Having a subwoofer slows down ur car?

[Passions]

I heard once u put in a system complete with amps, subs, enclosure, etc. your whole car is a bit slower. like to the point where u can tell. Hmmm i have an integra, and need to finish my system, i have been driving 3 yrs without any bass and i cant take it any longer and i wanna shoot myselff everytime i hear this ping for a boom!

 

[Locutus of Board]

All the crap you put weighs 1000 lbs.

All you have to do is put your girlfriend in the car to test.

 

[convex]

drop a couple of cinderblocks into your trunk and see if that slows it down...depends on what your boxes are made out of and what size speakers you have. a pair of 18's in a solid box is obviously going to weigh more than a piar of 10's in a plywood fake wood box thingy..

 

[HaVoC]

Yeah enough large woofers with the high energy magnets, copper windings and particle board boxes can weigh the car down enough to make a difference.

But it could be purely psychological. The difference may be attributable to other factors like weather, gas quality, traction, etc...

 

[Windogg]

Probably sucks down so much juice that the sparkplugs can't fire.

Windogg

 

[Farbio]

i have never heard anything of that matter - i have done systems for people that consists of everything from 2 15" subs in a very heavy box to single 8's and even a set of quad 10's, of which the heaviest system didn't weigh more than about 200 pounds or so. i don't know about anyone else, but i don't use anything more than 3/4" mdf and its heavy, but not that bad. so there might be a slight speed loss, but nothing that would be very noticeable

 

[randypj]

BOBBY RIBS--I have a 280Z that used to be really puny on the electrical side of things. Seems like I always had to replace alternator/voltage regulator, etc. I always put the heaviest duty battery in it that it would take. Still, I noticed a definite decrease in power, when I was running a TV, vcr, and radar detector on it, at the same time. Just starting the vcr would cause the headlights to dim, even thought I was driving highway speed. Definitely a noticeable performance hit.

So, IME, it might depend on the car, and how much you are already stressing it.
--Randy

 

[xero]

i think if you have a smaller car w/ a puny engine, then yes, it may degrade preformance...i myself have two 12's in a large (~70-100lbs.) box in my trunk..my car has a 5.0L V8 305 though..so i noticed ZERO preformance degradation...my car already weighed about 4600+ lbs. so a hundred or so extra aint much

 

[Doodoo]

Randypj...sounds like you need a high output alternator. A system only slows ur car down as much as having another person in it.

 

[randypj]

Doodoo--They really make such, or are you kidding? '75 280Z.
--Randy

 

[lupin]

Integra use four bangers, so it's more sensitive to weight addition.

If you want to install soundsystem, just get a 2 channel amp, a sub, and a box. Then you probably won't notice any slowdown.
Bigger amps, more subs + bigger box will result in more weight.

One sub and a box approximately weighs the same as your spare tire.

 

[Bleep]

If you use those great big sub woofers with the big magnets dont stop on the railroad tracks you might not be able to get going again/
Bleep

 

[Angrymarshmello]

Infinity Perfect 12's - put those babies in and you'll forget about how fast your car runs (or some nice Eclipses, although you'll need a hell of an amp to push em)

 

[Farbio]

randy, yes they do make ho alternators, but they are quite expensive...your old z is probably making about 35 amps...about what a honda civic dx has. a big v8 like xero has probably has an alternator making 70-80 amps. to double your amperage, figure around a grand or so, but i would say an alternator making about 50 amps is more than sufficient for any smaller engine running a modest system.
my accord makes 45 amps, and the only time i notice any problems is when the a/c cycles on or off, it makes the headlights dim for a split second, but my system doesn't affect that or performance at all. good luck with the stuff randy

 

[Chris A]

Well I heard that if you install them backwards your speed will increase. Just let the sound push you

Even at a full load the alternator could never slow your car down as much as a air conditioner pump could. Just to put it in perspective.

 

[nickdakick]

randypj: What the hack do you do with a TV and a VCR in CAR ? :Q

 

[Doodoo]

To watch porn and play video games...what else would you do? Gotta figure out how to get around the parking break thing though. Randypj, instead of getting a new alternator u could get ur current one wound tighter too. That would be alot cheaper.

 

[nickdakick]

AAAAHHHH, drive from point A to point B as fast as you can(no general speed limit here, hehehe) ?

 

[amb#cog]

The general rule in drag racing is that 100 pounds is equal to a tenth of a second in the quarter mile. So if you added say 300 pounds of gear to your ride. You would be .30 of second slower in the quarter mile. This is not set in stone though. Every car is different.

 

[xero]

farbio: actually my car has a 55 amp alt on it right now i have a 600 watt amp too...im lucky i have enough power for anything i can't run my lights a/c windshield wipers and system at the same time...too much power draw..nor can i roll up all four windows at the same time....heh..lucky thing is, on an old car llkke mine, parts are cheap......i can get an AC Delco 120 amp alternator (for caprice police cars) for $99!

doodoo: that's not always a good idea...you dont get too much extra output from a rewound alternator...just go to a place like NAPA Autoparts, and they can hook ya up w/ a goood quality cheap alternator...

 

[JMaster]

take out ur back seats and A/C, that should free up room AND weight for your new system.
enjoy.

 

[Cowboy Dan]

I put my 250lbs of stereo gear right between the rear tires of my 240z, and traction was much improved, especially on wet roads. It feels a tad more sluggish, but 1/4 mile times aren't everything.

randy - check out http://www.zspecialties.com/hotdeal.htm for a H.O. alternator for your Z. I don't have one, but it's on the list of things to get.