I have a 12" Kicker solobaric subwoofer box which fires towards the hatch and that pretty much takes up the entire cargo space in my HHR. It fits under the floor tray when the tray is in the upper position and sounds pretty good I think.

However, I'm toying with the idea of taking the spare tire out and fabricating a custom sub box which would be flush with the cargo area floor and fire upwards. (If that's even possible). The reason being is that I'd love to free up the cargo space and have my tunes as well. As far as I understand those Kicker solobaric subs don't need much box room to function properly.

Does anyone know if having a sub firing upwards towards the roof will sound any different than one firing towards the hatch? Also, how much of a difference in sound would I get by downgrading the size of the sub box?

Looking forward to your thoughts. Thanks!

 

Which solo-baric?

s12c (round - gray - early 90s)
s12d (round - black - 90s)
L5 or l7? (square)

I have a pair of round s12d's and they call for .88 ft^3 of airspace each...they're designed for small enclosures.

As for it sounding different...it probably will...just not sure if it will be better or worse. Someone on here has to have a sub that fires upward.

 

I have found sub firing upwards to yield the best acoustical results. Even better is a ported box with subs up and ports back.
Though there is a little difference with subs and ports both firing back. The biggest change has to do with the flex of the rear hatch. I dont think that is an issue with your setup though.
There is plenty of airspace in the tire well for any solobaric 12. especially if you do a fiberglass box.
Others here have done enclosures similar to what you are describing. Check the various sub installs sticky at the top of this category.

 

Sorry, I should have added it previously but it's an L7 (the square sub) that is currently in my HHR.