Bass blasters and your car

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Kelvari

Kelvari

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VastSquare13
I'm sure you all know the people that have the 10-20" subs in their cars, blasting away for all they're worth. How many of you, though, really know what that is doing to the car itself?

I heard a story from someone I met the other day while out running some errands. There was a car that they saw for sale for a really low price. It was in immaculate condition inside and out. When he asked why the car was being sold for so cheap, the owner merely said "Drive it."

Any time that the car got over 20 MPH, the entire car would start shaking - everything from the steering column to the dashboard.

One of the previous owners had had a high-output sound system, and the bass literally rattled the car loose. Everything from the engine mounts to the trunk lid, and it couldn't be re-tightened.
 
That sounds unlikely. While it is possible a big enough system could rattle some things loose , I don't think you'd be able to do permanent, untightenable damage to a car. Plus, if everything was truly loose, the car would certainly not look in immaculate condition. The Mythbusters even tried destroying a car with speakers, but it didn't work.
 
Unless of course, they've modified the body of the car to the extent that it has been weakend. And at that point, the car would not be safe enough to pass an inspection.

Highly suspect story.
 
3-Wheel Drive
That sounds unlikely. While it is possible a big enough system could rattle some things loose , I don't think you'd be able to do permanent, untightenable damage to a car. Plus, if everything was truly loose, the car would certainly not look in immaculate condition. The Mythbusters even tried destroying a car with speakers, but it didn't work.
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That was such a good episode! 👍 The subwoofer was powered by the crankshaft, boy did that beast bounce that Mercedes Diesel! And then it eventually destroyed itself. :grumpy:

I personally think it's possible to perminately damage your car with a sound system, but it wouldn't be possible with a standard (read: store-bought) sound system.
 
3-Wheel Drive
That sounds unlikely. While it is possible a big enough system could rattle some things loose , I don't think you'd be able to do permanent, untightenable damage to a car. Plus, if everything was truly loose, the car would certainly not look in immaculate condition. The Mythbusters even tried destroying a car with speakers, but it didn't work.
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Actually, it does hold some truth. People who put larger subwoofer systems in their trunks, can cause paneling to "lose it's grip" on the frame itself. Subs add significant amounts of positive and negative pressure, in the surrounding spaces, due to the movement of the cone on the woofer. As time goes on (depending on usage), the clips/glue/whatever that holds the panels above the trunk area in the cabin, can break loose and start shaking. If there is enough pressure, panels will start to break free of their mounted positions, and start shaking at any given vibration.

You ask if this is a true story? I've got a friend with a Nissan Altima as proof. He had 2 15" Rockford Fosgates in the trunk, and component speakers in each door, with 6x9's in the deck behind the rear seats. After removing all of the stereo, and replacing it with the original equipment (for re-sale), every single panel shook when driving without the radio on. It was quite a noisy car. He ended up having some panels re-glued, and some had to have new clips to re-attach to the body.
 
Well, I wonder what will happen to my mate's Pulsar hatchback? He has two 12's in the boot of it, with a big amp under the seat. That setup goes so hard, it shakes the rear-view mirror out of position. Craziness.
 
Mythbusters did a piece on this a while ago, building a "apocalyptic subwoofer" to destroy an old Mercedes. There was enough pressure built up inside of the car to push the sunroof out of its tracking, but it wasn't enough to destroy the car.

Modifying an old rattlebox with a big stereo is going to cause problems. My old Fox used to have enough stereo in it to get most things rattling and shaking, particularly with songs like "Seven Nation Army" from The White Stripes.
 
YSSMAN
Mythbusters did a piece on this a while ago, building a "apocalyptic subwoofer" to destroy an old Mercedes. There was enough pressure built up inside of the car to push the sunroof out of its tracking, but it wasn't enough to destroy the car.

Modifying an old rattlebox with a big stereo is going to cause problems. My old Fox used to have enough stereo in it to get most things rattling and shaking, particularly with songs like "Seven Nation Army" from The White Stripes.
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Seven Nation Army isn't exactly Miami Bass. :lol:
 
YSSMAN
Mythbusters did a piece on this a while ago, building a "apocalyptic subwoofer" to destroy an old Mercedes. There was enough pressure built up inside of the car to push the sunroof out of its tracking, but it wasn't enough to destroy the car.
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Weren't old Mercedes built like tanks though? We had one for a while - >230,000 miles on the clock, formerly used as a taxi (the engine keeled over eventually) - but until the very end nothing was loose, nothing had fallen off. Try the same thing in a 15 year old rustbucket and I suspect the stroy might be slightly different.
 
