I am looking for opinions on what subwoofer setup I can put in my car. I do not want anything very heavy. I dont want something thats gonna lower the rear end of my car when i put it in. Mainly because I dont want to affect handling or performance of the car. However, I want the loudest sub I can get. I guess were looking at 8" or 10" subs. Whatabout the JL 8W7's? I read that they can handle 1000rms watts? I am looking into a 1000watt amplifier for it also.

 

i know people are anti-JL hear but when i was going to get an SVT Focus...i had planned a lightweight system out for that car...it comes factory with an 8" sub so i was going to replace that with a JL w3 that would probably drop right in...or if i had the money modify the stock enclosure for a w7 (which would pound like a 12")...however it only handles about 300w RMS not 1000...so i would do a 8w7...the JL 5 channel Slash amp...and then whatever components you choose (elemental designs, cadence...) ...the 5 channel JL amp sends 125w to each front channel...25 to each rear channel (if you even use rear speakers) then 200-250 to the sub which would be more than enough for a 8w3...and just enough for a w7...that system should only add maybe 10-20 pounds for the box and sub...when you remove the factory amps the single JL amp will probably weigh about the same or less than all the factory amps...if you have a box built that is small enough you could even still use a shock tower brace for the rear

 

Well I defintley want a W7 but I need something that handles more than 250 watts. Im looking to push around 600. So that means I need a 10"? I am planning on using an Xtant 604X to push the sub. Would the 10" add much more weight?

 

why are you so concerned with wattage? get a sub with a high effeciency rating and a nice box design and that 300 watts can sound like 600

 

So what kinds of subs have the high efficiency rating? Will the 8W7 have a good rating?

 

they surprisingly dont on their website, and as much as i dislike JL they do sound good.. and what kind of bass are you wanting? you wanting rattle a kidney loose bass or just fill out the music a little better? that 8" is going to give you some bass, but it's not gonna get the low notes.

 

the 8w3 will pdnou HARD and sound good...the 8w7 will pound like a 12...but it weighs a lot more than the w3...for a stang i would do the 8w7 and the 5 channel amp...then whatever components you like...for the Focus idea i talked about i would do the w3 and the 5 channel amp since the Focus is a lot lighter than the stang (i know you weren't asking about that but with the weight of the stang you won't notice the weight of the w7 over the w3...but you WILL notice the sound difference) and the w7 will definitely pound out the lower notes

 

see i like his reasoning normally, but for this particular situation (i'm in the same boat really by trying to get bang for buck low notes in a semi-quick vehicle) i would go with a 12" with a lower wattage rating. it'll be cheaper, play lower notes, and as long as you don't get stupid with the gain settings and watt input will be fine. now if you buy a middle of the road 12" and then try to out thump every teenager you pull up against then you're not gonna be happy with the results, but if you're just putting something in there to fill out the music and don't try to make everyone believe you've got more than you really do i think you'll be ok.

for instance, i plan on getting a kicker L5 12". they don't weigh a ton, dont have to have a nuclear reactor to power them, and dont require much air space to sound good (enough for what i'm wanting anyway). so you're spending less on the sub, less on an amp to power it, less weight in the form of a box (about 1.5 cu.ft.), and it'll still play the lower end of the spectrum.

 

Boston SPG555 baby thats my anticipated purchase weighing in at 26 lbs and can play just as loud as a any W7 but the 13" usues way less air space for enclosures wont sound as good but hey with all those perks, who can bitch. Ohh and the easily replaceable VC and cone surround system in case you pop one, whole lot cheaper than sending into JL for reconing.

 

Yes I want something that pounds hard like a 12 but just doesnt take up too much space. I guess the 8W7 is what im looking at getting soon. Ill see what kinds of deals I can find on them. I want it to be able to hit real low notes, and I think the 8" can do it. So this speaker definately needs a ported enclosure?

I already have 2 way component sets all the way around. I used adapter plated to convert the 6x8 size to a 5.25 round setup. They have seperate midranges and real nice tweeters. So will the 5 channel power all this and still be able to play the W7 loud?