InfinitePeace

Damn, that's a small box. I was pretty set on getting a pair of Q's. Can anyone that is NOT biased convince me that I should get Mag's instead... but that's if the new ones will be out in the very near future....

If this was mentioned, I apologize. I read the whole thread but I missed it if it was there... The 1 cube that is recommended for this woofer, is that before or after displacement?

Eh, well see.. because of the design of my trunk, I'm going to want the extra output of the 12's. I'm going to make them work somehow, just was curious if anyone had any creative ideas that I hadn't thought of. Late last night I actually was wondering if there was enough room to maybe remove the false wall and fabricate an amp rack over the fuel tank. I just wonder if it's safe to put electronic equipment that close to a fuel tank, though if anything serious ever did happen I don't know that it being there or a foot away would really matter, plus it would be separated by a thick piece of mdf. Dunno... if there's enough room it could be a really good idea and put them out of the way.

Car: 95' Lexus SC400. Driver: 1 or 2 Q's. 12s? Here's the deal, I'd love to do 2 12" Q's in about 2.8 cubes sealed or so. If I can make it fit. OR, I can do 1 12" Q and port it, but at what cost to SQ if the box is built properly? 1 Ported would yield a slightly smaller box if space is as much of an issue as it could potentially be once I tear out the false wall. The problem lies in that there is a Factory 10 and 2 4" in the rear deck, I think. 10 for sure, not 100% on the size of the mids there. The rear wall is steel with the gas tank there as well. Again, I have not had time to tear this out but I know there is at least some room in there because I've seen pic after pic of people putting 2 12's or even 4 10's there, granted the 4 10's occupied most of the trunk by extending the box well past the rear of the trunk opening. I'd LIKE to maintain access to my spare tire IF possible. Now, I can remove the factory 10 and mids to open up a lot of the rear stage, I just don't know if that will be enough. A lot of people have said that it does make a difference. But I'd like to know what you guys think or what you'd do. Power wise I've been looking at the Sundown 1000 and 1500 depending on driver choice. I don't need to win competitions, but I'd like to actually hear the speaker, otherwise whats the point in spending the cash to put it in? I don't want to sacrifice SQ but if porting is the way to go and having it still sound good, why not? I've heard of people porting through the rear stage, but how exactly? If the port is too long it screws up the sound, no? I could maybe mount 2 10's to the rear stage but how much would that jeopardize the integrity of that part of the car as is, plus I'd like to not modify more than I have to. A custom speaker box can be removed if ever need be... cutting out extra metal can't really be put back. Another option is putting everything on the floor of the trunk and leaving the false wall intact and factory as-is, which would lose me access to the spare tire. Another is fabricating a mounting plate to place in front of the false wall to mount the amps to vertically, and then just fabricating a normal box for whichever drivers, but would that sheet of mdf block the bass even more? Any thoughts would be helpful. I'm leaving now to go take everything apart and see what I have to work with. Alternator is ordered and I'm about ready to do this, but I just don't know what's the best option. I know there are many cars that have this steel wall problem, and I guess I'd just like to hear from those that have dealt with it, even if you are unfamiliar with my specific vehicle.

Ya, the shop that did my alternator said they would make it fit one way or another, as long as it wasn't taller than my current battery it for sure would not be an issue. It's all coming together now. Too bad while they were in there they found that power steering problem was worse than I thought. There goes another grand...

I'm gearing up for the impending install in my SC400. I just ordered a 180a High Output alternator that should be here in a week or so. My tenative plan is to run 2 12" Fi Q's (D1 Ohm) on a SAZ-1500D. These will be running along side a JL450/4 for Mids/Highs. Am I going to be okay? Ohiogen, who is selling me the alternator, suggested I throw a Red Top in the back in addition to all of this but I don't want to if I don't have to, as it's just added weight and more money on top of the ~$550 alternator that I didn't want to have to buy in the first place.... It's a LSQ Install and I don't plan on blaring them in a parking lot with the key off or anything irresponsible. Thoughts?

The dimensions are ALMOST Identical, the Powermaster being fractions of an inch smaller on each side. Theres already a strap going over it, my question is, is that okay, with that same strap there holing down a slightly smaller battery, should I still be okay?

