wesv8

Just bought an MY00 Impreza and planning to upgrade the front speakers.

I had an MY99 a few years ago and fitted 6.5" Infinitys using MDF spacers, I didnt want to cut the splash guards, so I made up larger ones in fibre glass. I was a major task I wouldnt like to repeat.

So my question is, are the splash guards neccessary and if so what is anyone using with 6.5" speakers.

Would like to go for Focal Polyglass speakers (using MDF spacers), but Im nervous about them being too deep

ru'

I'm currently running Infinity 6500CS without any guard'age, but it's something I need to sort out.


Someone here (sorry; not sure who) made them out of a few layers of gaffer tape, so I may copy their idea.

How deep are the Focals?

wesv8

The gaffer tape idea sounds interesting - would you just wrap some tape over the top of the speaker basket, or try and fabricate something more advanced.

I used a ready meal bowl as a mould on for the ones I made out of fibre glass.

From the specs the focal polyglass have a mounting depth of 68mm. The measurements on the car I took last night were

58mm depth to touch the glass(measured at the centre of the speaker apperture) this includes the OE spacer.

The OE spacer has some spiggots sticking out about 8mm, so that suggests that it might be possible to bring the speakers further out, but I think it will be close

gazzared_typer

What is the speaker basket?

What does OE stand for?

Regards

ru'

I think the gaffer tape was made into a half-dish shape, over the top of the basket (i.e. not blocking the 'holes' in the basket).


(Basket= the 'frame' which holds a 'speaker together; holds the magnet etc. in the centre, and the outside of the cone around the edge)

(OE = Original Equipment)

gazzared_typer

It's so obvious once you know

wesv8

Just found the packaging for the speakers I fitted to the MY99. They were Infinty 6512CS, the box says they had a mounting depth of 63mm, so there is a vague posibility that the 68mm focals might fit

scoobnoob05

Focal Polyglass 165 V Slim will fit with just a 12mm spacer (probably less too,) i used 12mm mdf cos the drivers have 4 screwholes and the door has 3 so the driver screwed onto spacer and then spacer to door using original 3 holes

sound bloody great!


J

wesv8

Thanks scoobnoob05, from the specs the 165 V Slim has a mounting depth of 56mm - that is slim.

Two questions - what MY is your car and did you fit any splash guards ?

scoobnoob05

MY05 mate,

not fitted any guards yet, was gonna wait for a rainy couple of days (like now) and have a look to see if they really need them, I would have thought the water in the doors would be a 'trickle' down the skin rather than a waterfall all over the speaker.

as the cones are fibreglass (of a sort) and are not paper (or paper based) personally i would not have thought a few splashes of water would be a problem

Time will tell

Hope that helps

J

GaryCat

Yeah that was me, as ru' says... about 4 layers of gaffer tape in a half-circle over the top keeps the rain off.

wesv8

Thanks will give that a go.

Ordered the 165V slims today, just made up one spacer and it looks like there will be no trouble in getting them in.

Thanks for the advice guys

wesv8

Picked up a pair of the 165 V Slims, the dealer I got them from said that splash guards shouldnt be neccessary as the speakers are splash resistant - as you said the cones are fibre glass and the other materials are water resistant.

Interestingly he prefers original dynamat to extreme for doors and suggested double thickness over the area where the speaker mounts into the inner door skin

MatteeGee

The splash guards aren't necessary imo. I've had my (6.5") focals in for about a year now without the splash guards and there hasn't been any detrimental effect at all.

I asked the same question cos I was a bit scared myself but ICE speakers tend to be a bit more durable than your avg home speaker. A little bit of damp on car speakers shouldn't bother them.

I had my speakers out of the car the other day to fit some sound deadening and they looked in pretty good nik, but more importantly they sound just as good as when I first installed them (actually, far superior since I put in the sound deadening!).

Don't bother with splash guards.