SSM 03 Type-S

Crutchfield"s website states that 6.5"s will fit our doors as well as a few shops that ive been to, however, if you look at the pics that KevlarCC took in his install process, you"ll see that the speaker mounting hole is only 4" wide. So my question is........

wouldnt 5.25" speakers work better?

Also, does anyone know the exact mounting depth with a spacer for a 2003 TL-S?
Whats the absolute maximum I could go?

I just bought a component set and i'm affraid they will be too big

headbussaboi

From my experience, 6.5's with a 3/4 inch MDF spacer... you will have to trim or fold in some of the metal opening of the OEM hole. I tried not folding it in and the door panel wouldn't go on right. 5.25's with a spacer 3/4 inch MDF will fit fine without cutting or trimming though. Either way, you'll have to use a spacer or trim it down.

SSM 03 Type-S

So if the 5.25's fit with less modifaication, why does everyone seem to go with 6.5's then? I really dont feel like trimming the metal in the door panels to make speakers fit or paying someone to do it for me

trailz516

Cutting the door out really is not hard at all, you just need the right tools. I think its worth the extra work to fit a 6.5.

SSM 03 Type-S

Everyone seems to be running the 6.5's so thats why i bought them. it just seems like the 5.25 would be easier to do. The only problem now is the depth. it looks like I only have 2" of depth from the door frame to the window, and maybe a half inch more with a spacer, for a total of 2.5". I bought a set of Focal 165KP's and they"ll be here tomorrow but the depth of them is 2.79" so it looks like i just made a $500 mistake unless someone knows for sure there is a way to make them fit without hacking up the doors

uncald4

iTrader: (3)

Honda's doors are known for retaining moisture. DO NOT use an MDF spacer ring to space out your speakers. The MDF will turn into a graham cracker after your first spring season. METRA makes 1/2" and 3/4" ABS plastic spacer rings that work much better. Most car audio shops carry them. So does ebay.

5 1/4" speakers are sometimes just as deep as their 6 1/2" brothers. You are best off finding a 6 1/2" component set that is shallow enough to meet the TL's depth requirements. Factory Honda speakers use Neodynium magnets these days. This allows for much smaller motor assemblies on the back of the speaker as well it performs much better than the standard Strontium magnets. Several aftermarket speaker manufacturers also have models that use these smaller motors.

SSM 03 Type-S

I'm still unsure of the depth of the doors. All i have to go on are the pictures that KevlarCC posted. Is there any website to go to that has the exact depth and how big of a spacer that can be used?

uncald4

iTrader: (3)

Nope.

SSM 03 Type-S

metraonline says that the mounting depth is 3.25" How is it that every site has different answers?

headbussaboi

Unless you get like me and brush it with polyurethane before installing .

trailz516

I just brushed a few layers of fiberglass resin on my rings....should do the trick.

headbussaboi

That'll do it too .

DirtySouthCuhz

wow i do not understand what ya talking about but im bout to by some 6.5 speakers for my door also and what exactly do i have to do to make them fit? i dont really know much about audio but hoping to learn so i can do my own stuff instead of paying alot of money

KevlarCC

3.25" will not work unless you plan to leave your windows up forever.

I measured the depth to the window and this is what I got (2003 TL-S):

Size of the hole in the door:


Depth to the window when it is rolled down in several spots:






Good luck.

uncald4

iTrader: (3)

Excellent work!

So, it looks like 1.75" is the max depth without a spacer ring. You want to allow about 1/4" between the speaker magnet and the winder for flexing and such. Most of us know that we can use a 3/4" spacer ring before the speaker hits the door panel. So, total allowable depth is 2.5" for front door speakers.

Thank you KevlarCC for taking the time to display the information with pictures!!

SSM 03 Type-S

That isnt totally accurate, headbussaboi fit the Phoenix Gold RSD's which are 73mm, or 2.87 inches

headbussaboi

That's what I'm yelling! I did fit the PG RSD's with a 3/4 spacer and have no window scraping whatsoever. The size is stated above.

KevlarCC

There are several reasons why the numbers seem fishy, but it is not that big of a mystery. One or more of the following must be true:

1. PG's stated mounting depth is a clearance requirement and not the actual height. I would guess that PG includes a little fat in it (at least 1/8" if you got them to fit) for pole piece venting or other tolerances. Unless you actually measured the speaker then we cannot know for sure.

2. Your spacer ring is thicker than 0.75".

3. You installed something other than the spacer ring in the stack-up between the surface of the door and the speaker. Like a piece of foam to isolate vibration (I did)
or the factory mounting ring from PG (I did this too with my pioneers)

What I can say with certainty is that the ruler that I used is accurate and that when I took the pictures it was resting against the face of the window. My observed clearance was 2" (pretty much exactly).

Very plainly, if you use a spacer ring that is exactly 0.75" thick then the distance from the mounting face the the window is exactly 2.75".

SSM 03 Type-S - lay you speakers on a table facing up with the magnet down and meaure the actual height to the backside of the mounting flange and see what it is. Subtract 2 inches from it and that will be the minimum thickness of your mounting ring assembly.

Having said that, I fought with my Pioneer monsters ALOT to get them to fit properly and my suggestion (Uncald4 agrees, I know) is that you should buy thinner speakers than. Modifying the doors created major delays in my project.

salvo24

What Pioneers do you have? I've been going crazy as well trying to find some good speakers, and when I finally decided on Infinity Reference 6022 shallow mount, I let some Best Buy employee talk me out of them and into the Pioneer TS-A1682R's. He assured me they would fit, he promised me they would fit after looking it up on the computer and shit. Even went as far as saying I wouldn't even need spacers.