I posted this on another forum and just wanted to repost it here to add to this discussion. I bought a 180a from Ohio General and they told me more than once, upgrade to the largest size of cable that you can for everything more or less EXCEPT the Alt to Batt Pos. They told me, which I confirmed multiple times, on a short run, 4awg (at least for upwards of 200a) is plenty and ideal; they don't recommend larger than that in that location because the size of the post on the alternator is too small to bind to the larger wire; ergo because of the size difference, the post on the alt heats up too much and can overheat it. That was their recommendation and I'm going to have the shop that is doing it for me talk to them and confirm with a detailed description of my specific engine. The other interesting thing they said was do NOT fuse that wire. I confirmed this as well, DO NOT fuse this wire because if for some reason it does indeed blow, the alternator will no longer see the battery and think that it's dead, so it will kick into high gear and stay that way until it burns up because it will never see that battery again until you've changed that fuse, thus leaving you with a dead battery and a burnt out alternator.

It would be going up front, I mean in terms of how well it will sit in the battery tray. I mean, batteries are heavy so I doubt it will move much as it is, but I just want to make sure a fraction of an inch here and there that its not going to slide around.

If that is truly the case then it's virtually no contest given that the powermaster is also 80-100 cheaper, and you're saying it will give me a bit more power? Sounds like a win-win... but am I right with the dimension assumptions, the powermaster is a hair smaller in each dimension, that won't be a problem will it?

I have never tried that with a ported box. . .Bandpass box, but not ported. Seems like that would cause a heavy emphasis at the port tuning frequency in the cabin of the car. Anyone actually ported a standard vented box through a rear deck? Not saying it won't work, just curious. . . This was also my concern, and I won't have room for a ported box unless I use one speaker. Now again, there will be holes in the rear stage, and if it comes down to it, well make those holes bigger and just cover them in one giant mesh or vent if need be. I'm hoping that 2 4' holes and a 10" hole (or at least the but out diameters for said speaker sizes) will be enough. Plus I don't know much about bandpass, and bandpass enclosure recommendations weren't even covered in the sticky; I want the cleanest possible sound, I'm more concerned with what the smallest sealed box size I can use for a 12 (or two in a single chamber) would be for me to be happy, or what do I can for the 3" or so increase by shooting for about 1.1-1.2 after disp?

I just recieved mine from Ohio Generator, they have been very helpful, I have an SC400, granted you've got a different animal there, but someone has to be able to work out something for you. Check http://www.h-o-alternators.com/ also, they quoted me first, and were a little more expensive, but they may be able to help AT ALL if the others cant.

I appreciate the insight, however I don't want to do more than one battery, as the trunk will be cramped enough as it is. That's why I'm going to buy the best battery I can for the front... so far the Powermaster 2400 appears to be almost a perfect fit which is what I was asking. Now someone is suggesting Kinetik and I'd just like to know what makes one of these "Car Audio" batteries better than another? Stinger makes some too... whats different about those?

Which Kinetik and why?

Tell me why? Everyone said for SQ the Q's are where it's at. So, that's what I want. Right? It doesn't have to be ridiculous loud, but I do want to hear it. Not at the cost of SQ though.

Wow.. not one idea? I see the Fi reps post here all the time. Must I be running 15 subs to pique some interest? Really I'd just like to know what's the smallest box I can run and be happy.. site says .8 is the lowest without displacement, I'd just like to know what the extra .3 per driver gets me if I give it to them, as someone recommended 1.1-1.2? Sealed of course...

Okay. I haven't had time to sit down and measure what's actually under the hood, but provided this information is accurate, interstate recommends this battery for my car; http://www.interstatebatteries.com/estore/...nk%7C1&js=1 Length: 11 inches Width: 6.88 inches Height: 8.75 inches So, if that information is accurate, than the D2400 would be almost a perfect fit at; 10.24" L x 6.65" W x 8.31" H; Would it not? Are there any other size constraints to take into a account? That said, as for Big 3 while I'm in there, is 2awg enough or do I HAVE to use 0; Over such a short distance, would I really see a difference? I have 6 feet of extra 0, but more of the 2 and I just want to know if I'd be okay with 2?

Ugh. I'll look into getting a powermaster... I just don't know what size I need. Is there specific classes that relate to battery tray size, or do I just have to measure physical mass and size and see what fits?

