Subwoofer/strut brace question

[colm_mcm]

Got a sub in the boot, I want to move it back to right behind the rear seat, as there's not enough room for the tools/bits of FTO/junk that I carry around. Trouble is I have a strut brace, would it completely mess the acoustics of the sub box if I cut two holes the exact same diameter as the bar in the sides and ran the bar through? I know the box is sealed, but how sealed does it need to be and will I actually notice the difference if it isn't?

[Sebastian]

LOL .


i'll take the strut of you!


on the other hand dont drill the sub .. the box it's a perfect (or suppose to be ) enclosure .. any gap in it will distortion (?!spell) )the sound . not taking in considerations the rattles or the pain in the back to take it out if you are forced to

[colm_mcm]

no pain in the back, as the strut has a bolt on either side, if you wanna remove it you don't have to go near the suspension.

Don't think there will be any rattles either.

somebody tell me it's ok to do this!!!

[Bernard]

You could always seal around the holes with some silicone.

[colm_mcm]

I'd intend on the holes being pretty much the exact same diameter as the strut bar.

[optical illusion]

Boom boom boom - lmao...

Have you had a gawk around the internet to see if anyone else has attempted it?

[Sebastian]

I'd intend on the holes being pretty much the exact same diameter as the strut bar.

clearly then your strut is only there for the looks .

[colm_mcm]

Don't try and tell me the sub will somehow compromise the strut brace!

[CJ]

You could always seal around the holes with some silicone.

This will work but make sure the box is completely airtight, otherwise the bass won't be nearly as punchy. It goes without saying but make sure and properly secure the enclosure to the boot floor.

CJ

[colm_mcm]

Thanks CJ, as with the manifold gasket, I just need someone to blame if it goes wrong!

[paulkenny]

I'm no expert on this stuff but I understand that the volume of air in the sub enclosure is important and havin the bar going through it will change this..

..not sure what the impact on the sound will be but its something to consider...

[CJ]

I'm no expert on this stuff but I understand that the volume of air in the sub enclosure is important and havin the bar going through it will change this..

You're right Paul, you need to match the output of the sub with a suitably designed enclosure, theres calculators out on the web for this kinda thing.

The bar through the box will reduce the the volume of air inside which will in turn have an impact on sound frequcncy (i.e. less in the way of low band output). I would be willing to bet that you won't notice a significant change in bass response as long as the enclosure is fully sealed. Failing to properly seal the box will result in more response loss than the bar through the middle.

Colm, if you don't get the desired effect, its just a matter of putting the box back together again. I reckon its worth the risk, you know you want to ;)

CJ

[Kace]

That's going to be a very tricky job to get right and to get the holes resealed. Given that the brace has odd shaped ends, you're not just going to be able to drill some nice holes and feed the brace through.

Surely you'll have to :
- remove base of box
- cut full u-shaped grooves from the base of the box up to the height that the bar will need to rest when the box is sitting in the boot.
- re-mount base of box
- seal up the u-shaped holes. This could be quite difficult.

Or have you thought about some ingenious way of doing it ?

It would be much easier to just unscrew the brace and sell it on. You will then be left with a nicely fitting box that goes right back against the seat. Like this one...

[finers]

my sub is sitting in my garage but it fits behind the strut brach facing the seat:D, fits like a glove!!, if i was you i'd wack together a box out of a bit of chipboard , will do the bitz, most of them are wood anyway wrapped in material!, i have a kicker sub btw

[colm_mcm]

That's going to be a very tricky job to get right and to get the holes resealed. Given that the brace has odd shaped ends....
It would be much easier to just unscrew the brace and sell it on.

this is what the brace looks like, it's a straight bar with no bends:

It's adjustabe, so I reckon I can dismantle it, take the centre out, fit the centre part through the box then re-assemble. I can definately unbolt the 2 blue outer bits off very easily, and I reckon it's just a case of adjusting it all the way outwards to remove the ends that bolt onto that.

[Bernard]

Are your present speakers not up to much?

[colm_mcm]

Are your present speakers not up to much?

The ones on it at the moment are Jap spec Carrozzeria (Pioneer) setup, with tweeters, door speakers and 6*9 in the back. They're grand, I was just looking for a bit more bass (for listening to Tiesto* etc) It's already wired up and makes a nice difference because I can now turn down the bass going to the original speakers at high volume, much cleaner sound.




*not really

[colm_mcm]

fitted it just now, looks great IMO. need to build a floor behind the spare wheel though,

[CJ]

Any impact on sound quality Colm? Pics?

CJ

[colm_mcm]

Sounds the same, CJ. here are some pics I took with my phone, can't find USB lead for camera

[Muad_dib77]

NICE job! Looks like a cannon or something!

Does your hat shelf and/or door cards rattle when you give it a bit of the aul "pump up the jam"?

[CJ]

Nice job Colm, glad it worked out (and you don't have to blame me for it all going wrong ;))

CJ