$800 Cavalier

[Darren]

Thought it was never good to mount the amp to the actual box. You know rattles, and the internal parts.

[MP81]

I've never really had an issue in the Cobalt.

That said, on something with some absolute monster subs, I would agree.

[Darren]

I've never really had an issue in the Cobalt.

That said, on something with some absolute monster subs, I would agree.

Interesting, I have never done it that way. Always mounted the amp somewhere else. I have the itch to add a single sub to my car now.

[MP81]

Interesting, I have never done it that way. Always mounted the amp somewhere else. I have the itch to add a single sub to my car now.

It's really a matter of preference, especially with these smaller, more compact amps. Now an old amp (I have an older Blaupunkt in my basement that probably weighs somewhere close to 20-30 lbs)...I wouldn't mount to the box, mainly for fear of it ripping out of it.

I was definitely happy I finally got around to putting these two in the car. It's my winter vehicle, and I do drive it during the other seasons as well, so it made sense to add some more enjoyment to the music.

[Atrus]

Interesting, I have never done it that way. Always mounted the amp somewhere else. I have the itch to add a single sub to my car now.

[MENTION=1993]Darren[/MENTION] - I still have it...http://www.mifbody.com/vbulletin/sho...uot-DVC-Sub-50

[birdie2000]

Yup! I'm quite happy with it. Found out the lower-end (DEH-150MP) Pioneer head unit that I have even has subwoofer slope as an adjustment...that was interesting to find. I think I have a little more tuning to get it where I want it. It'll never be as "tight" as my JLs in the Cobalt, but for the amount I spent, I'm more than happy.

Tightness is all about midbass integration. Do you have upgraded front speakers at all? It honestly has very little to do with the subs you use in my experience, with enough tuning you make almost anything sound good. (that's how Bose survives - cheap junk with decent tuning) Play with the slopes and spend some time level matching. Sometimes punchiness requires you to turn the bass down. And if you don't have good midbass up front, don't be afraid to run a high crossover point on the subs and spend some time tuning the slopes/levels/eq if you have them, it can actually sound really good this way.

[MP81]

In the Cav? I have decent Pioneer speakers front and rear, though the fronts are only a 4x6 - not really the best speaker size to begin with. The rear 6x9s are really the main driver of sound overall. I definitely don't run gain all the way up, as you can start to lose a bit of definition/it'll start getting a little muddy. I went with a 12db slope on the subs, as comparing between a 6 and 12 db, the 12 sounded a lot cleaner, with a 100Hz cutoff.

I usually tweak it as I go along, a little here and there, until I dial it in just to my liking. They might not "pound" as hard as some people think they need to (those who just turn gain and bass boost up as far as possible), but if it results in cleaner sound, I'm all for that. So far, so good.

[birdie2000]

Oh yeah, that's definitely the way to go. Sounds like you've got a good grip on things.

[MP81]

Yup! My dad did Car Stereo for about 30 years (and then home stereo for around 20 or so), so I learned all I know about home/car audio from him (other than what I've learned myself since). Just been a little bit since my last sub box install...I think that was around 2010 or so, in the Cobalt.

It's always a lot of fun, doing the install, and getting it dialed in. It's one of the few times I actually can't wait for the drive home for a reason other than not being at work (in the winter, at least).

[MP81]

Was productive tonight and put the Mandrel Exhaust Systems 2.25" (obviously mandrel bent) downpipe in the Cavalier - been meaning to do that since...oh...February?


Much nicer than the piece of shit Walker I put in 2.5 years ago that clearly had no interested in keeping the exhaust inside anymore.


Of course, the car being the ***** she is, one of the exhaust manifold nuts (welded to the manifold) is partially stripped, so you can't tighten the bolt all the way - since the end of the bolt is fully exposed, should be able to get another nut on there and be good to go (hopefully), because right now I have a nice big exhaust leak at the manifold, haha.


Anyway.









Left bolt is the sketchy one.




What a ****ing "blast" trying to shove that thing up in front of the engine, by myself, without hitting the starting and causing it to send sparks everywhere - and then bolt it in - with a gasket. Ended up getting it up front of the engine, shoving a box under it, grabbing it from above, setting the gasket and getting the closest bolt in. Even then...what a *****.

Gonna feel this one for a while.

[MP81]

The nut worked as I expected and I was able to get that bolt nice and tight. No more exhaust leak, and for the first time since we had the car, it's quiet. You can't really hear it running inside the car now - it's almost too quiet.

[formula218]

How much HP did she pick up??? lol

[MP81]

Probably none considering it still has a stock catback, haha - though it's possible it picked up a little even despite that by not being horribly restricted from compression bends.

[MP81]

Hopefully there are quite a few months before I will need these...

[Iroc'nthe87]

What are they? I think i'm going to need a set myself..