Hello Everyone

[Stillbangin88 0]

Hey everyone I am new to the forum. I have a few questions that I am hoping some of you will be able to help me out with. I am currently running two power coustik mofo 10's on 1000 rms. I am looking to upgrade. I am trying to decide between the Fi ssd and DD's 2500 series. I am leaning towards a single 12. I was contemplating between a single 12 and a single 15 but the ssd 15 calls for 3.5-4 cubes for a slotted enclosure. I don't think it will fit in my trunk. I am pretty confident that the overall dimensions would fit however it is initially getting it into my car that has me worried. Another thing that has me worried is that I have tried contacting Fi two different times now with questions about their products with no luck. If I am already having this kind of trouble before I even buy their product how can I be sure it wont be the same case if I have a problem after I buy it? Another question I have is about amps. I am definitely going to be in the market for a new one. Im thinking the 12-1500 rms range. One last question, if I am running a true 12-1500 rms would I need to upgrade my alternator? Thanks in advance for any and all input

[nem 2,019]

Welcome

 

I used to have two 12" ssd's and loved them. Don't worry Nick and Scott are great people to deal with and they will help you and if they are busy we will do our best to help you.

[EPerez 236]

Welcome to SSA! I'm from Hartland, MI.

 

What question do you have about the FI subs? Di d you try to email them? Ask us here and most likely we can answer.

 

What size alt is in you're impala? Doing the big 3 might be okay, but if voltage is still dropping then I would add a second battery then. Probably won't have to upgrade alt.

 

I have a SSA Xcon 12 if you're interested? I just got a fresh new recone/basket from SSA and haven't even put it on the motor yet.

[Stillbangin88 0]

Interesting : ). I was just getting ready to post on here and ask about the Sundown Sa-12 and SSA Gcon in comparison to the two I already listed. I had a couple of questions for Fi. My biggest being does the sub come with specs for the enclosure? Some other questions I have but did not include are what exactly does the flatwind coil and cooling do for the subs? If I were to choose the Fi I was going to get every option on it except for the carbon fiber dust cap. I was reading up on the Fi's and people said they were consistently running 1500 rms on them with the upgrades. Does that seem feasible? Also I have heard that sundown are underrated so what should I expect the Sa-12 to handle? Sorry Im a bit of a noob when it comes to some things Ive heard the term but not all that familiar big 3?

[Stillbangin88 0]

its the stock alternator Im guessing 90-100 amps?

[nem 2,019]

Before you get to many questions in your welcome thread, start a new thread in the proper section so others will see it and provide the help you need.

[S.DeYoung 967]

Kalamazoo MI here

Welcome

[EPerez 236]

Interesting : ). I was just getting ready to post on here and ask about the Sundown Sa-12 and SSA Gcon in comparison to the two I already listed. I had a couple of questions for Fi. My biggest being does the sub come with specs for the enclosure? Some other questions I have but did not include are what exactly does the flatwind coil and cooling do for the subs? If I were to choose the Fi I was going to get every option on it except for the carbon fiber dust cap. I was reading up on the Fi's and people said they were consistently running 1500 rms on them with the upgrades. Does that seem feasible? Also I have heard that sundown are underrated so what should I expect the Sa-12 to handle? Sorry Im a bit of a noob when it comes to some things Ive heard the term but not all that familiar big 3?

 

 

The SA12 and Gcon can handle around 1k rms of clean power. No need to really go anymore than that. On FI's website they post the recommended box sizes and should say what each thing means on their site. With all the upgrades the SSD could handle 1500 rms if the electrical, box, amp gain, and all that is right. You won't hear a difference within a few hundred watts.

 

The big 3 is upgrading the wires under the hood. Only ADDING wire.

 

1.Alt + to battery +

2. Battery - to chassis (frame)

3. Engine block to chassis

[Stillbangin88 0]

Thank you W140 nice to meet some fellow Michiganders so quickly : ). I started a new thread under subs per your advice nem just to give you guys a heads up. My only concern with the xcon bassink is that it is rated at 1750 rms and unfortunately at this time an amp that big is just out of my budget. I already have an additionial ground from my negative on my battery connected to the frame. So for the battery + to alt + you basically just want to run a bigger wire is what your saying? Does it matter where on the engine block you ground it to?

[EPerez 236]

Thank you W140 nice to meet some fellow Michiganders so quickly : ). I started a new thread under subs per your advice nem just to give you guys a heads up. My only concern with the xcon bassink is that it is rated at 1750 rms and unfortunately at this time an amp that big is just out of my budget. I already have an additionial ground from my negative on my battery connected to the frame. So for the battery + to alt + you basically just want to run a bigger wire is what your saying? Does it matter where on the engine block you ground it to?

