I have 2 12" kenwoods installed in my car. I live in IOWA and it gets uuber cold here. Would it be wise for me to take them out over the winter months? And is it ok if I play them when its cold.... I do not play them very loudly anyways.

 

I've heard a few different opinions on this and they all make sense. Some suggest playing the radio at low volumes for 1-2 mins., and then crank it up. Others say that severe cold weather is just plain bad for your subs because of the plastic and surrounds, and you should play your radio at low volumes period. I do know that electronics suffer during severe cold because once the unit begins to warm up moisture can develop, which can and will ruin electronic components. When its extremely cold outside I keep it low and won't use the dvd/cd player because it tends to play slow anyway and the moisture from it heating up can mess up the radio(it's a motorized faceplate). I just plug in the Ipod and remove most of the bass.

 

ok, I figured just leaving the volume down low would be ok, im just worried about the rubber cracking or something

 

Subs are designed for the car environment, so they're built to withstand the cold. The surround and suspension might be stiffer when it's cold, but if you think about it, even just playing for a few seconds the sub has vibrated a couple thousand times already. It loosens up faster than you can turn up the volume, not to mention the voice coils heat up pretty fast too.

And if anything, amps run better when they're colder.

 

Like I'd said earlier, there are different opinions regarding the effects of weather extremes on car audio components. Plastic and foam parts, as well as electronics components, become affected by weather extremes and caution should be used when in those situations. People's opinions aside, you should do what you feel comfortable with. After all, it's your car.

 

if there was moisture on you equipment, it would be to late. playing anything electric would ruinin itself because of the "dew" on them like the fuse box in the engine(which would be more in the moisture area). i think playing your subs during the cold is fine, ive been doing this since i owned the car(since 07) and have had no problems(knock on wood). the amp and subs will warm up pretty fast just like the engine, maybe faster

 

alright thanks for the advice!

 

Actually, I'm talking about moisture and not buckets of water lol! The moisture does dry within a few minutes but it's still there and problems can arise due to it. In extreme cold I refrain from using the dvd/cd player, or motorized faceplate, because it's moving parts move slower and can put strain on the component. But that's just me and others will do things differently.

 

I would just let the subs play at low volume for a little once they warm up some you will be ok. they do get stiff when its cold and u can often here the diffence when they are realy cold.

I know from when i take my son up to daycare in the morning about a 20 min drive i play my music not all that loud obvisouly and the subs are moving but not much. and i can tell you after that 20 min the subs sound better that ever....its like when u buy a new sub you need to "break it in" and not play it loud right away so the coils can become not so stiff and move more...its the same concept

 

This is another topic where lots of people disagree. And...I disagree with you lol. A sub will "break in" in that it's sound will definitely change as it gets some playing time, however there's no need to treat it differently during the first few hours of play. Plus, in all the excitement of getting new subs, who wants to wait to hear it pound?