Differences between sub sizes

[thebiggmann12 14]

alright, so i currently have an 18" nightshade that im getting reconed...i kinda wanna go with a 15 instead to shed some wait off of my car...its slow as shit as it is lol, so im wanting to go a bit smaller. how much output would i lose if i went to a 15. as long as the box is still just as good it shouldn't be a noticable difference right? any help would be great guys. thanx.

[BanginGMC 23]

This might not be what you want to hear but i don't think it'd be worth it.

How much does your box weigh? - 250-350 pounds with sub?.. that's about two passengers.

I don't think two passengers would make your car go slow.

My 2 cents.

[ssh 924]

I agree with bangin' gmc, the weight difference between a 18" and 15" sub + enclosure isn't enough to make your car any quicker.

Perhaps you could add some performance parts? Cold air intake, k&n air filter won't cost much. Good luck

[DrgUpsy 0]

Its not very much weight difference between the 18'' and the 15'' so why spend the extra money

[Hansk 1]

This might not be what you want to hear but i don't think it'd be worth it.

How much does your box weigh? - 250-350 pounds with sub?.. that's about two passengers.

I don't think two passengers would make your car go slow.

My 2 cents.

x2

[emh9009 199]

I agree with bangin' gmc, the weight difference between a 18" and 15" sub + enclosure isn't enough to make your car any quicker.

Perhaps you could add some performance parts? Cold air intake, k&n air filter won't cost much. Good luck

agreed, take the couple hundred for the new box and recone stuff and get an intake, exhaust, or a header. could add like 10 hp with the three dont now how those cars do with bolt ons.

but even then, there wont be much, if any difference. better to keep everything as is, unless you want some engine noise

[BanginGMC 23]

Money adds up quick when you are modding your ride with high performance parts but a easy 40hp gain is replacing your engine fan with an electric one.

EDIT!!!!: 10hp!

Edited March 30, 2010 by BanginGMC

[ABXX49 20]

Money adds up quick when you are modding your ride with high performance parts but a easy 40hp gain is replacing your engine fan with an electric one.

Err...I think this is just a BIT of a stretch..don't you?

[emh9009 199]

Money adds up quick when you are modding your ride with high performance parts but a easy 40hp gain is replacing your engine fan with an electric one.

damn, looks like i need a new fan that would give half of the HP i have now...

[thebiggmann12 14]

lol...my car already has an intake exhaust and header. im not worried about speed...its a focus. i already have to get a recone either way with a new basket bc mine broke...i was just wondering how much output im going to lose. it would be nice to have my backseat back, but its def not a necessity.

[ScreamBloodyGorguts 4]

This might not be what you want to hear but i don't think it'd be worth it.

How much does your box weigh? - 250-350 pounds with sub?.. that's about two passengers.

I don't think two passengers would make your car go slow.

My 2 cents.

haha, i have the svt, the "fast" version of his car.... and i can easily tell when i have only one passenger in my car. i put on a full half a second in the quarter when i carry an average size passenger. I've toyed with the idea of a big system in it, but then i'm like on second thought...... haha

[thebiggmann12 14]

lol i would love an svt...but would rather get a truck...so the focus is only temporary till i get out of school. the gas milage difference is incredible, i gained 5 mpg's when i took all of my equipment out.

[thebiggmann12 14]

the way i see it is that a 15's cone area is about 69.4 percent of an 18. and the rule of thumb (ik this isnt necessarily the case) is that doubling the cone area will raise about 3db. now with going from an 18 to a 15 which is more than half the cone area, i would drop about 2db's which if i recall correctly is not audible. i could be wayyyy off with this but this is how i am seeing it...i just cant justify losing my backseat for something that is not even noticeable. i dont compete, plan to compete a little this summer, so the meter is not a huge deal to me. thoughts??

[BanginGMC 23]

Stick with the 18

[thebiggmann12 14]

any reasoning?

[ScreamBloodyGorguts 4]

I love my svt.... but i hate it. Svt foci are huge pieces of crap that always have something break, not a car for anybody that doesn't have there own shop, it'd make me broke if i couldn't fix it myself lol.... Usually nothing huge but little things here and there... but then I have to drive something else for whatever reason, and I remember why I love my svt. NOTHING feels as good, NOTHING handles like it, and although it may not hang with the v8 muscle cars off the line, its a peppy little sob and is just fun to drive.

