Ever want filtered air throughout your HVAC system? Maybe you have allergies and need cabin air filtration. The Elantra GT comes from the factory with the ability to have filtered air, i.e. there is a housing for a filter just above the blower motor. However, it does not come standard with the air filter. You have too install that yourself.

The filter is actually listed as P/N 97133-2D000 for the 2003 Tiburon, and sells for about $40 from the Hyundai dealer. It is actually a paper filter, not unlike the sort used in the engine intake system. Although there is an arrow on the front of it, I assume to indicate the direction of air flow, there is an extra "tab" on the front edge of the filter which allows it to be inserted only one way. When installed, the writing is right way up but the arrow points against the airflow. However, not to worry, the filter is identical from either side.

The hardest part is probably getting the glove box hinge pins out far enough that the hinges come apart. You might have to use a needle-nosed pliers for help with this. Once you get them out enough, let the glove box door swing down so that it is hanging by the spring-loaded retractable "string" on the right hand side. Unhook this string from the glove box and lay the glove box aside. It is easier if you position the pins in hinge sides as shown, so they are ready for blind installation.

Remove the bracket from across the door to the filter housing, remove the door and slide the filter into the housing. Replace the door and then replace the bracket. Note that the lower end of the bracket has a tab which fits into a slot in the screw retainer clip.

Installation of the glove box is the reverse of removal -- insert the spring-loaded string retaining bar trough the hole in the RHS of the glove box, then position the glove box so that it is latched in place. The hinges should then line up perfectly for you to push the pins back into place. You are done! Enjoy filtered air!

1. Choosing your equipment

The standard radio is OK.

My main dislikes were the sizzling high notes from the door tweeters and one area in the base that boomed. The bass and tone controls were unable to correct this. I wanted more sound-shaping capability.

I chose a SONY unit because it has a built-in 7-band equalizer. Pioneer makes a very nice CD-receiver that has an 11 band equalizer built in but will cost between $450 and $650, depending on where you buy it. You can also buy a separate equalizer, but you are making your installation more work.

Consider if you want to listen to tapes or have a CD changer. You may want a unit that will control XM/Sirius satellite radio. You may also want an amplifier.

You may consider a sub-woofer. There are generally two types - bandpass and bass-reflex. Infinite baffle is a third type, but they sound similar to bass-reflex. The difference is great. Bandpass are very efficient (loud) at the one or two frequencies that they are tuned for. At all other frequencies they are weak. The sound is also very boomy and muddied. The car that is at an intersection near you and makes the sound resonating bass noise typifies this sound. If you could describe it as a voice it would speak only vowels - no consonants. Bass-reflex and infinite baffle systems give a much truer and tighter sound, although they take more power to achieve the same sound levels. You can tell the difference by looking at the enclosure. If the speaker is mounted to surface with no hole in the enclosure, it is infinite baffle. If it has a hole or a hole that you can see a tube in then it is a bass-reflex. If the speaker is mounted inside, and all that opens to the outside is one or two holes that are the end of large tubes, then it is a bandpass system.

The GT is a small car, and for me (I am interested in accurate sound reproduction) a single bass-reflex system with an 8" woofer is just fine. Choose your own to suit your taste.

2. Where to buy it

If you have never done it before, or want a skilled professional available to talk to, then you should consider Crutchfield.com. They have a skilled staff only a phone call away. They give you the wiring harness, any dashboard adapter that you might need, and have drawings that will give you some guidance for your particular car. Currently, they don't have a sheet for the 2002GT, so ask for the sheet for the 2001 sedan. You can beat their prices, but not their service and support. If you want bottom dollar prices look at mysimon.com.

3. Installing it

Here we go:

1. Disconnect the battery.

2. Remove the storage box that covers the fuse box. Open it then lift it out.

3. Gently pry off the dashboard end that kisses the door. There are three tabs that will release. A large flat screwdriver will suffice, although you can get a special tool for this.

4. You will see two screws that hold the dash trim that is under the steering wheel. Unscrew them. There are two 10 mm bolts that are on the very bottom of this piece, on either end. Unscrew them. Raise your steering wheel to the top. You can now pull this trim out. There are several fasteners at the top and on the door side that will release. Be gentle. Always apply the force near the fastener. There are two Phillips bolts that hold the hood release on. Remove them. There are two screws that hold the diagnostic port on. Remove them. Set all these fasteners aside with the trim.

Here is the front of the dash removed - 13 tabs and 4 screws secure it to the car.

5. Remove the ash-tray and unscrew two screws, one on either side of the hole. Unscrew the two screws that are above and in front of the instrument cluster. They point up. Lower the steering wheel. You can now gently pry off the face of the dash. There are 13 tabs that connect it. When you have it loose, disconnect the plug by the ashtray, four that are above the radio (you don't have to mark them, they are all unique and only connect in the correct socket). And one on the far left where the dimmer is.

You can see the six screws that hold the radio and pocket assembly on. It is a standard "DIN" mounting. Just unscrew these and the radio/pocket slide out. Here is the new radio mounted onto the assembly. The rear of the old radio is seen. It has a jack on the back that is for a CD changer. See the dimple above the mounting screw of the bracket? If you drill it out there is a standard hole in the radio that you can put a small sheet metal screw into. It makes the mounting very secure and won't wiggle.

6. Now you can see the radio mount. Unscrew the three screws on either side of the radio and pull out the radio/pocket assembly. Disconnect the radio plug and the antenna. Remove the unit.

7. This is your first decision point: Use the adapter or use the current radio brackets (called "DIN"). The adapter is ugly and makes the radio stick out more, so I used the DIN brackets.

