference in the sound quality inside my SuperCab.

 

I had it in my 2018 XLT and it truly was a baffling setup. It had potential to be decent, but it's as if no one actually listened to it before they put it on the market. The crossover, gain, and EQ are all wrong. Once in a while, it'd actually sound pretty good on a song but for 99% of what I listened to it was downright bad.

I don't think I'm super picky, either - people whine about the B&O system for example, but I actually think it's pretty solid for what it is (the upgraded factory system in a pickup truck).

 

Honestly, this thread needs to go die a quiet death.

 

@Wicked ace thanks for your response. I have not checked yet but will see if I get the 6V. From my reading, which was a lot, but I'm sure I missed things, it seemed like most folks had power and that it was typically just the speaker signal that was missing. I guess I don't understand what you mean by saying that I'll need to run wires for speaker and power from the dash. I get that I would need to do that if I used the FOR-11CK (I think that's the harness you're referring to), but that wasn't my plan. I don't want to have to purchase and run a bunch of extra wires. Maybe it's not that hard or expensive in comparison to do that but I was hoping to use the plug in the C pillar which this whole discussion thread is about to keep things as simple/clean as possible.

 

So did you end up getting this to work using he WPT1212 connector? If so, what forscan changes did you make. I’m having the exact problems you mentioned and just want to have a clear answer to the problem haha. I’m glad yours is working!

 

did you get yours up and running? I have non-sirius XLT and installed a 10” kicker hideaway with the WPT1212 harness. I have power (blue light is on) but no sound. I’m trying to figure out exactly what I need to tap into to get this working