I imagine that big ass niteshade must be insane in that little car. And I imagine that a 15 would still be pretty sick.

The theory is that double the cone area is 3db on paper right? And 3db is about what it takes for the difference to really be memorable right? A 15 has roughly 176" of cone area and an 18 is 254" ...... about 100" shy of double. So on paper it doesn't look like it would be too noticeable..... Although to just think about it your gut would say... 18? Hell yeah that will be louder than a 15.

In the end, nobody can really say for sure till its done. And a 15 is still gonna be quite a box, still gonna be heavy, is it worth it to bother downsizing? Again who knows.

Hey if you do it and you decide you want louder and have some extra cash burnin a hole, you can always sell it and try a v2 and moar power haha. Heck with that 1500w, the zv2 is supposed to be super efficient... But before i go off on some other random direction, I'm going to quit and go to bed lol.

edit: ok i lied, I'm back. If you gain your backseats that would be cool, although you'll still probably be at the same weight due to the seats being 50-60 pounds iirc, and who knows what the seats will do to the sound?

Edited March 30, 2010 by ScreamBloodyGorguts

[thebiggmann12 14]

lol the bottom of the seat is all that i removed and just folded the top down, and the bottom half only weighs like 5 pounds max. i plan to get a v2 when they come out, but like u said, thats a whole nother topic lol. but while i could stick with the 18...i have to get a recone+basket anyways so i figured i could kill 2 birds with 1 stone...idk. its still in the air for me lol...

[///M5 2,833]

lol i would love an svt...but would rather get a truck...so the focus is only temporary till i get out of school. the gas milage difference is incredible, i gained 5 mpg's when i took all of my equipment out.

5mpg, no way.

You aren't going to gain hardly anything, but a loss of output. Either way it is your choice, but you get to pick the compromise.

[Notorious on mobile 0]

With a 15" you can have your backseats back ? I would go for it ! It's always cool to have them. For groceries, friends, whatever...

If you don't compete, a 15" nightshade must be "enough" !!!

It's up to you !

[hardrock2401 8]

Go with a 15 in a crx box

[jcarter1885 995]

the way i see it is that a 15's cone area is about 69.4 percent of an 18. and the rule of thumb (ik this isnt necessarily the case) is that doubling the cone area will raise about 3db. now with going from an 18 to a 15 which is more than half the cone area, i would drop about 2db's which if i recall correctly is not audible. i could be wayyyy off with this but this is how i am seeing it...i just cant justify losing my backseat for something that is not even noticeable. i dont compete, plan to compete a little this summer, so the meter is not a huge deal to me. thoughts??

If you dont compete and not worried about the meter then go with a 15", so you can give it the recommended enclosure and still have space to spare. If your worried about output then came the 18" and loose on the space, its a toss up but not that big of a deal. This loosing and gaining mpg's thing is far fetched, stop worrying about the little bit of cone area and db's you think you may loose or gain (you wont hear or really see it, will come down to the install). Its an easy compromise, just have to make a choice.

[thebiggmann12 14]

lol i would love an svt...but would rather get a truck...so the focus is only temporary till i get out of school. the gas milage difference is incredible, i gained 5 mpg's when i took all of my equipment out.

5mpg, no way.

You aren't going to gain hardly anything, but a loss of output. Either way it is your choice, but you get to pick the compromise.

ur right, it was only four miles per gallon...do u think the output loss would be noticable?

[jcarter1885 995]

Yes the output would be noticeable, otherwise there wouldnt have been 12"s, 15"s or 18"s (just one standard sub size) but is the noticeable that big of a deal is the real question. You might miss out on some output but it will come down to a compromise. Worrying about output and not competing makes no sense especially when your running a Nightshade, its gonna be loud regardless whichever one you get.

[kirill007 52]

I would do the 15" sub and a birch enclosure, weighs much less then MDF.(and has the same strenght.)

Just make you're enclosure lighter, with single wall and double baffle birch and a lot of fiberglass to strenghten it.

[ScreamBloodyGorguts 4]

Yes, you could use void free birch to save some weight, or that trupan light fisher customs uses if you can find it. Neither of them are gonna be as cheap as mdf, but hey, save some weight, gain a little mpg maybe and hopefully make your car not as slow.