I'll be happy to answer that question, but I must charge a fee.
Below is the fee schedule... oh, and ANYONE reading can pay on behalf of Harrison256. Not just you, Harrison. So if you think Harrison is a cool member, and you happen to have the extra coin I need on hand, feel free to pay it forward.
Ok, so here is what I need in payment: The PART NUMBER to that friken factory connector on top of that 2000-2002 speaker box. Ideally, the Part Number to the vehicle harness side that plugs into that connector. And for super bonus... some kind soul to pop in and say, "oh, I just cut that connector off cause I installed all aftermarket hight end components with high dollar low resistance speaker cable & connectors. Let me look for it and send it to ya". Yes, that would be fantasy land bonus payment.
But really, for the sake of the archives and all members here, just the part number to the OEM connector would be absolutely wonderful for anyone seeking to add this box and use the factory speaker and factory connector. See, I'm not just seeking to profit personally... I want everyone to get paid. Please send payment to this thread, as soon as you can.
Now, back to your question:
Mounting Depths:
8W7 = 6.83"
8W3 = 4.63"
8W1 = 3.85"
BOX = 3.50"
That's the cold hard reality of the factory box. If you haven't actually touched on yet, don't let the pictures decieve you. The top of the box looks thick, but what isn't seen is the taper inward to accommodate the fuel filler inlet housing.
Oh, and that 3.5" box depth measurement is from the speaker mounting flange face to the BACK of the box's OUTSIDE surface, and doesn't allow for the thickness of the back side of the box, which I do not know, becauase I haven't removed the factory speaker from the box I'm taking the measurments from. I decided to just use the factory speaker, even though I had plans to put something else in.
So subtracting some estimate of box material thickness, let's say 3/8", leaves us with 3.125" mounting depth. However, the factory subwoofer sits about 3/4" proud (outside) of the mounting surface flange (that is recessed 1/4" from the physical inboard surface of the box itself). So you can add back the 3/8" you subtracted earlier, and double down and add 3/8" more. So that leaves you at 3.875".
With this, we know that the 8W1 driver will work without bulging the interior plastic quarter trim panel outward or distorting it in any way. And that seems to be what you want... stealthy, factory looking bass enhancement.
Now, for the extra almost an inch that the 8W3 would require, you might still be able to get away with it, but not without modifications that would look less than factory.
The lower retaining clip of the quarter trim panel is right underneath the speaker driver circle, at about 5 oclock. More like 5:30. And that is the ONLY inboard lower clip on the entire panel, other than the net cleat and the plastic push pin in the rear hatch jamb. All the rest of the retaining clips are on the top edge of the quarter panel.
So to keep the trim panel engaged at the bottom, we don't want the speaker driver to protrude proud of the speaker box beyond an inch. One way to solve this problem is to cut out the plastic "filled grill" circle entirely (most people do this... I only read of one person who actually drilled out all the factory filled in holes in the plastic panel) a little bit larger, so that the entire outer ring of the JL 8W3 driver clears through the hole in the trim panel.
Then buy the JL Audio SGRU-8 mesh grill (sold separately) and the outer surface of the grill may end up being flush with the outer surface of the trim panel, or stick out just slightly, perhaps 1/4". Keep in mind, these are my estimates from measurement specifications, not personal experience. Seek personal experience over any faith in these estimates. The only fact that I can personally attest to is the measurements of the outside dimensions of the factory Sub box. (Notice my user name equals Sub).
To summarize, your safest and easiest JL Audio 8" subwoofer driver is the 8W1 (v2). It is designed and intended for compact enclosures and shallow mounting depths, both of which describe the factory sub enclosure to a T. It is 4 ohms, can run on as low as 50w, is rated up to 150w, and can live in about 1/3 of a cubic foot of enclosed sealed volume... .375 cu ft to be exact.
It has a customizeable trim ring that has 8 holes. This could be useful, because the factory sub mounts with 4 holes, not 6. This means that either 4 of the 8 holes in the 8W1 trim ring will align perfectly, OR, you can drill four new holes 90 degrees away from the factory holes, and have the confidence that none of the new holes will conflict, overlap, or partially intersect the factory four holes. If the new trim ring were a 6 hole mount, there might be a conflict with one of the holes without more careful planning.
If you want to throw another 100w of power on top of the 150w limitation of the 8W1, then, with some modification, you could squeeze in the 8W3. Some guys have mounted a piece of 3/4" MDF over the front face of the factory sub box to make it work. I suspect you might have to do the same thing. But keep in mind, you never know what compromises are perfectly acceptable to some, that might not be acceptable to you.
For example, it would be unexceptable to me to not have the plastic trim panel fully engage with all clips, including that floor stud at 5:30 PM below the speaker driver. Why? Because I have a protection cover that attaches with velcro, and I need the trim panel to be sturdy enough to not distort when pulling against the velcro.
I could go on and on, but I'll stop here for now. If any of this information was useful to you, please don't forget payment... which is any information leading to the arrest and conviction of the part number to the female half of that subwoofer connector (the harness end). Dead or Alive!
Tahoe and Yukon owners take note:
Please be aware that none of the above applies to you. These comments concern the long wheel base Suburban, Yukon XL, and ESV only. The Tahoe may be a smaller vehicle, but it might have a bigger rear subwoofer box, due to other factors in how the vehicle sheetmetal and box are configured. Wtihout a doubt, the sub boxes are shaped VERY differently. I've seen lots of Tahoe factory sub box pics online, but never one in person. Still, the Tahoe box is nothing like the Suburban box.
Also, none of the above applies to GMT900s. Only GMT800s, from 2000-2006.
This is how I feel after reading all of that. Good info but......
