How many watts to...
 

...overcome road noise?

Can any of you audio experts recommend a wattage range for separates (front AND rear) and a sub (single 10 in a sealed box or ported box). I want to be able to drown out the road noise cruisin at 60 or so, and FEEL the bass without it being "boomy". I'm guessing 50Wx4 for the cabin and about 150W for the sub? Would 75W/200W be better? Even more?

I listen to a lot of Rob Zombie, some Linkin Park, a little Prodigy, and lots of 80's.

I think 50wx4 is sufficient for your inside speakers, just as long as it's a clean 50wx4 rms. 200w-250w would be fine for an average single 10" sub, however it depends on the sub and the enclosure. If you want clean bass with minimal "boominess," then I'd recommend a sealed enclosure. Sealed boxes are simple to build and you don't have to worry about port tuning.

Dynomat or similar insulating products could kill your road noise w/o adding any watts. Then a 50 watt setup would sound even nicer (since it's not competing w the road). 250 watts to a 10" is plenty if you are not after boom. I also think a sealed box would work well for you (feel more than hear).

Thanks for the replies.

I'm definitely going to Dynamat at least the doors. Based on other posts on here, I'm considering JL separates and a 10W3v2 sub (in a sealed box to save trunk space). Lots of people here seem to like JL products and I haven't read anything negative about their stuff.