Olaf

definitely has trouble with spelling. that plate is supposed to spell ANUS.

who can place the silliest question?😎

Brief question @Neal - speaker cable guage you used that passes through the connector, please? 16g?

thanks for the sanity check Neal! Tight and tuneful is my focus... some of the most fun hifi speakers I've listened to aren't super-acurate (flat) on the f response graph, or even go way-deep... I'd much rather listen to Linn Kans on a pair of Naim 135's than LS3/5a's on any round-earth amp you'd care to mention; Royd Minstrels don't go at all deep (I think about 38Hz is it?), though man can they play a tune and portray the sound of bass convincingly. I think going to a 1 ohm stable amp will require double the amp budget to get something with an iron grip into higher current loads. To my current thinking (hur hur), there's some balance in the equation of 8" driver, my space constraints, lower-budget focus, and preference for higher quality/value for money (I can probably find a reasonable sub mono block at around $400). the counterpoint is trying to do more quantity at the expense of quality within the budget envelope... a 10" needs more space and better control (or a better, more expensive driver as well...), or running 2ohm with the 8" (or 10") will need a bigger (more powerful) amp so I spend less on speaker quality...

with the Alpine R2-W8D2 as an example, the spec sheet seems pretty close to what you've indicated? I'd be looking at running the two nominally 2 ohm coils in series to make a nominal 4 ohm load, so that'd be the left hand column? (1.8ohm+1.8ohm), Fs 42Hz, Qts 0.48, and in a 0.3 cu ft enclosure, Qtc of 0.73.... am I on the right track? I'll need to figure out if it's easy enough to make a 0.3 cu ft (8.5 litres) enclosure - I suspect it is, if these guys can make a 0.5 cu ft (14.6 litres) enclosure for a 10" sub with a little more load area intrusion. Other consideration is the Alpine - unlike the more expensive examples - requires at least 4.6 inches (116mm) from front of baffle to clear the basket and magnet. I guess I can always mount it a little higher in the baffle, with magnet tilted downward and the baffle accounting for the tilt. I'll take a look at those links tonight, cheers.

thanks @Neal very helpful!

Looks like many of the 8" subs look for ~0.3 cu ft in sealed mode, and are available with 4 ohm configuration and power handling for ~350 watts RMS. Alpine R2-W8D2 (around NZD240?) details Audison APS8 D (around NZD350?) details JL Audio 8W3v3-4 (getting up there, ~NZD ) details Focal P20 FSE (around (around NZD375) details More measurement and estimation required, then map T-S parameters and mounting depth constraints, look for the numbers that are important. cheers

Singaporean import. Avoid.

For $4,800 you'd expect a vehicle to be in running order and certainly not with items disconnected and running like a dog. Which outfit raped your wallet, was lube included?

I've driven it a few times since we collected it. Full tank of Waitomo 95 before xmas day. I drove it today, into town and back... and I marvelled at how well it's running. Light throttles... making making torque and climbing hills at 50 like it's enjoying it. Running sweetly. Jon at Begley Motor Worx has worked his magic.

Perhaps I'm getting ahead of myself, thinking about small sub in left side, sealed box. Instagram Bimmerbox (now closed) had great success with 10" (0.5cu ft), using a fibreglass shell, baffle encroaching a bit into the load space. Initial discovery on e46 Fanataics thread here Wonder if I can find an 8" that's quick enough on its feet - my assumption is easier to build a box - within the available space - to provide the correct volume for an 8 inch sub... and hopefully not too many watts required (I'm thinking 300W/4 ohms RMS such as a baby Alpine), Class D, not too many pesos, and low heat/low space. I'm guessing scanning the area with iPhone (Scaniverse), print a mould, lay up fibreglass into the mould for the back half. Do similaly for the front half, including a countersunk mounting ring in MDF (I have a Jasper Jig for my router). I can build the baffle out of my existing side panel. I have a spare from the parts car now. Lots more reading to do. It is xmas hols after all.

it's okay mate, heel-and-toe double de-clutch downshifts with blips when I'm pedalling a manual 😁

$47.99 for 5 litres is a decent price for sure.

how the hell did that escape dieselgate?! bloomin' barmy idea, imagine one of the Toerags that was produced with that power plant? it'd be a barrel of laughs - at least until some poor sod had to throw spanners at it. PS: I've a mate hanging on to his W8 Avant for grim death - loves the thing! I can understand it.

yep, the ZF6HP is an excellent box, and given it appears to be a relatively simple swap, indeed why wouldn't ya? The ZF8HP is astonishing at its smoothness and intelligence; I can't vouch for more or lesser longevity or reliability of 6HP vs 8HP. I agree with what you're saying John, there's a big difference between swapping in a trans that the car is engineered for, and customising an entirely different trans swap. I'm in the same camp - I certainly love the manual driving experience, a conversion would not get a look in with anything my wife drove even infrequently. I drove manual in Mexico City for ~2.5 years, if I was doing that again it'd be auto all the way. Modern autos are bloody brilliant.