What subwoofers (subs) would work for my car powered by a 500 total RMS amplifier?

Question 1
What subwoofers (subs) would work for my car powered by a 500 total RMS amplifier?...  Ok I have no idea about car amps and subs other than what sounds good. I bought a Rockford Fosgate P500-1BD amplifier a while back and now finally can afford subs. How do I know what size subs would work off my amp? I don't want to risk anything not working because I get the wrong size. Oh and when I say size, I mean power like Watts or RMS, not 10" or 12" subs. Can anyone explain in a way for an idiot to understand?

Answers
1)   good job on working on that slowly- best to save for quality. U have 500w I assume continuous. U have an awesome amp by the way, no need to worry about power shut downs.

here are the power specs.

stable down to 1 ohm

200W x 1 @ 4-Ohms RMS

400W x 1 @ 2-Ohms RMS

500W x 1 @ 1-Ohm RMS



U can run max 500w so 1- 500w or 2- 250w speakers would be good.

you have to buy speakers to wire them down to 1 ohm total. parallel lowers the ohm. also take into account dvc or svc.

if u have a 4ohm dvc u can parallel wire down to 2 ohms and then the other as well which yields 1 ohm. U want to get down to 1 ohm to get max power.

here's a great site to help u out. www.crutchfield.com

great learning sections. I would suggest 1 kicker solobaric at 500W, jl audio w3, or Rockford P series P3 I think is 500w. The box depends on what u want, go vented/ ported for loud bass. i have a sealed and love it. my jl w0 works well in a sealed. if u go to sonicelectronix.com u can buy 1 speaker and search by power. NOW if u want 1 speaker, to get to 1 ohm u will need a single 500W dual 2ohm so u parallel wire the coils which will get you to 1 ohm. crutchfield.com has a wiring diagram. check this out:

www.crutchfield.com/ISEO-rgbtcspd/.../subwoofers_wiring.html - ricardo9505

2)   okay im an idiot too:) but ill try and help...okay so pretty much as long you get a sub that has a higher rms than your amp..you have a very slim chance of blowing the subs so id get a...http://www.rockfordfosgate.com/products/product_details.asp?cat_id=4&series_id=32&family_id=12&item_id=91843&locale=en_US&p_status= ....just to be safe...and pretty much any rockford fosgate punch would work on your amp if you get a power..then you wont be giving the sub enough power...and if you get a prime you have chances of blowing it - Kenny

3)   some DVC 4 ohm subs would be good. like memphis pr 10's or 12's with 4 ohm dvc - danye


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Question 2
How to run power wire from battery to amp?...  I currently have my power wire ran through the door, but I am now trying to run it through the firewall of the car. I have a 1997 Chevy Malibu and I already found the place where to run the wire through the firewall. The question is how to I get it through? What do people usually use? A wire hanger or what?

Answers
1)   A wire hanger is the best thing I have found to use. Sometimes its hard to get your hands though into tight spots like that. Just run a hanger through and then use some electrical tape to tape the power wire to the hanger and then pull it back through. Good Luck. - friendshiponfire555

2)   done this many times. if it's real tough duct tape the wire to a hanger. With pliers bend the hanger tip so that it's a U and will not pierce or cut anything. Hell, duct tape the end if u want to as well. push it thru. you're good. - ricardo9505

3)   There are a couple of important things that are critical to safety.

1. Install a fuse block or fuse holder near the battery connection. This way if something were to short to ground, it'll blow the fuse and save the battery and wiring.

2. Be sure to install a grommet around the hole to protect the pass-through wire from being chafed due to vibration.

If you add both of the above, you'll have a system that will give you years of enjoyment. If you forego these two things, the vibration will wear through the insulation of the wire in short amount of time and fry everything and possibly cause a fire in the car. - Derrick S


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Question 3
Why am I not getting power to my amp?...  I'm useing a power acoustik BAMF 2000/1D mono block amp. I hooked up all the wires and ran them under the carpet and everything but when i hook it up to the amp, nothing happens. I've sanded the paint down and grounded it. I hooked up the power wire. I've hooked up the remote wire also. I'm using a sony mex-bt2700. My car had a factory infiniti sound system but i had it bypassed when i got the new head unit. could that have something to do with it? is my amp just broken? the little green power light doesn't even come on. please help. i don't want to have to pay somebody to fix it.

