The online racing simulator
Lets Rice Ma Car, y0!
(682 posts, started )
Quote from sgt.flippy :Sjeesh what a bunch of morons in here. A sub in the boot gives a nice extra, I agree, some turn it up too loud and it's moronic. I just turn mine up when I like the song, just like you'd do with any stereo. Difference is, I've got a sub, so you hear the bass outside more. Higher tones go lost outside, but inside it sounds great and very different. Most people don't seem to understand that what you hear outside the car, isn't the same as inside.

I have to agree with you there, what you hear inside is totally different to what you hear outside, sounds a lot better inside.
well, I asumed that anyone would kno that it sounds different inside than out. It still doesn't mean that most people don't turn their bass volume up way too high. Even in my standard crappy boxes, the trim of my doors start to vibrate if I boost the bass up to it's maximum...
Also, this whole chav(bass thing actually proves my point: the high frequencies are cancelled out whiled riving, the thing that remains is bass, thus having a "good" car audio system is totally useless.
Quote from ColeusRattus :well, I asumed that anyone would kno that it sounds different inside than out. It still doesn't mean that most people turn their bass volume up way too high. Even in my standard crappy boxes, the trim of my doors start to vibrate if I boost the bass up to it's maximum...
Also, this whole chav(bass thing actually proves my point: the high frequencies are cancelled out whiled riving, the thing that remains is bass, thus having a "good" car audio system is totally useless.

No, from a distance you hear the bass more, because of the longer waves bass has, they travel further. That's just plain physics.
You ever seen a concert from a distance? All you hear is bass. But when you're right up front at the stage the music sounds sick

And like you say: standard crappy boxes... Yes, your panels with vibrate, will it sound good? Hell no!
If I turn up my sound I can shake whole my car, but I don't do that.
Certain songs with a good bass in it can make me get goosebumps all over, I never got that before with standard speakers, and no, it doesn't mean I turn it up a lot then.
Quote from S14 DRIFT :That's pinking, AJP. Pinking.

I know what I meant, and it's kind of hard to explain so that people of your 'obvious' knowledge know what I mean.

Basically the only cars that benefit from using 98+ octane fuel are faster, more powerful cars, normally with outputs over 150bhp from standard. This goes from the least powerful Lotus Elise to the most powerful Bimmer, via Evo's and Scoobs. Smaller cars may benefit from a very slight performance gain, with a chance of slightly improving it's fuel efficiency, but for MPG per £, it's most definatly not worth it.

No need for the attitude either o_O;;

Pinking = Detonation = Knocking = Pinging (in America). Better fuel avoids it, thus allowing more ignition advance (which may or may not give more power) or a higher compression ratio (which probably would give more power).

All cars will benefit if they have a knock sensor and an ECU that can take advantage of the extra knock resistance. But the power/torque increase will be smaller if you don't have much to start with.

Fuel economy can actually be much greater due to a higher content of lubricants, detergents and other clever things best left to chemists. In terms of MPG/£ it most certainly is worth it. Try it for 3 months (and write down how much fuel you use, how much each fill up cost etc), and it's very likely you'll save money using expensive fuel. Not 100% likely, but I'd wager more than 80% likely.
Ok, I'll try it on my little RS. I'll do it over a month because I'm poor at the mo'.

Willing to bet £5 on it?
Quote from S14 DRIFT :That's pinking, AJP. Pinking.

Which is the same thing.

Quote :
Basically the only cars that benefit from using 98+ octane fuel are faster, more powerful cars, normally with outputs over 150bhp from standard. This goes from the least powerful Lotus Elise to the most powerful Bimmer, via Evo's and Scoobs. Smaller cars may benefit from a very slight performance gain, with a chance of slightly improving it's fuel efficiency, but for MPG per £, it's most definatly not worth it.

To get the full benefit of higher octane fuels the compression ratio must be changed, which means an engine has to be able to safely run on the lowest grade it could be exposed to, which for road cars is going to be anything that you can buy out of a pump so no normal road cars will take full advantage of their fuel. Equally a lot of racing engines will be built to run on premium pump fuel or low octane race fuel to add flexibility.

There's a lot more to fuels than just octane rating and there's a large difference between the premium pump fuels and lowest grades of racing fuel (usually 99 or 100 octane), some pump fuels have higher octane ratings but that doesn't make them better. Really the difference between standard and premium pump fuel is in the complicated chemical bits that aren't easily understood or advertised.
ajp, you are 18 but you seem to know a lot about cars, where did you learn or are you currently doing a car related course?
He worked for a 'race team' preparing cars or something. Sounds so good makes you wonder why he quit!
Quote from S14 DRIFT :He worked for a 'race team' preparing cars or something. Sounds so good makes you wonder why he quit!

Ah I see, stupid why he quit really then.
Quote from Dooonster :as searching for links i found a gold mine

I wouldn't trust that page....


That's not how you properly ground an amplifier. The ground wire should NOT be that long. That is a wiring NIGHTMARE. You are supposed to have a relatively short ground wire that is attached to the chassis of the vehicle, since the chassis has much less resistance then that 4 gauge wire (it appears to be ~4 gauge at least).
I wonder if by 'preparing' it means polishing and making tea. ANYHOO, I'm sure he had his reasons hehe.