8. Unscrew the brackets from the stock radio, and place the new radio into the brackets. You can use the aftermarket screws to mount it. If the radio is not tightly mounted, the back will sag after it's installed. There are two solutions. Trim a piece of wood to the proper height to sit between the radio and pocket to provide support. (Easy way). OR, drill out the little indentation just above the mounting screw for the radio. This is on each bracket about 1 cm above the screw that connects the radio to the bracket. I used a Dremel tool for this. Use a small, short (1cm max) sheet metal screw to screw the bracket to the radio. A matching hole should be there.

This is the aftermarket wiring harness that you'll need. See the text for explaination of the color codes.

9. The wiring will depend on which radio you buy. They all come with a schematic. You should buy an aftermarket connector for Hyundai that will plug into the connector that you unplugged from the factory radio when you took it out. (Crutchfield will include it for free.) The color codes are as follow for the Elantra:

Here is the new radio mounted in the assembly. The trim ring is shown on. You need to leave it off unless you want to trim the dash on the car to let it fit.

As you can tell, all of these are not needed. Use your radio's schematic as your plan. When you connect the wires, soldering is best. Wire nuts are OK. These are little plastic things. Use size "extra small." If you don't know what I'm talking about, the guy at the local Radio Shack/ Lowe's/ Home Depot can show you. If you use the wire nuts, lay the nut against a wire after you've fastened it and wrap it in electrical tape so there is no edge to be caught by anything when you install the radio.

Here is the amp ready to be mounted to the floor under the drivers seat. You would normally use the passenger seat because there is more clearance, but I've already put my satellite radio tuner there. Not shown is the electrical tape wrapping all the exposed connectors of the amp. There's no surprise then when you drop a metal object under your seat. I've writen on the amp which wire goes to which channel. After you run them to the radio it would be hard to tell. Here is the new radio installed. Notice I've put a strip of electrical tape around it. In case there are any teeny gaps it will cover them so you won't see into the dash. This is the center console. The amplifier and satellite radio bundles are securely fastened for a tidy and rattle-free installation. Make sure that it doesn't interfere with the shifter or parking brake operation. I've attatched the power line for the amp (purple) to the small bolt on top of the battery terminal. That aluminum box is one of the transmormers for the H.I.D. lights I installed. They are like streetlights. HDK autosport has them clearanced for $250. This is my small subwoofer from JL audio. You can see it's a bass-reflex type. The rounded shape decreases boominess. You can't even tell there's one when you listen--just solid, tight (not boomy) bass.

10. If you want to put in an amplifier, now is the time to do it. This step will cover the amp. Make sure you buy a radio with RCA outputs for an amplifier. Skip to step 11 if you won't install one.

• Remove the three screws on either side of the base of the center console. Put the shifter in drive, Remove the console by lifting up the rear of it and sliding it back. You will really have to engage the parking break to clear the console. Unscrew the four 14 mm bolts under the passenger seat. You will need a 4-channel amp.
• For output wiring, I like plain old extension cord. They have tough insulation. Because their insulation is so tough, they rattle loudly if not securely fastened. Connect four extension cords to the radio connector that you've been working on and run them behind the steel bracket in the dash that the radio will sit on. Run them down behind the ashtray through to the front of the center console. Run them through to just behind where the front inner seat bolt is, then underneath the carpet to the amp. Use two sets of 6' RCA patch cables to run directly from the rear of your radio to the amplifier by the same route. Don't forget to run them BEHIND the steel plate that the back of the radio will sit on. If you don't, the radio won't fit in all the way. Run one more wire for the automatic on/off line from the radio to the amp.
• To power the amp, just buy an amp installation kit at Wal-Mart for $20. For the power, I connected it directly to the battery at the little 10mm bolt on the top. I left the line's fuse out during installation. Remove the plastic INSIDE of the driver's-side front fender (easy-peasy with a screwdriver). You can run the heavy amp-line through here. You will see a group of wires that run into the cabin about 6" below the side mirror. There is a big rubber boot. Poke through that boot with a piece of coat hanger. Tape your wire to it and pull it into the cabin from underneath the dash. You can now run it to the amplifier. Seal the puncture with silicone so moisture doesn't get in.
• Run the amps ground cable to one of the mounting bolts for the parking brake. Secure the amp to the floor with sheet metal screws. I used 2" #10 self tapping screws. I cut them off from underneath the car and sprayed petroleum-based rustproofing to seal it. Tree pruning sealer will work just fine.
• After the radio is installed, pull the extra wire from that end into the center console. Zip-strip every few inches, and zip-strip it to anything that will hold it tightly in place. Check that going through their full range of motion does not interfere with the shifter and parking brake.
• A sub-woofer can be added across the bridged output of the rear speakers. This saves you from buying another amp. Make sure you buy an amp that will run in the "tri-mode." Just look at the amp' manuals' schematic.

Here is the finished installation. My chief assistant is pleased. Although from this angle the radio does't look centered, it is. The nose is a little smaller than the DIN opening because it folds out to accept CDs. Turned out well.

11. Back to the radio - Connect your wiring harness and antenna to the radio and gently slide the radio/pocket group back in. You can reach over the top of the radio to make sure the wires don't impede the progress.

12. Tape all the way around the radio with one width of electrical tape so that there will be no unsightly teeny gaps when installation is finished.

13. You're done. Assemble in reverse order!

One of the first systems tuners change is their car's intake system. Dedicated CAI systems can cost hundreds of dollars, but with some ingenuity you can install your own "special" system for about $50. One such installation resulted in gains of 6 hp and 6 lb.ft of torque at the wheels.

Here is how one owner did his and got good results. Click here to jump to an external web page describing the switch over (opens in a separate browser window).