Ya.. the alternator should be here any day, it was supposed to ship from Ohiogen on Friday. I'm going to get that in first and then throw everything in. A battery is an easy thing to change, this one is almost brand new. Maybe it's not the best, but I'm also not going to be listening to music full blast all day or am I going for all out SPL, or listening with the engine off or all the way up at idle. I'm investing way too much cash to be stupid about it... so I'll give it a shot and buy another battery later I think. Or maybe right now, hell if I know, let me check my account once all the other crap is ordered. lol.

The Plot thickens. So, I tore out the false wall and sure enough, there is a fuel tank behind it. Not just part of the fuel tank, but the entire fuel tank. Thus, there will be no part of the enclosure mounted next to or above it... in fact the factory 10 damn near touches the thing, so anything I do will have to pretty much be in front of the factory false wall leaving it intact. We have a couple ideas, from mounting one amp on the rear wall of the trunk and another off to the side, to stacking them and placing the sub box next to it. Add in the added challenge of maintaining use of the spare tire. It's going to be a challenge, we've explored different rack ideas and modular installation thoughts. As for only running 1 12", I've considered it... with the steel back plate on the trunk, I just don't know how much output I would really get from it. 2 Sealed q' @ about .9-1.0 a piece is what we're shooting for I believe. Unless you can talk me into 1 ported 12, but we both pretty much agree that being that I'm going for LSQ, but not at the price of non-existent output in a challenging car... I figure 2 sealed would make up the extra SPL while still keeping the best SQ I can. Unless someone here has personally heard one of these drivers, sealed vs ported in the same car with the same power and can compare notes with me and give me a real idea of the difference in SPL with respect to how much SQ I'd be sacrificing, that would be immensely beneficial. If the Official Fi guys would like to chime in here..... They have yet to answer an e-mail...

Man that sucks. =/ I don't know what I'll do yet. I guess I can replace the battery. I really don't want to have 2 batteries if I can help it. It's more weight and space is already an issue, I'll be lucky if I can fit both 12's in there; apparently the false wall is hiding my gas tank as well which until recently I was unaware was part of what occupied that space. I've seen 4 10's fit in this car so I have to believe it's possible. I guess well see when I actually have time to take it apart.

They are all about the same price... The OZ I can get here when I order the sundown for 280ish, The Type X's are 350, and the Hertz I can get through a guy on the caraudio forums that gets them locally for a good price @ 299. So, it's a difficult decision. The big problem is I've not heard any of them nor can I. I got a lot of recommendations on CAF for the OZ's, caraudio.com forums all praise the hertz, and type X's are a grab bag, but no one has anything bad to say. So, I'm torn.

So people can't seem to stop raving about these drivers. I had tried to e-mail the sales@ address with some questions, just trying to figure out what it is that I need and what I should be expecting. I was originally going to do a 12w6v2 on a 500/1. Before I ordered everything, I decided to post a little on CAF where I've been a member for some time and just tell everyone what I was doing and see if they had another take on it. The majority of them said Fi was the way to go. So, here I am. I drive a 95 Lexus sc400. HU: Kenwood DNX7100 M/H: I actually have no idea yet, suggestions there are welcomed too.. was gonna go Morel but everyone said they were overrated. Looking for something not too harsh, maybe silk tweeters, 400-600 TOPS, cheaper the better as long as I'm gonna be happy. M/H Amp: JL 450/4v2 Sub Amp: ? Sub : ? This is what I'm here to find out. I've been recommended the Fi Q, as if you cant tell, I'm looking for SQ... BUT, I also want it to make some noise, but not at the expense of SQ. I don't want to put 10000 watts in either. Someone said a 12 and an eD NinE.1. Well within my budget and sounds like it would match up with the speaker well. But, what kind of box; sealed or ported; if ported how big and will it even fit; if so, port it through the rear stage maybe? If sealed, will I lose a lot of output, or will sealed still get pretty loud in my small car? I welcome all input...

That's the plan, just waiting to get the time to look in the trunk and see if I have room for two, then I'd get the 1500 to push both. Also have to make a decision on the front stage, going back and forth between Hertz, the OZ elites, and Alpine Type X pro. Once I figure all that out, I'll order everything.

Sigh. Everyone said I was crazy for spending this much because you can "get a system for so much less", well it's these kind of things that make it expensive, the things you don't think about, that no one thinks about, including myself. When this is all said and done I will have spent 800 without labor on just my electrical system. =/