Last night I picked up my Z from Tweeter where I had a new stereo system installed. I had the cabin speakers replaced with boston acoustics stuff, got a new head unit put in, had them install a 5-channel amp and a 10" subwoofer with full fiberglass enclosure in the storage space behind the passenger seat. The system sounds great.

So I get in my car and drive away and immediately get on a 4-lane highway. I'm cruising along in 5th gear and decide I want to pass someone. Normally, this isn't a problem in 5th...there is typically more than enough power/torque at 70 mph in 5th gear to pass someone at a decently quick pace without having to shift down to 4th. But last night I found myself having to press the accelerator much lower than normal to achieve this, so I shifted to 4th just to get the boost I needed.

Now I realize the result of the installation was a little weight added to the car. The 10w1 sub weighs 8 lbs., Alpine MRV-F450 amp weighs 12 lbs., fiberglass enclosure weighs about another 12 lbs., and I estimate the Dynamat door kit they used (for around the subwoofer) is about 15 lbs...so let's estimate about 47 lbs. increase.

I really have trouble believing that an additional 47 lbs (or 1/3 of an average friend) could make my car feel so sluggish. Maybe it was also due to the fact that it was 85 degrees and humid outside, which automobile engines definitely don't prefer.

Anybody else notice this phenomenon after a stereo system install? It's the only mod I can think of that would add considerable weight to the curb weight of the car. Let me know...

Thanks,
Steve

 

The power to run the audio system comes from the thingamajig. Which of course is powered by the motor. Nothing kills horsepower like the thingamajig. Its been proven scientifically. I read it in the Womans Home Journal.

 

You were probably going up a slight hill or the other driver accelerated a bit when you tried to pass. You shouldn't notice a significant difference after the stereo install.

 

Probably placebo effect... I have a pretty nice system in my Z and don't notice anything. Now when I had my ex-boss who's 250 lbs sit in my Z, I definitely noticed a difference!