Hey i just got into car audio...dont know much about it but im getting my system soon and i have an 02 impala and im wondering whats the best way to face my sub in my trunk, is there an advantage by facing it one way?
There will be an optimal direction. You'll be lucky to get something that is stated out of experience as to which direction that would be, however. Most will be educated guesses. The problem is that the education usually comes from the guesses of others.
Normally the best bet is to fire towards the rear(trunk lid), but it all depends on your box, trunk space, etc. Try using different angles and areas in the trunk, using straight back as a baseline. Some people notice that the subs seem to hit "quicker" firing forwards, but gets muffled by the seats(obviously if the seats fold down it might not be as much of a problem). Mine are currently half-way between the seats and trunk opening, firing back. Firing into the corner or out of a corner(corner loading) can net you a few db's if that's what you're looking for, along with porting your rear deck lid. As always, you might be trading off some sound quality for that small spl gain.
Experiment with it. It really depends on box size. If your box has a tight seal with the sides of your trunk, your best bet will be to fire into the cabin.
An impala interior is very similar to an Alero interior. On my Alero, I am loudest firing into the cabin towards the driver side. My box is just so big for the trunk, that if I fired forward, the sound would struggle to get into the interior.
Well Cody i say you should forget getting that POS Fi BL and get a real sub like my AQ. and get a new car....haha jk. like i told ya, expierement with the box.
well i used to be a firm beleiver in firing foreward until i actually tried a rear firing setup and to me i sounds much louder. sq is not very good compared to foreward but its louder. also i dont have to keep my seats folded down because it dosnt get any louder if i have my seats folded up or down.
I have a 99 olds cutlass. I've tried firing everyway i could. the box at the side of the car, firing rear, firing front with trunk sealed, cornering the box. I used my shitty boom stick with the same song and kept the meter at a set position and it was loudest when the box was firing rear. Josh is right about the SQ. i did find the SQ to be a little better with the trunk sealed off and the subs firing into the cabin, mostly because you eliminate a lot of rattles. i fire towards the rear because its louder than all the others i tried in my car.