If you actually want to learn about mechanical things there are probbably some decent books around, and Wikipedia is suprisingly good.
Smacktalking someone who blatently knows a hell of a lot more than you really does make you look DAFT.
I'm S14 DAFT, I have a rep to live up to. Hehehehehehehehehhehe.
Dont you have one wire going from the amp to the battery for the power and then you need a earthing wire, I dont know how wiring a amp works really, I saw a diagram but I cant really remember.
Quote from sam93 :ajp, you are 18 but you seem to know a lot about cars, where did you learn or are you currently doing a car related course?

A mixture of practical experience, general interest and reading.

Quote from S14 DRIFT :He worked for a 'race team' preparing cars or something. Sounds so good makes you wonder why he quit!

I don't really fancy a 150 mile commute and whilst there is nothing wrong with skilled manual work I chose to do a degree in motorsport engineering.

Quote from Jakg :Smacktalking someone who blatently knows a hell of a lot more than you really does make you look DAFT.

I think I know very little about engines, they're not something I am comfortable working with without guidance or a Haynes manual and aside from basic knowledge that Wikipedia or a basic textbook would cover (which would immediately reveal why by definition higher octane fuels will cause less knocking) I don't think I understand much of the theory either.
Quote from sam93 :Dont you have one wire going from the amp to the battery for the power and then you need a earthing wire, I dont know how wiring a amp works really, I saw a diagram but I cant really remember.

One comes from the battery (+), the earth (in my case) just goes from the amp, directly to a sanded down screw under my rear seats. Shortest possible earth is always the best, mine is only few centimeters.
Quote from sgt.flippy :One comes from the battery (+), the earth (in my case) just goes from the amp, directly to a sanded down screw under my rear seats. Shortest possible earth is always the best, mine is only few centimeters.

I knew one came from the battery (+) But I didn't know whether the was a specific or better place to earth the amp, thanks for the reply anyway.
Quote from sam93 :I knew one came from the battery (+) But I didn't know whether the was a specific or better place to earth the amp

Yup, the closest possible unpainted metal surface is where you want to ground/earth the amplifier. Unless you have a secondary battery next to wherever the amplifier is. Then I believe you run a ground from the main battery to the secondary one, and just ground the amplifier to the secondary battery.
Quote from wheel4hummer :Yup, the closest possible unpainted metal surface is where you want to ground/earth the amplifier. Unless you have a secondary battery next to wherever the amplifier is. Then I believe you run a ground from the main battery to the secondary one, and just ground the amplifier to the secondary battery.

Ah I see, so would you put it on positive on the first battery like normal then on negative on the second battery, or do you just find a peice of metal on the battery? I will most likely have a battery in the back for mine as I am planning on having more than two but I know with even two you can just run it off your car battery and no need for 2.
Quote from sam93 :Ah I see, so would you put it on positive on the first battery like normal then on negative on the second battery, or do you just find a peice of metal on the battery? I will most likely have a battery in the back for mine as I am planning on having more than two but I know with even two you can just run it off your car battery and no need for 2.

If you do use two batteries, it is good to have a battery isolator. These isolate the secondary battery from the starting battery so that you only run down the secondary battery while your car is off and the starting battery remains fully charged.
Quote from wheel4hummer :If you do use two batteries, it is good to have a battery isolator. These isolate the secondary battery from the starting battery so that you only run down the secondary battery while your car is off and the starting battery remains fully charged.

The van I posted early with the 6 subs has I think 3 or 4 batteries in the back for the power for the subs and amps, would it still remain the same as what you said, you only use the batteries when the car is off? Can't you just use the 4 batteries for the sound system and the starting battery for the rest of the car? Or wouldn't that work.
Plugged the phono lead in - did nothing.

Suspect it's new head unit or go without then
Quote from sam93 :The van I posted early with the 6 subs has I think 3 or 4 batteries in the back for the power for the subs and amps, would it still remain the same as what you said, you only use the batteries when the car is off? Can't you just use the 4 batteries for the sound system and the starting battery for the rest of the car? Or wouldn't that work.

Well I mean when the car is off power will drain from all of the batteries, except once the voltage of the starting battery drops to a certain voltage the battery isolator disconnects the starting battery from the power circuit. And then when you turn the car back on, the alternator charges all of the batteries, and powers the amplifiers because the amplifiers are just in parallel with the batteries. When the car is on, the amplifier is getting power from the batteries and the alternator.
Was in Cash Converters (national chain of Pawn Shops) today and saw a Kenwood KDC-W3041 headunit for £29.99 - seemed in good nic, and had Aux-In so I got it - pretty happy with it so far even if it looks a little flashy.

Next step - debadging (or at least getting rid of the "proton" "wira" and "1.5 LXi" tags.
Quote from Jakg :Was in Cash Converters (national chain of Pawn Shops) today and saw a Kenwood KDC-W3041 headunit for £29.99 - seemed in good nic, and had Aux-In so I got it - pretty happy with it so far even if it looks a little flashy.

In a couple of weeks maybe you'll be able to buy it back from them when it gets nicked and sold to them again.

Quote from Jakg :Next step - debadging (or at least getting rid of the "proton" "wira" and "1.5 LXi" tags.

Would "why" be considered a churlish question?

Lets Rice Ma Car, y0!
(682 posts, started )
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