should i throw both 15's in there, or settle for one?

[JoeGibs 10+ year member]

I have two 15's that i took out of my jeep before i sold it. I have a new car, an 03 dodge stratus, that i'm in the process of installing a stereo with. The trunk is decent size, and i can make them fit no problem. I already ditched the spare tire to relocate the battery to the trunk, and there's enough space in the spare tire well to fit a sub amp and an amp for a component set when i move onto that project.

my problem lies in electrical, and satisfaction. i'm used to these two 15's in my jeep, which metered at 144.4 with a ported box, but daily driven with a sealed box. i'm afraid that if i put just one of these in my trunk, i'll get bored of it and have to make a new box. if i go with one, i'm confident the electrical system can hold. if i put both of them in there, i'm concerned the poor alternator just wont be able to take it.

the factory alternator is rated at 120 amps. the amplifier i'm looking at is fused at 5x30. the amplifier is 750x1 at 4 ohms, and 1500x1 at 2 ohms, and the subs i'm using are SVC 4, so the amp will work regardless, but will draw less power if only use 1 sub.

I can always do an alternator upgrade later down the road, but its money that i dont necessarily want to sink into it unless absolutely necessary.

Opinions, suggestions?

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[Slo_Ride 5,000+ posts]

Run two 15s. You will be fine with 1500 watts with a 120 amp alt, just get a good battery and some zero guage. Mind if I ask what amp and subs?

 

[JoeGibs 10+ year member]

i'm looking at a memphis 1500, like this one http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300386958711&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

and the subs are dayton titanic 15's

 

[AQHDC3 10+ year member]

Ya. The 120 amp alt should do fine with 1500 watts. Like Dpc69ss said just get a good batt and some 0 ga. Id also do the big three.

 

[Slo_Ride 5,000+ posts]

Well if you have the room definitely do the pair.

 

[JoeGibs 10+ year member]

i have 0 gauge going directly from the alternator to the re-located battery in the trunk. i have an optima red top in there that i pulled from my jeep, but its not holding voltage very well so it may need to be replaced.

 

[AQHDC3 10+ year member]

i have 0 gauge going directly from the alternator to the re-located battery in the trunk. i have an optima red top in there that i pulled from my jeep, but its not holding voltage very well so it may need to be replaced.

Check your batt with a DMM and see what it rests at after a while of sitting, if it rests below 12.5 id replace it.

 

[JoeGibs 10+ year member]

resting voltage is sitting around 12.3-12.4, but its been starting the car with no problems, even in below 0 weather. im charging it right now, then i'm gonna let it sit for a couple hours and see what it says then to make sure.

when i had this battery in my jeep, i had a dual alternator setup. one alternator was hooked to nothing but this red top battery, and they ran my subs, and nothing else. it used to be my daily driver, driven every day. but a little over a year ago i got a work truck, so my jeep would sometimes sit for weeks at a time. after i pulled it from my jeep, i forgot to check voltage and charge it, and it sat for a couple months. when i threw it into the car, the voltage was in the upper 11's, so i'm thinking it may have been drained and damaged somewhere along the lines.

 

[Chrispy 10+ year member]

i'm looking at a memphis 1500, like this one http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300386958711&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT
and the subs are dayton titanic 15's

Nice, don't see too many people running Dayton besides home audio. I own a couple Titanic 12s and a 15 myself.

 

[Slo_Ride 5,000+ posts]

Nice, don't see too many people running Dayton besides home audio. I own a couple Titanic 12s and a 15 myself.

Yeah I started to ask about that, but fiqured it should definitely get low as hell.

 

[JoeGibs 10+ year member]

thats the idea //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif i dont just wanna get loud, i want something that's gonna sound **** good doing it. 144.4 with the TL on the dash, and i forgot to turn the sub output up on the headunit. she was good for another couple db's

after the battery charged, i let it sit for a couple hours, and it held 12.7v, ever so slowly dropping.

i'm gonna kick someone's *** if my headlights go into police mode after i install both these things.

 

[JoeGibs 10+ year member]

alright, i drove my car a few times over the weekend, and then let it sit until tonight. i made a few runs around town, and then came down to my work garage. i tested the voltage right away, and its at 11.9 //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wow.gif.23d729408e9177caa2a0ed6a2ba6588e.gif

can extreme cold temperatures give false readings like that? or is my alternator on the way out the door?

 

[spltuscon 10+ year member]

Use both fifteens, more headroom (and more fun), you will be fine on a 120amp alternator...assuming it's working.

 

[spltuscon 10+ year member]

Depends what you mean by extreme cold...normally no, it shouldn't ever be that low. Get your alternator and battery tested before you get stranded somewhere.

 

[JoeGibs 10+ year member]

i keep jumper cables in my trunk, and i'm never so far away from civilization that i cant call someone. the last couple days its gotten to 10 degrees in the day, and gets much colder at night. after sitting in my garage for 5 hours with the trunk open and a charger on it, the battery STILL had frost on it. after an hour of just sitting in the garage without the charger, the resting voltage did go up to 12 volts, so maybe it is affected by the cold?

so i've spent the last two nights after work designing and building my box. ****er was beautiful. was. son of a ***** was an inch too big to squeeze into the trunk opening. i barely got it into the opening, but i couldnt rotate it to get it into the right position. fml