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Evora Stereo System

116K views 209 replies 70 participants last post by  bigbird06815 
#1 · (Edited)
Does anyone know the model of the Alpine stereo the launch edition comes with and any other details about the sound system?
 
#38 ·
Rear window trim...

Next up is the rear window trim. It is secured from behind with 4 clips, like those from the dash. Trick here is that the bottom of the panel is tucked under the rollbar, so it is more of a pull/rotate downward towards yourself.
Then, once free, lift clear of the rollbar.

Those trim removal tools would come in handy here. All I had at this point was the white one, so much swearing ensued. The blue ones would pop it off in a jiffy.
 

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#39 · (Edited)
Now for the passenger side panel over the sub...

To get to the goodies, you now remove the four 4mm Hex head screws, 2 along the bottom edge, and 2 along the seatback edge. There are also 2 clips behind the panel, one mounted rear high up near the roofline and one just under the window. Pop those 2, and wiggle out from under the seatbelt anchor.

Removing the seatbelt is optional. I did not want to disturb the glued in cover on the floor of the car, so I left mine up, and just slid the panel over to the driver's side of the car for the duration. The seatbelt anchor is a T50 torx head.
 

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#40 ·
The subwoofer comes out first, with four 8mm screws. It is worthy of note that the top 2 screws are longer than the bottom 2. (Unless I got it backwards. they seemed to go back in easier that way.)

You will find the amp and the reverse camera module behind the sub.

More 7mm nuts, two above the amp, two below, and a single 8mm nut at the bottom, under the camera module.

The camera module will be relocated under the seat panel. Clip a few zip ties to get things moving around.
 

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#41 · (Edited)
Running the power wire to the amp

That puny little purple wire cannot get enought power to a real amp, so run an 8 gauge wire from the battery to the amp. To do this, you have to go through 2 grommets.

In the trunk, there is one up high on the passenger side, through which passes the emergency trunk release. The firewall has 3 grommets on this side, the middle one has only the camera lead and was my choice.

Pull the respective grommets into the trunk and into the cabin, use WD40 to lube them up, and the power wire should slide in. Before I thought of WD40, I was playing with the exacto knife, so my grommets also had a little slice where I attempted to widen them. Don't know for sure they did not need a little cut to get them started.

Do the trunk first, work the wire through the hole now in the firewall, and then thread the second grommet and replace.

<At some point, disconnect the negative lead from the battery, per the amp installation instructions. This is a 10mm socket.>
 
#42 · (Edited)
Amp wiring harness tips

The amp wiring harness has a few useful leads for us:
Purple
  • Purple - Radio Hot Lead
  • Black - Ground
  • Blue/white - Amp remote switch hot
I used the Purple to power the Imprint module, taped off the black, and used the Blue/White for the remote connection to the amp.

I also re-used the mini-harness (Red + Black wires) for the subwoofer. A quick disconnect comes in handy, as you cannot adjust the amp settings with the subwoofer in place.

Here is a look at my final install.

You can see the relocated camera module, velcro'ed to the seat bottom (this will be under the hard panel, not the cushion), and the amp is velcro'd to the wall behind it.

I had to Dremel off the two middle screws to mount the amp. They came off easy. When I attempted to Dremel the 8mm screw, it threw too many sparks, so I let the amp sit atop that screw. There is a vent hole at the bottom of the panel which would have been blocked anyhow if the amp sat at the bottom, and I figure that hole is to ventilate the amp, so I left it at that.

One more trick: The subwoofer is now much heavier (6 pounds maybe?) and really resists lining up the bottom screws, so I put a piece of foam padding underneath to prop it up a bit, and the screws just fall into line now. Thread the bottom screws first (the shorter ones) and then attach the top (longer) screws.
(Hey, if someone finds out I've got the screws backwards, they'll tell me, right?)
 

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#43 ·
...and how I placed the IMPRINT module.

While I had the seat out, I cut a hole in the padding the size of the IMPRINT module. I thought it was quite trick, and the carpet is such that it can be naturally pulled up later to redo the measurements as needed. (Remember, the cushions, etc., need to be back in place for the equalizer measurements to be accurate.

That's about it. There was much frustration doing this project, and I hope here to make it easier for the next guy. (Or if I need to go back in myself later...)

If you like Sirius satellite radio, or if you already have IMPRINT option and just want to do the sub, things will go a bit differently and you will be on your own....just remember, when in doubt, reach for the 4mm hex/allen head, as the typical screw will use that particular size. (The knee bolsters come to mind, in that they have 2 hidden screws each, accessed through a cut in the leather. So removing/reinstalling them is quite blind.)

Hope you had fun following along!
 

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#44 ·
Just sound deadened the doors this weekend...

There was zero sound deadening material from the factory in there.
Doors are quite solid...side impact protection beam seems very sturdy.

Sounds great! I will post the details once I pull the pics off my phone.

Don't worry about the added weight. It only took about 3 sheets of material, if that. I was sparing. Seemed pretty kicking this time...I will roadtest tomorrow.
 
#46 ·
After a week I figured out how to get the Alpine head unit to go into set up mode.