Omnis
Seven Nation Army isn't exactly Miami Bass. :lol:
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I agree. But I think the drawn out chords made a bit of difference there. I couldn't even look into my mirrors without having vision issues, they were just shaking too damn much...

Fun? Yes. Stupid? Certainly. Do it again in the Jetta? Probably not.
 
I Highly doubt that it could cause any REAL damage to your car, aside from minnor interior parts.
Cars are built to withstand vibrations, think about when you drive! thats constant vibration right there.
 
You should see some of the custom set-ups that people use for competitions. The bass is so large that the whole car has to be reinforced to keep it form shaking to pieces. :scared:
 
powripper
I Highly doubt that it could cause any REAL damage to your car, aside from minnor interior parts.
Cars are built to withstand vibrations, think about when you drive! thats constant vibration right there.
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Not to mention some engines put out more vibration at idle speed than most bass systems out there.
 
3-Wheel Drive
Not to mention some engines put out more vibration at idle speed than most bass systems out there.
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My old school bus did that when I was in middle school. It shook so much whle idling that my cd player would skip in my lap. It was crappy, but still.
 
Well a long while ago i had two 12" Vibe subs and an 1100watt Jackson amp in my old Civic - this sound system was crazy (and worthless - sound systems like that are a waste of time IMO now)

And i thought it was all good - when i got rid of them my rear interior panels, my ash tray, my door lock flaps (not pins in older civics), rear speaker panels, boot panel - all of this stuff rattled and there was no way i was going to fix it all, so i can say it is true about interior panels taking a beating.

A guy i know has a Saxo VTR he has the loudest sound system in Scotland - two JL audio 20" subs dont know which amps he is running ( he cant have his CD player in the housing as the cd's just skip as the bass is so intense so it dangles on the wires - to me thats just stupid ) - he has shattered the sunroof and back window numerous times and the back windows open on little hinges and they blow open if he has the volume cranked up - and he has a bolt holding the boot shut that he can remove as it could probably burst the boot open without it.

Without the bolt the boot moves roughly 1-2cm's out and in as if you are shaking it, just crazy.

I wouldnt like to see it after the system is out - or hear it rattling. of course its french anyway so it has more things to worry about than the boot rattling.
 
YSSMAN
...Modifying an old rattlebox with a big stereo is going to cause problems. My old Fox used to have enough stereo in it to get most things rattling and shaking, particularly with songs like "Seven Nation Army" from The White Stripes.
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Great Song, but as has been said, not a great song for bass output

SS69
If it's so much bass that it makes the windows in my car rattle at a stop light, its way too goddamn much bass.
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IMO, there is no such thing as too much bass!

YSSMAN
I agree. But I think the drawn out chords made a bit of difference there. I couldn't even look into my mirrors without having vision issues, they were just shaking too damn much...

Fun? Yes. Stupid? Certainly. Do it again in the Jetta? Probably not.
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I have a single 12" Blaupunkt in the boot, with a pair of 6x9s in the parcel rack, and I have issues seeing in the RVM, but the side mirrors are fine, as they are electric, and held nice and tight.

Having said that, all the welds in the boot lid, the ones that hold the structural work to the actual sheet, have broken because of the vibrations, the front and rear windows rattle in time with the beat, and the tow bar needs to be re-tightened every time I want to tow anything.

Fun? Yes, Stupid? Probably, Will I do it again in my next car? Definitely, I'm a Bass junkie, I need to be able to hear the punch and depth of the music. The setup in my car isn't ideal, as you don't get the big highs without the fronts in, but I really could not be bothered hacking my doors and trims up, and working out where to put the speakers so they didn't get in the way of the power windows mechanisms.

So anyway, yes the vibrations that go along with big bass will rattle bolts and welds apart, but it is all fixable.

Mind you, I wouldn't go sticking those sonic producers under my seats like my mate had in his TE Cortina. The front seats came loose while driving!
 

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