Answers
1)   The leads are just messed up probly.

or the tubes are kaput - Chriss

2)   The Circuits Probably Fried, I Had The Same Problem, Either Fork Out For Parts And Do It Yourself, Or Take It To Your Local Music Store, Or Do What I Did And Buy A Decent Amp. - Onsight666

3)   Use a 12v test light on the remote terminal on the amp if it lights up there checc the main + terminal . If the remote doesnt light up at the amp when the ignition is on jump the remote wire to a 15 amp or up fuse on the fuse box that lights a test light when ignition is on. If the remote and power light up at the terminal checc amp fuses if the remote lights up but the pos doesnt checc the main pos amp wire fuse if you dont have an inline fuse on your amp + wire. Why not? If you have no inline fuse then amp could be fried from a voltage spike. If power and remote terminals light up at amp and amp fuses are good but no light comes on checc ground if ground is solid amp is blown . Bypassing old system wouldnt matter as long as newhead unit is functional - Dave g


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Question 4
I just purchased one alpine type R 12" sub and an alpine MRP-M500 amp. What gauge wiring do you recommend?...  

Answers
1)   16ga speaker and 8ga power and ground - Dave g

2)   i would go with 4gauge, you could possibly go with little smaller gauge but not much smaller - tro

3)   4 gauge power & ground

12 gauge speaker

I run 400w and use 4 gauge. I also upgraded my grounding wires. helped the power flow and no longer get dimming in lights. small honda stock battery.



www.bcae1.com

www.12volt.com - ricardo9505


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Question 5
What else should I get? Please answer...?...  So I have an Alero and I just got a boss deck, 2 power bass tweeters, 2 power bass 5x3 speakers in the front, 2 power bass 6x9 speakers in the back, and two 12" power bass sub woofers in the trunk with an 800 watt amp. I spent almost a grand on it all, and I had a few questions. They set the subs at -2 for the bass on the deck and said to keep it at that. So what I am wondering is can I turn them higher later on? They didn't tell me much but they said to bring it in two weeks and they will turn up the main bass control on the sub woofers. So does that mean I can't turn it to a positive number on the deck? The deck goes from -10 to +10 and they said to keep it at -2? Anyways, let me know what you all think. Also, what about the equalizer? Can I turn it to rock mode or pop mode or just leave it off? Because it is like twice as loud when it is on rock or pop or other ones. Also, what about the loud feature on the deck? That also makes it much louder. What really makes no sense is I got the speakers installed first and they told me I could turn on rock for the equalizer and they told me to put it on +4 for the bass. But now that I have the subs I have to keep them at -2? Please let me know any and all information you can provide me. Thanks.



Also, what can I do that is really inexpensive that will make things sound better? Can I add a small subwoofer in the middle of the front of my car in between the drivers and passenger seat to add some extra bass? If anyone has some suggestions on what I should do from here then please let me know, especially if they are inexpensive or will make a very large difference.



So can I up the bass? And I can turn on the rock/pop equalizers without an issue? I just don't know how easy it is to blow one of these, they told me to leave it but everyone else is telling me that it won't hurt it any.



Thank You for answering these questions in advance... Will choose the best answer I get.



Darien

Answers
1)   MTX Jackhammer - Jeremy M

2)   The best thing to do is go out and sit in the car and listen to whatever you like and play with all the adj. dont blast it so the roof is shaking, and adj. the egualizer, learn what sounds good to you, You dont need any more speakers Im sure. try it on Rock, pop, see how it sounds, try coming up a little on the bass to -1 then 0, just use your judgement, if the bass is distorted or roaring, then turn it back lower. turn the hi.s up a lot to go w/ the bass - Hank Hill

3)   They told you to leave the settings where they were at and come back in 2 weeks because there is what you call a break in period on speaker subs expecially. They are stiff new the rubber and voice coils need to be broken in so they can flex to there full potential without cracking or blowing. If you want more bass inside the car i would recomend custom door pods to house 8 inch subwoofers in the doors, add 2 tweeters in the dash or the windshield pillars and a couple extra 6 1/2s to equal out the mids and highs. you could even put the 8 inch subs in the back deck. They make free air subs that dont require boxes. Dont add too much without upgrading you electrical system or you will have too many problems, add another battery or high output alternator and upgrade your cables from battery to alternator with the biggest gage you can find and add another ground. Hope this helps - Chris


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