With engine runnung, out of gear.
Foot on brake, pull up parking brake.
Let down parking brake.
Pull up parking brake again.
Go to source button.
Press the set up virtual button (wrench).
Take foot off brake (engine still running)
Press setup virtual button.
Set up menus appear

Enjoy!

I would not have figured this out with a year on a desert island with nothing else to do. A knowlegeable install fellow at the local Best Buy figured it out in about 5 minutes. Would not charge, gladly gave him a Jackson and on the way with Spotify playing the James Bond theme from Thunderball. Could not help it.
 
#47 · (Edited)
1. engine doesn't need to be running, although starting your motor will require this sequence again if you want to use it with the engine on.
2. no particular menu sequence is part of unhiding the setup menu.

pedal down, pull and release handbrake.
pedal down, pull handbrake and release pedal.
<done>, setup tab should be available as long as the handbrake is up.
 
#49 ·
I never did write up the door disassembly job, which I did in order to apply soundproofing to the factory front speakers. With proper power, these will rattle the doors without additional soundproofing.

Start with the door handle. It pries off, and will break easily if not careful.
I understand this was one of the 100+ changes they supposedly made for 2011.
 

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#53 ·
Got a PM from chiro

"Can you give me any info of the Evora Radio Wiring harness?
Is it special for Lotus or is it from the parts bin of Ford,Toyota, etc?
Would rather not cut into the factory harness if I did not have to."

Here is what I wrote down of the Alpine wiring harness:
(You will not find a conversion kit, I do not believe)

Color Function
Pink/Black.......Mute
Yellow/Black....Brake
Yellow/Blue.....Parking Brake
Blue...............Power Antenna (WHA! What power antenna?)
Red...............Switched Ignition
Yellow............ + Power
Blue/White......Remote turn on lead +
Black.............Ground
White/Black.....Left speaker
Gray/Black.......Right Speaker
Green/black.....Rear speaker
Green/Violet.....Rear speaker
Orange/White...Reverse gear indicator
White/Brown....??? can't read my notes...looks like "Route"

I believe those are the mapping for the Alpine junk unit.
I tore up that harness to connect more legitimately to the Pioneer Harness, which I respected.
Some of the wires from the Alpine had no harness, and simply had to be cut halfway through.

Anybody got some more careful information?
 
#54 ·
Notorius L.R.G. Awesome once again. much thanks for the write up
 
#56 · (Edited)
I had a system including a McIntosh head unit and Genesis amp installed in my Elise about 5 years ago. The Genesis amp alone would greatly improve the sound in the Evora, and it only weighs a couple of pounds - it's an amp with the Lotus spirit I guess. Only available in the UK but I found a clean used one on ebay.co.uk for $100-200 if I recall correctly. Pictures are at https://picasaweb.google.com/109617192573608580004/LotusAudio
 
#58 ·
I had the Pioneer backup camera on my 370Z. Overall a very good camera, but is prone to ground noise. had to rout my ground for the camera about 3 times before I was happy with the picture.
Make sure you get the newest model Pioneer ND-BC5. the older model was prone to lense flair.
I also like the Kenwood backup camera. has a bunch of different modes which are switchable by remote.
Waiting for my new Pioneer headunit to be released. Will give you a better review when I have everything installed
 
#59 ·
I have done the boyo license plate camera before and set the alpine headunit to display when in motion, huge improvement over the Alpine camera... which is in reality a Sony camera. I cant believe i went with the Boyo because it is so cheap, but a year later and a winter it is going strong... plus cheap!
 
#61 ·
In what ways is the boyo model better than the Alpine? I don't think having it on while in motion has anything to do with the camera, but how you install it. I think the stock camera is superb (in terms of video quality), and I agree it would be useful to be able to occasionally switch over to the camera while the car is in motion.
 
#60 ·
Also genesis is awesome amplifier, though i think they went out of business in the USA, I am more an Audison person, and if a 2+0 I would definitely be tossing thesis amps in there but on a 2+2... I cant see running signal to the hatc then back with the monster amps
 
#62 ·
The stock camera is called the butt hole camera... mostly because you cant see crap. The Boyo, which is on the plate frame is wider view. you can see clearly further out, and beyond the sides of the vehicle... which if it wasn't recessed would give you almost 180 degrees of coverage in the rear.
 
#63 ·
I happen to use mine as a backup camera and for that it works perfectly. I've got no issues with it. :shrug:

If you're looking for something to replace your rear view mirrors than yeah, you'd probably want to a different camera with mount that protrudes out more. I have a diffuser and it's important for me to be able to see directly down the license plate so I know when to stop and not damage my diffuser. I can't do that if the camera pointed directly backward.
 
#64 ·
I hear ya on the diffuser as they aren't super cheap or if you have an escort to replace the diffuser because of the phone cable. on the previous vehicle I moved mine under the plate in the recess above the plastic that houses the sensors and below the plate, that way the plate looked great without a frame or the laser unit on it. But then i added the plate frame camera to it... then the vehicle went bye bye... and now I am jonesing for another
 
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