 

The best part about the Xcon is that it does not need 1,750 rms to get loud. I had it on 1k rms and it was very loud. My favorite sounding sub so far. My friends were surprised with the output of 1 12 and how nice it sounded. At first they thought I had multiple 12s lol

 

Yea run 0 gauge from alt + to battery +. Make sure you fuse it. Not sure where you would do it but on mine I did it on the side.

[altoncustomtech 773]

to the forum!

 

Fi can be a little slow at times to respond to emails but that doesn't reflect anything on their quality.  One thing that most don't realize is that they're really quite a small company.  There's a handful or so of employees to do everything from building the subs to answering emails so sometimes it can take a little while for them to catch up on emails because they focus on the build process.

 

Don't get hung up on numbers, you don't have to feed a sub full power to get it loud.  The XCON or any sub for that matter can do very well on considerably less than it's rated power.  The best thing you can do when running power that borders on the necessity for a stronger electrical backbone is to put a dedicated volt meter on the power terminals of the amp and watch the voltage.  If it dips very much add a second battery securely mounted and connected near the amp and watch the voltage some more.  If it gets fairly stable after that you're good, if it's still dipping then you may have to look into an HO alt.  Keep in mind that every vehicle and it's charging system is different and with your Impala and the way the charging systems work on the modern GM's expect to see some voltage drop as it takes the PCM a moment to ramp up the output from the alt.  I would consider the BIG 3 upgrade a necessity when adding any high drain equipment to the electrical system.  The factory sized the electrical system for everyday use by the vehicle and the systems within it and added little headroom for extras.  The BIG 3 essentially gives the grounds and charging wire a stronger backbone to operate with and even on the factory alt helps it charge better/faster under higher loads.

 

No matter which sub you decide to go with be sure the enclosure is well built and designed.  A great sub in a poor enclosure can be outperformed by a crappy sub in a great enclosure.  I think a single 12 would be a great move for you as it will easy fit in your trunk and still offer a good deal of output.

 

Well, that's my .02 worth for your questions so far and again, welcome to the forum.

[Stillbangin88 0]

Thank you Alton for the welcome. With whatever setup I decide to go with I am definitely going to be doing the big three along with a secondary type 34 battery in the trunk. It may not be necessary to have the secondary battery but I am running a decent amount of power and want to be sure I am getting everything I can out of my system.  The amp I am looking at is by CT sounds. It is rated 1400 rms at 1 ohm on 12.8 volts. Not sure of the validity of the equipment used or type of test but there is an amp test done by Steve Mead and it tests a little over 1400 at 12.8 volts. When tested at 14.4 volts it tests a little over 1800. I will also be getting a volt meter, the CT amp comes with a bass knob with built in click meter, built in volt meter, and on off switch.

 

I know that I initially said I was going with one sub but after talking with my mentor I think I have decided on two. I was even contemplating on the btl series from Fi , but one sub with options would have easily ran me 350. The reason I am leaning towards two instead of one is more cone area moving more air. I am about 90% set on the Sundown Sa-12's. For a little less than 200 bucks you get a lot of bang for your buck and I am getting two for 50-75 more than I was going to spend on one. The box design is coming from my mentor. He just helped a friend install a ported box that was right around 3 cubes vented and he said it picked up frequencies from 32hz all the way up to 80 in a sweep with no drop off. The guy had it mic'd not sure how much power I think he said 4000 and hit a 150.3 with that setup. I'm obviously not running a ton of power and don't expect to hit a high number but ultimately I am building this for me. What I do know is that my power koustik mofo amp that claims to be 1000 rms is probably more in the 5-600 range? So this is definitely going to be the loudest setup I have ran : 0. I cant wait! Subs are getting ordered here within the next week not sure if Chirstmas and what not will create a problem for shipping. The amp is on back order until January.

 

One last question. When I install these I am thinking of doing a mini wall behind my rear seat the the subs facing the front. Do you guys have any suggestions with which way to have the subs, port, and box facing? If I do choose to do the mini wall it will obviously cut off my access to the trunk through the rear seat. This creates somewhat of a problem for me at this point because I don't have a keyhole in my trunk lid and my trunk release button doesn't work? The only way I can open it at this point is to climb through the rear seat and pull the emergency release. When I push the trunk release button I hear the relay click but nothing else happens. I bought a new relay and put it in and it still doesn't work?    Thanks for any and all advice it is appreciated!

[Lee Carter 150]

Welcom- from South Alabam.

[Aaron Clinton 2,372]