Rockford Fosgate T1000X5ad in 2010 VW GTI

[harleygnuya]

I have a 2010 VW GTI into which a Rockford Fosgate dealer installed a T1000X5ad amp.  I had requested a stealth installation, and as you can tell from the pictures, this one certainly is.  Driving around town, the whole system has performed wonderfully.  But, I just got back from an extended road trip, during which I discovered that when played at the higher volume levels needed to overcome noise at highway speeds, after about 20-30 minutes, the amp would cut out, coming back on after about 3-7 minutes.  I'm pretty sure this is caused by overheat, and, looking at the pictures, I think it's pretty obvious why this is happening:  amp is touching foam on two sides and the bottom with insufficient clearance at one end, all while being enclosed in a small space.

I've included a picture of what I've thought would improve this situation, which is to remove foam material in the red area, then move the amp to the blue area, so that it is centered in the now-larger open space.  But, I'd still like to keep it covered with the floor panel.  Will doing this provide sufficient air to keep the amp cooled below its limit?

If not, I can cut some vent holes into the floor panel, but I'd like to avoid that, if possible, so as to keep the panel as strong as possible.  In addition, if my hatchback area is full of luggage, as it usually is on a road trip, the vents are likely to be blocked anyway.

Does anyone have any suggestions of things I might try to keep the amp cooled down while still enjoying a nice, clean-appearing hatchback area?

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[fithwheel]

I have a 2010 VW GTI into which a Rockford Fosgate dealer installed a T1000X5ad amp.  I had requested a stealth installation, and as you can tell from the pictures, this one certainly is.  Driving around town, the whole system has performed wonderfully.  But, I just got back from an extended road trip, during which I discovered that when played at the higher volume levels needed to overcome noise at highway speeds, after about 20-30 minutes, the amp would cut out, coming back on after about 3-7 minutes.  I'm pretty sure this is caused by overheat, and, looking at the pictures, I think it's pretty obvious why this is happening:  amp is touching foam on two sides and the bottom with insufficient clearance at one end, all while being enclosed in a small space.

I've included a picture of what I've thought would improve this situation, which is to remove foam material in the red area, then move the amp to the blue area, so that it is centered in the now-larger open space.  But, I'd still like to keep it covered with the floor panel.  Will doing this provide sufficient air to keep the amp cooled below its limit?

If not, I can cut some vent holes into the floor panel, but I'd like to avoid that, if possible, so as to keep the panel as strong as possible.  In addition, if my hatchback area is full of luggage, as it usually is on a road trip, the vents are likely to be blocked anyway.

Does anyone have any suggestions of things I might try to keep the amp cooled down while still enjoying a nice, clean-appearing hatchback area?

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use an external fan. I have pac fan on mine. Those amps run pretty hot with good ventilation around them. Never had an issues with mine shutting off prior to adding the fan (but I have plenty of room around mine plus off the floor a little) I just didn't like how hot it got. 

 

[THATpurpleKUSH 5,000+ posts]

It's going to be very hard to cool that amp because the mounting location that it's in has ZERO airflow. Even adding a fan won't do much. You need to intake cool air and exhaust the warm air or else nothing much will happen. You would have to install 2 fans in that floor panel, one fan needs to pull air into the space below the panel where the amp is mounted the other fan would need to push the air out into the cargo area.