Auto subwoofer Questions...

[porsche4life]

Ok so my little cousin is wanting to put some boom in his '09 charger. I somehow have to help....

Anyways, looking at crutchfield I can get 12" Kicker Comps BOGO for $99. I have a choice of 4ohm or 8ohm.... Why go with one over the other?
Kicker 10C128 Comp 12" 8-ohm subwoofer at Crutchfield.com
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_20610C124/Kicker-10C124.html?tp=111

What would be a good amp to pair with those? He's looking to spend around $300, I can build the box...

Also any chance of getting the amp hooked up to the factory head unit, or will we need to investigate swapping radios?

[Eric Coffey]

Although it's a little pricey, he could go the OEM route which is completely "plug & play".
Here's the factory kit (I am sure you can find it cheaper if you look hard enough):

DODGE CHARGER KICKER SUBWOOFER Upgrade 2006 - 2010 - eBay (item 310253591986 end time Dec-20-10 06:25:49 PST)

And the seperate components a bit cheaper:
Mopar OEM Dodge Charger Kicker Single 10" Subwoofer - eBay (item 250740123082 end time Dec-16-10 05:52:18 PST)
06 Dodge Charger SRT8 HEMI OEM Radio Subwoofer Amp - eBay (item 310256379515 end time Dec-28-10 05:14:49 PST)

[porsche4life]

Looks like those require the premium sound head unit. Knowing my cheap ass uncle that car has the basic stereo. Plug and play would be nice, but I don't see spending that much for it...

[Eric Coffey]

They work with either base or premium sound. Part # is 77KICK04AB if you want to research further.

[porsche4life]

Exactly.... I really doubt the car has either of those systems.

[Eric Coffey]

Originally Posted by porsche4life

Exactly.... I really doubt the car has either of those systems.

As I said, it will work with either the base or premium sound package. Doesn't Base = basic, as in: the cheapest option available?

If you can find a complete kit for under $400 (as in the above links), it might be the way to go. Buying everything separately for a DIY job will add up quickly as well (amp, driver (sub), wiring, box, carpet/paint, etc.). It will also invariably take more time to put together, probably not look as good, and take up more space.

[porsche4life]

Looking at it I can probably be in all the components under 3.... Paint is free, we have gallons sitting on the shelf, I prefer having boxes sprayed with bedliner. Thats pretty cheap too....

I'll watch for that kit, but I would also like my original questions answered.

[Gogar]

some amps have a 'speaker in', where (if the sub/amp is in the trunk) you can run the wires from the rear speakers into the amp.

You just buy 4 ohm or 8 ohm speakers depending on how you plan on wiring everything and which amp you pick. If you're going to have just one speaker and 'bridge' the amp, then buy the 4 ohm speaker; the bridged amp will see a 2-ohm load, which will give you the most bang for your buck without blowing it up.

If you want to use 2 speakers, buy the 8 ohms and wire them in parallel, = 4 ohms and run them into a bridged amp, = 2 ohms, = proper (depending on the amp, but most likely fine.)

[Eric Coffey]

Originally Posted by porsche4life

Looking at it I can probably be in all the components under 3...

Unless you have to buy a new head unit. The only way around that is if the factory unit has RCA outs (I'd be surprised if it did). You could go line-level off of the factory deck by splicing into the speaker wiring harness. However, that would certainly not be the optimum solution, and wouldn't maintain the same level of audio quality.

Originally Posted by porsche4life

I'll watch for that kit, but I would also like my original questions answered.

Regarding the ohm-load, I think Jeremy has it half right. A bridged stereo amp does not "see" a reduced Ω load. The Ω load is determined by the coil resistance of each driver, the number of drivers, and the method of wiring (parallel or series).

If you want to go with a single-driver set-up, buy the 4Ω version. Then you can by a mono amp, or a stereo amp that is bridgeable. If you want to go with a 2-driver set-up, you can grab the 8Ω versions and run them in parallel. That would present the same 4Ω load to a mono (or bridged stereo) amp. I would not buy two drivers and run them off of separate channels (stereo) unless you are willing to build separate enclosures for each (don't put stereo subs in the same box).

The third option would be to get two 4Ω versions and run them in parallel giving you a 2Ω load to the amp. Then you buy a better amp that is high-current capable and stable (stereo or bridged) down to 2Ω. There are plenty out there even stable down to 1Ω (the old Orion HCCA's come to mind). That would give you the best bang for your buck IMO.

[porsche4life]

I need to check out and see what kind of output I am dealing with. The factory option would be nice but I fear that single 10 won't quite have the rattle he is thinking. I know he is after that window rattling **** that all the HS kids think is oh so awesome. I had a system like that and hated it.