AlphaOmega

Hey, no one has really talked about replacing the tweeters in their cars. Anyone have anything about replacing them and how to do it?

Kevin Rahimi

Iceman

What I have heard is, they are hard to replace because the grill covering the tweeter is part of the tweeter.

moda_way

Looked in the manual last night and I don't know that the tweeter is actually part of the grill. I believe it snaps into the grill. The difficulty in replacing it is that you wouldn't normally be able to buy a tweeter that you could simply snap into the existing grill. Besides, the tweeter that exists is not going to be significantly worse than any other tweeter on the market. Performance in sound usually doesn't come from tweeters, rather, it comes from the interplay or "phasing" the mid-bass with your highs correctly. Your best gains at this point would be to replace the 6.5" and 6x9s in the car and that will be a good challenge in its own right, though others have done it already.

AlphaOmega

though I agree that tweeters don't make or break a system, but still if I plan on purchasing a pair of component speakers, I would at least try to attempt to see if I can use the tweeter that comes from the pair I purchase.

Kevin

miner

I attempted to replace the tweeters with some Infinitys but was unable to attach them to the grill. The OEM are Pioneer dome tweeters.

Gpump

So if the tweeters are attached to the tweeter grill, (is this the only mounting holding the tweeter in place?) can the grill not be "modified" to hold, say, a Polk db component tweeter? Is the Pioneer tweeter some odd size so that other brands won't fit even if you can get around the grill issue? I too am interested in getting a clean audio slate with regards to the speakers = componenets, 6.5, and 6 X 9 with my amps and a subwoofer. However, if it is too much of a pain in the arse then I will save $100 and just get 6.5 and 6 X 9's - anyone who has done this please reply before I go shopping - thanks---Brian

luthier

I started replacing my tweets today. They just pop out by slipping a knife edge in the seam and gently prying up. I have a set of Kicker components and I am going after the tweeters first. What I will need to do is enlarge the existing hole a little and use the flush mount holder. In my case, it came with a basket-shaped locking ring that spreads behind the hole as you tighten it -- sort of like a molly bolt. Doesn't look like it will take very long but there are three different mounts with this set. I don't know if other brands are so versatile.

An interesting aside, when I had the old tweeter out of the hole but still plugged in I was able to listen to just it. It sounds like a fly trying to get out of a window. Not very musical. You really do miss it when it is unplugged, though.

Skip

Gpump

Luthier - any successor problems with your install? Any tips or things that you would do differently now that you've done it once? Pics?---thanks, good luck

Late afternoon addendum:
I took off the grills and the speakers - they are apparently permanently attached to the bracket that holds them to the grill. I tried taking the tweeter out of the little holder thingy and I snapped a fragile piece of the bracket - oh well, there are 3 others holding the speaker in the bracket still. However, it seems that it would be fairly simple to use something like silicone to glue a new tweeter to the grill - anyone see any problems with this approach?
I measured the inner diamter of the grill where the tweeter connects - it is approx 1 and 5/8 inches - does this measurement seem pretty standard for other component tweeter's outer diamters so that I can glue in a new one without having alot of extra space to fill with silicone?

luthier

The tweeters I got are glued into a small cylinder. With the set there are three different outer sleeves depending on the application. The recessed mount is the one I used since it has an outer flange that covers the indentation of the dash. I did need to cut away about 1/8" of dash material to get it to fit. I have a set of stubby screwdrivers to tighten the backing clip or else that would have been a hassle. You really have to examine the mounting capabilities of the replacement before coming to any conclusions.

I really can't think of anything I would have done differently. I did use the existing wires under the console to the tweeters. These were spliced into wires coming from the crossovers in the trunk. The stock amp isn't driving them. I understand it has some bass blockers built in. Your mileage may vary depending ont he best frequencies for the new tweets.

Skip

weasel

Disconnect the tweeters and replace the door speakers with a good set of coaxial 6.5 speakers, (I have Diamond Audios) and you will find the imaging centered around or above the headunit area. The stock left dashboard tweeter radiates the sound off the bottom of the windshield and that biasing shifts the image to the A-pillar area. Replacing with door mounted coaxials improves imaging because the time it takes the sound to leave the speakers and arrive at your ears are almost equal. Perfect if we could sit exactly in the center between both speakers, but not practical Same principle as the kickpanel mounting solutions. And yes the door speakers receive a full range signal from the amp,