Abe Kowitz Posted July 3, 2016 Share Posted July 3, 2016 Lets just start off with that I know I probably should replace the head unit, well I'm not going to. I have the six speaker system and am upgrading with Polk Audio dxi6501 and Rockford Fosgate R1675x2 Prime speakers as well as adding an Infinity Basslink. Some things I've learned along the way.... There are two torx screws along the side of the rear door panels, one to the back and one toward the front. There are a few plastic 'doors' where you can access torx screws for the front doors. The tweeter location is accessed by pulling off the whole A pillar cover (don't hurt your airbag!) Black wires go to all the door speakers, normal colored wires go to the tweeters. The whole reason why I decided to replace the speakers is because I needed to find the speaker wire colors to install my Infinity Basslink. Thanks, Ford for using black wiring! I guess I'm going to run wires from the speakers all over the van to my powered sub. If you have any tips on me handling this install, please speak up! I hope my information has been a little help for anyone else working on this. I am assuming that the tweeter and front door speakers run off the same channel. Am I wrong? I'm going to wire my component speakers off of either the tweeter or door wiring (probably the tweeter since its a heavier wire) then run wiring to the other after the crossovers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kookmyers Posted July 5, 2016 Share Posted July 5, 2016 I am also eventually going to want to do this as well. Glad to have someone leading the way! I would make the same assumption about the tweeter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrtn Posted July 5, 2016 Share Posted July 5, 2016 Replacing speakers will only improve the sound marginally. You should also insulate the doors with plenty of tar mat (3 layers + anchoring to the safety beam). This has more effect than new speakers alone. I suppose you are not going to add an amplifier either? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abe Kowitz Posted July 5, 2016 Author Share Posted July 5, 2016 I disagree on the insulating. I don't get why that's always recommended. I'm not going for ridiculous volume, just an improvement in quality. I don't need to turn my doors into a woofer enclosure. For improved sound clarity, my lows will primarily come from my powered sub. The bass is turned down on my deck, so even at a louder volume its not going to hit very hard, therefore not require a rigid air tight enclosure for my door speakers. None of the adapter ring holes worked at all, so I ordered 82-5604 Metra Speaker Plates. I made some out of corrugated plastic (which will be removed), which definitely doesn't help the sound quality. I expect to get the adapter plates in a couple weeks (I live in Hawaii) I didn't add an amplifier, modern original equipment head units provide good enough quality sound for my normal use. Also, I got this info with the help from a friend. Radio Battery Constant 12V+ Wire: White/Red Radio Accessory Switched 12V+ Wire: Blue Radio Ground Wire: black/Blue Radio Dimmer Wire: Violet/Gray Left Front Speaker Positive Wire (+): White Left Front Speaker Negative Wire (-): White/Brown Right Front Speaker Positive Wire (+): White/Violet Right Front Speaker Negative Wire (-): White/Orange Left Rear Speaker Positive Wire (+): White/Green Left Rear Speaker Negative Wire (-): Brown/Yellow Right Rear Speaker Positive Wire (+): Brown/White Right Rear Speaker Negative Wire (-): Brown/Blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrtn Posted July 5, 2016 Share Posted July 5, 2016 Fair enough. This might be the first time I have heard anyone disagreeing on insulation and amplification tho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kookmyers Posted July 5, 2016 Share Posted July 5, 2016 Abe, Thank you for posting the wire colors. They don't seem to match up with your observance of the black wires you first commented on. Can you address that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beta Don Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 (edited) "I disagree on the insulating. I don't get why that's always recommended. I'm not going for ridiculous volume, just an improvement in quality." Speakers produce sound waves containing various frequencies. Even at very llow power levels, the outer door skin of your car door has a resonant frequency where it will vibrate and that cancels much of the power produced by the speaker. Since you're sticking with your low powered OEM head unit, a layer or two of DynaMat applied to the door panel behind the speaker might actually do more for the sound quality at low levels than new speakers - Your new, underpowered speakers will still be fighting the effects of the resonant vibrations of your 'speaker enclosure' There's a reason speaker enclosures are made from thick wood that the sound waves produced by the speaker can't move - You want the sound waves produced by the speaker to vibrate the air within the car and not be wasted vibrating the innards of your car doors I would add the DynaMat first and see how much improvement that makes before I spent a dime on new speakers - You might save yourself lots of time and trouble, not to mention money changing only the speakers. New, high quality speakers which need more power to effectively move the air coupled to the same underpowered head unit may not improve the sound much. DynaMat could make a bigger change by effectively increasing the power of your OEM speakers . . . . but if you don't try it for yourself, you'll never know. Don Edited September 11, 2016 by Beta Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fifty150 Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 Thanks for the wiring colors. But didn't you get a harness that simply plugs into your factory harness? Ford Lincoln OEM Harness 2011-UP Product Details Description (Fully terminated 24 & 26 pin) Plugs into car OEM radio Power/4-speakers 7in long harness Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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