Kicker 15'' L7 in a big SUV?

Hello guys,

I have one 15" L7 Kicker Dual 2Ohms that I am deciding to install in my Ford Expedition. The Amp that I will be using (already on its way), is the Directed Audio 1100d5 which is a 5 channel with the sub channel rated at 600W RMS @ 1 Ohms. So I will be running both voice coils in parallel...

Now the one thing thats got me confused is wether I should go with a sealed box or a ported box in this particular vehicle? I want a good overall bass response thats gonna sound clean but be loud too. Now I heard that ported boxes are louder but dont really have good SQ...

This is the ported box I was looking at on Ebay - what do you guys think of this box? Here is the link : http:///.com/dll?ViewItem&item=5874906178&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

Sealed or ported? Thanks...

Yeah most of those ebay  boxes are crappy but the guy I mentioned in the link above built me a custom sealed box for the L7 a year ago that would fit behind my third row seat and the quality of the entire build was amazing (I sent him the dimensions and a diagram - he built it EXACTLY like I wanted plus with some good bracing inside and a great carpet job plus gold terminals) . I still have that box and its still intact but as I mentioned I do not need the third row seat anymore so I decided to go with a different box design.

I only paid like $70 for the custom box with shipping and if anyone needs a custom box over the net I - he is the guy. Now I must mention that before (dont laugh lol), I only had the L7 getting about 100W RMS per coil in that box and it sounded very clean and low. The box is about 3 cu. ft sealed. Now I ordered a bigger amp which will push out 300W RMS into each coil so I want to try a different box. Maybe I should try it in this box hmmmm...

Yes, you should.  Re-cut the hole if the baffle is large enough to accomodate a 15".  Of course, if you had a 15 before, you won't have to do anything.  BTW, that price is good.  With the cost of shipping something that heavy along with the prices of materials, he didn't charge you very much for his labor.

When you want to go ahead with a rebuild project, build a new sealed box at 6 cu ft for the best SQ from this woofer.  The bass will be deeper and the "SPL" range (in the 50ish Hz range) will be less peaked.  This box will be heavy and will have numerous supports built into it.  You might want to do some searching through this forum for box-building tips, and then either build it yourself or design it and have a local craftsman build it for you.  Estimated weight:  over 100 pounds.  It will also output more SPL with the 600 watts you have available.

Hey thanks for the advice - once the amp arrives I will go ahead and try it in the box he built for me (the one that was designed to go behind the third row seat) - its a sealed box with roughly 3 cu.ft. I will let you know how it sounds but I will still probably end up getting another box anyways because without the third row seat, the current box would look kinda odd in the back... plus I will be able to get more cu.ft...

You should definitely go with a vented enclosure if loud is what you want.....  

I know this is a little smaller SUV, but I've heard the same Kicker L7 subwoofer in my friend's Mitsubishi Montero. He had the sub facing the back and the box was HUGE!  Real tall too! That thing must have been atleast 10 cubic feet, no lie. It took up all the space in the back. He had the amplifier hidden, so I wish I could tell you the wattage he was running to it... All I know is I saw the subwoofer and the enclosure it was in. I got in the passenger side seat and he cranked the volume. It was damn loud!! No SQ at all, but it will rip your head off. He doesn't have it anymore.... sold the vehicle to pay off all of his noise ordinance tickets. hahaha! I would really like to know what kind of wattage that subwoofer was seeing...

Anyway, you really should use that box you had built for you first. You think it sounded good with 100 watts, just wait! That thing is going to pound waaaayyyy harder with 600 watts going to it! I agree, great price on that box too.

Hey you got me all anxious now lol - the amp will be here pretty soon and I will wire it up this weekend if the weather permits. I really want good SQ, not the utmost best but good enough because my mids and highs sound clean although its not the best stuff out there so I would like my sub to sound just as clean too. I think I will try this box that I already have first but I am definately going to have him make me another custom box that would go behind the middle row seat and look decent. Size probably around 4 to 5 Cu. Ft.

I still have to remove that JL Audio Stealth box I have which is inside rear the side panel - what a pain in the a**.  I will let you know how it all works out once I hook it all up...