sub forward or back

[loudferio13 0]

i know every car is different. i have a civic sedan 98. my btl is firing forward with the port forwrd. i was wondering will it get louder if i face everything towards the rear of the car.

[tezin87 0]

I think the only way to know is to give it a try. If you don't like it, just switch it back. Hopefully someone with a similar car can give you a better answer before you try and strong arm that heavy box around.

[Aaron Clinton 2,372]

That is really something that can only be found out through testing, every car varies.

[KU40 173]

A vast majority of the time it will be louder to the rear. I think the exception to this is if either your box takes up basically the entire cross area of the trunk or if you wall it off at the front baffle so that little if any waves get back into the trunk.

[mbarber25 29]

i know this is an old ass post but why start a new one

and my question is based of this

A vast majority of the time it will be louder to the rear. I think the exception to this is if either your box takes up basically the entire cross area of the trunk or if you wall it off at the front baffle so that little if any waves get back into the trunk.

based on this, should i flip around the box?

here's how much it takes up when all the way back (it fits up between wheel well when pushed back)

the hatch (kind of small so the port and part of sub wouldn't be completely in view)

hatch again

for reference

for reference

so what do you (KU40) and you other guys think? should i try it out? (car is 2003 maxima)

[jcarter1885 995]

I would only flip it around if you can get the port and subwoofer firing directly inside the cabin and not blocked by the trunk and cabin seperator and if you plan on properly sealing it so all the waves go directly into the cabin. Just my .02

[mbarber25 29]

I would only flip it around if you can get the port and subwoofer firing directly inside the cabin and not blocked by the trunk and cabin seperator and if you plan on properly sealing it so all the waves go directly into the cabin. Just my .02

yea i was worried about that, but the port and sub would still be a lot closer than before (my box is as far back as possible)

so it makes me torn. if it wasn't gunna be a process to do it, i wouldn't have even bothered to ask.

the reward would be worth the risk just want some assurance.

[shizzzon 461]

the volume behind the box where the cargo enters the cabin area, you have plenty of space there so u are fine.

What i WOULD do though is pull the box out and flip it over so the port is on the other side.

You always want the port on the opposite side of the car that you are sitting if you are not competing. This allows the pressure to load better on the driver side.

High pressure levels like to move to low pressure areas.

[mbarber25 29]

the volume behind the box where the cargo enters the cabin area, you have plenty of space there so u are fine.

What i WOULD do though is pull the box out and flip it over so the port is on the other side.

You always want the port on the opposite side of the car that you are sitting if you are not competing. This allows the pressure to load better on the driver side.

High pressure levels like to move to low pressure areas.

ok i'll definately do that since it's the offseason (i'm an amatuer competitor)

so should i ditch the idea of turning the box around?

[shizzzon 461]

if u have a meter u can test it but i doubt it would help unless sealed which i doubt u want to do anyway.

The trunk allows the box to act somewhat like a bandpass design, the trunk is a loading area therefore it should typically be louder firing toward the rear.

However... using the trunk as a loading area can only get you so loud before you must turn it around.

This only happens when the box needs to be very large or are running more power than the space around the box can handle without inducing turbulence more and more.

A very serious competitor should only see this restrictions.

[mbarber25 29]

ok so unless i'm feelin wreckless tomorrow, i'm just going to flip the side of the port.

thank you

[KU40 173]

I had a box about that size in my trunk and I flipped it forwards. I didn't notice a big change in output, though I *think* it may have been a tad louder towards the front. I didn't seal off the trunk behind the front baffle though. At any rate, my amps were mounted on the back of my enclosure so having it facing forward allowed me easier access to my amps so I left it. If you have the extra wire length to do so, may as well try it forward when you're switching it around to try the port on the other side as well.

[shizzzon 461]

well, sealing off when firing forward may not even be noticeably louder to the ear believe it or not.

When firing forward, the upper notes like the high 40s to lower 60s are typically what sounds louder.

I do not know if they actually are though... I know that when firing forward, it's not uncommon for that range to be the loudest.

Speculation is hard to do in car audio when it comes to deciding what's louder without testing.

Luckily for those who don't compete, the ear is the cheapest tool to use.