Drop from 12s to 10s?

[ALL4SPL 10+ year member]

So here is my issue, I currently have 2 12s in a ported box 4cuft (after all displacement) tuned at 33Hz with 58 sq in of port area. Sounds good, have not metered the car yet, but I have a feeling it will NOT hit my goal of sounding good and hitting a 145. The car is a 4dr hatchback, 09 honda fit to be exact and I am only using the rear hatch area for subs, amps and batts. So the enclosure is about as big as it can get externally at 19" H x 39.5" W x 16" D. Power for the subs is a Skar SK4500.1.

I was discussing this with an old fellow car audio friend and he suggested going down to 10s from 12s. Now my concerns are pretty simple, cone area since the 12s cone area is 226.19, and 10s would only be 157.08. His point to me was I would have more flexibility with the enclosure with 10s. I guess what I am getting at is has anyone ran into this situation before and did going down a size of sub actually help?

*Please keep this about the enclosure, I run whatever equipment I run for my own reasons*

If pictures of my current enclosure help:

And here is the box crammed in the car.

Click to read more...

 

[gckless 5,000+ posts]

Don't like the equipment, but I really like that box. It's nice man. You build it?

But the only way you might get louder, if using the same line of sub, is with a 4th order, I think. Willing to bet it won't sound as good though. What were you thinking you could do?

@Buck

 

[ALL4SPL 10+ year member]

Yes I built the enclosure, it's number 4 I have done for the car and I don't think I have enough room for a decent 4th order.

 

[Wanacustomx 10+ year member]

Maybe 3 10s.. would still use less airspace if you could squeeze it in the car.. that would somewhat make up the cone area difference and allow you to put more power to it.. can I ask why your using the zvx woofers? ive ran the vvx 12s on over 2k I really am a skar fan just couldn't justify buying th zvx woofers without runnin anymore than like 3k to each woofer haha know what I mean? If it ain't broke dont fix it kinda thing I guess

 

[ALL4SPL 10+ year member]

They were my best option at the time, and I am not disappointed in them at all I just think they need more than my amp is really putting out, mainly because my electrical won't allow this amp to do what it can really do.

 

[ancorp 10+ year member]

Testing a Skar Audio sk4500.1 - Car Audio Classifieds

Theres a guy doing over 150 with two 12s in 4 cubes on the same amp. I don't see why you couldn't do a 145 with a pair of 12s in your setup.

 

[Wanacustomx 10+ year member]

Could have a lot to do with the way his box is setup, the shape of the car, electrical, deadener, I would say get like 3 10s and strap 2 of them bad boys on em and you should have no problem.. but do everything else possible before that.. you got any deadner on your car? Also your port is firing up I always heard firing back gets a little louder off the hatch, if your enclosure is packed in your kinda s.o.l. but nothing you can do about that

 

[ALL4SPL 10+ year member]

Could have a lot to do with the way his box is setup, the shape of the car, electrical, deadener, I would say get like 3 10s and strap 2 of them bad boys on em and you should have no problem.. but do everything else possible before that.. you got any deadner on your car? Also your port is firing up I always heard firing back gets a little louder off the hatch, if your enclosure is packed in your kinda s.o.l. but nothing you can do about that

Car has a lot of deadener in it, each door is done in Damplifier 40% coverage with overkill foam on top of that, the roof has a full 100% coverage layer of Alpha Damp, the rear cargo area and hatch is 50-75% coverage in damplifier and then overkill foam on top of that. The floor is the only area left, currently has some older dynamat dyna liner but I have a full box of Alpha damp waiting as well as MLV to go over that. The space behind the enclosure is around 5-6" of space but it is not square its more of an arc shape.

 

[bgowdy 5,000+ posts]

hm, seems to me there should be no way your not doing atleast the 145. on the equipment you have and it being a hatch back should not be difficult. how do you know you not doing a 145?

 

[Wanacustomx 10+ year member]

Well man your just limited by space.. nothing you can do except add power and focus on box design

 

[ALL4SPL 10+ year member]

hm, seems to me there should be no way your not doing atleast the 145. on the equipment you have and it being a hatch back should not be difficult. how do you know you not doing a 145?

I don't know for sure, no access to a meter however there is a show in a couple weeks near by and I can get it metered then, just not getting my hopes up lol.

 

[bgowdy 5,000+ posts]

I don't know for sure, no access to a meter however there is a show in a couple weeks near by and I can get it metered then, just not getting my hopes up lol.

hm.... if your not doing a 145 its gotta be the box

 

[ALL4SPL 10+ year member]

hm.... if your not doing a 145 its gotta be the box

I agree, just mocked up a box I may try, 4.57cuft after all displacement (3) 4" aero ports tuned at 36Hz, subs up ports back.

 

[Buck 5,000+ posts]

You should try a single 8" aero up-firing.

 

[T.I.K. 10+ year member]

I'd drop the 12's and run the 10's You could fit another two 10's in that box. You have around 5.5 cubes total. you could give 4 10's 1.25ft^3 each and have half a cube left for bracing and aero ports.