RaverRacerX

hey guys, i was wondering if neone has expierience wth makin ne kind of custom sub box for there maro wth fiberglass or carbon fiber...tryin to save weight...

406TPI

iTrader: (1)

I have built many parts from carbon fiber, and let me tell you...if you were to do a sub box it would cost a small fortune. Sub boxes need to have some intergrity to them, there fore you would need a very high buildup of carbon cloth(probably around 6-5 layers depending on weave type). I would venture to say if you used the cheapest CF it would cost about $500 or so.....however, it would be strong as heII Fiberglass is SO much cheaper...I would go that route if you want, however I would be inclined to build one the traditional way.

83 Crossfire TA

iTrader: (2)

Yea, but glass is also much more flexible.

If you do it there are 2 things that you’ll have to pay attention to.

Rigidity- this will have to come from the design since the material doesn’t have much. Ribbing, shape, curves… all add to rigidity. Flat surfaces WILL flex. Carbon fiber is rigid, but it’s also brittle, if you want to spend the $$$ I’d probably look at CF/Armid (Kevlar) pre pegs, and maybe even use the CF for the outside layer (if you like that look, I don’t) and ‘glass on the inside. Remember that ribs on the inside can cause strange reflections, and hard shiny surfaces tend to add coloration.

Dampening- you do not want the enclosure vibrating/rattling around, coloring your sound. By the time you got frp rigid and heavy enough to work well you’ve used a lot of raw materials. I would probably do something like line the whole thing with dynamat/other dampening material and then line that with some batting (polyfil is preferred, but a lot of people still use ‘glass)