My problem is that me and my speakers are up in Boston for the time being and my car is in Florida, so I won't be able to take a look for a while......and if and when they don't fit, I can't go back to that same Best Buy to tell this kid he's an idiot. How much are spacers? I never had to use them....I'm assuming $15?

KevlarCC

I am using Pioneer Premier TS-C720PRS 6-1/2" Components.

They required much modifications to fit, I had to cut the sheetmetal holes in the doors bigger, I had to cut a hole in the door skins to keep it from hitting the face of the speakers and mount in the pioneer grills. While I was at it I also raamatted and ensolited the doors and sealed the access openings.

Overall, it looks really nice and they are VERY tight and punchy, I am about to post some pics over here . BUT it was ALOT of work and took up alot of meticulous detail. I would not recommend it unless you are very handy and confident in your tools.

The only way to know for sure if a certain set will fit is to measure them. If you are REALLY worried, just pay best buy to install them and let them deal with the fallout (did I just say that!?!?! ). A better option may be to search Crutchfield. They have really good fit database information, especially on a car that is a few years old, and if they say they will fit, you can trust it. Then buy from wherever you are comfortable and install them yourself. Personally, I cannot bring myself to pay the premium for a B&M and I have the patience to wait for shipping, but to each his own.

I can tell you this: the stock speakers are CRAP! I left my rears stock and I could buy a set or sparkomatics at radio shack and replace them and it would be an improvement. I do plan to replace them BTW. No matter what you buy, it will be an improvement so live with that confidence. The perfect set is elusive and impossible so don't sweat it too hard.

Also, keep in mind that you will not be listening to them looking at the face of the speaker because of where they are mounted in relation to your ears. When you demo them make sure you stand to the side and pay attention to the off-axis response since that is where you will be sitting. Manufacturers realize that most people will stand in front of a sound board and pick the one that sounds best so they design for it to increase sales and then when you get them in the car you are unhappy. </0.02>

salvo24

^ Word...thanks for the advice. I'll see how meticulous the job seems with my speakers, but the associate was pretty adamant about them fitting easily. If it seems hard, I might just head to Best Buy and tell em they suck.

And yea, the stock speakers are awful, mine are on the way to get blown, I can't turn it up with out getting a lot of distortion. I just bought 2 for the front right now, but I plan on gettin 2 rears soon.

SSM 03 Type-S

Just thought i would let everyone know that i had a local shop install the front Focal component set. Not a single issue with fitment. Not sure what size spacer they used. All i know if that they modified the factory speaker basket. Absolutely zero issues with this speaker and its depth is 2.79"

Nice Fart Can z33

too much cutting and soldering for my taste

sfont012

iTrader: (6)

this question is for anyone on this thread that has swapped out door speakers.

How did the swapp affect the low frequencies and sound of bass? Did the bass response improve, stay the same or get worse?

I understand that your high's will improve with new speakers but i'm more concerned about the ability of these 5.25 or 6.5 speakers ability to improve bass handling.

the stock speakers are bad but at least you get a lil thump out of them.

salvo24

I was getting tired of the stock speakers and my 2 12" Alpines...it the bass was too overpowering. If you do not have any system at all, just go listen to speakers.

When I was looking I LOVED the Infinity Reference 6022I (they also make a 6022 shallow mount, which seems more fit for our cars) They were clear, and hit high, and definitely had a lot of bass to them, however, where I was trying to stay clear of the extra bass, I decided to get different speakers to focus more on the highs.

I ended up going with the Pioneer TS-A1682R's and I love them. I couldn't be more satisfied. I don't know if its just my imagination or anything, but it seems since I have installed them, the sub woofers are hitting a lot harder than before. So to not really answer your question but inform you of my experience....When I swapped out my front speakers, I actually think I gained more bass with my sub woofers....don't know how it would be if you don't have subs....and if you don't definitely go check out the Infinity's I told you about above...they have them at Best Buy, and you can find them on E-bay or other websites for like $60 (retail @ BB is $120)

KevlarCC

Bottom line, the stock speakers suck and all things will improve if you replace them with ANYTHING. The stock magnet structure is tiny and weak and the cones are flimsy paper. All upgrade paths add more quality to your listening experience. Stronger magnets and more rigid cones will improve mid lows. Even my monster Pioneer mids do not really produce lows well even with sealed door chambers and amplification so do not expect too much. I am cutting them off at about 150 Hz and they do fine.

You must replace the front speakers at a minimum and with coaxes at a minimum. If you do not add an amp for the front, there is no point to using component seperates. Adding an amp and sub without replacing the front is pointless too because most of the details are carried by the fronts and the sub is really just for impact (great bass behind muddy mids and highs sucks, IMHO). Your musical personality and priorities will dictate this though.

Debates can go on forever about what is the "best" way to go as far as each and every system component (head unit, speakers, amps, installation accessories, wires, on and on forever) but the finite details are really below most peoples' ear sensitivity, especially at 80 mph with road noise. The "best" is expensive so, spend however much you can and if you are handy, install it. If not, pay a shop to do it and enjoy the improvements.

Again, ANYTHING is an improvement so just go and do it. You can always add to the system later as budget permits.