6 1/2" Subwoofers to replace rear speakers?

[gracer718]

Has anyone replaced their rear speakers with 6 1/2" subwoofers? I need the trunk space for this car for work, but I want a great stereo with hi/mid and low. I am considering the Polk DB651 or Alpine Type R component setup for the front with the Massive Audio RX6 set or 2 JL 6W3 in the rear with an amp.

http://www.massiveaudio.com/store/product.php?productid=16271&cat=254&page=1


http://www.crutchfield.com/p_1366W3V...er-reviews-tab

Also, can I run a 2 channel amp to the rear speakers and use the head unit as a 2 channel for the front? How can this be done?

Thanks!

[mitchlikesbikes]

not sure about getting them to fit, but running the amp separate to power the rears would be really easy. you'd just treat it like any other subwoofer install as far as wiring and what not goes.

[Mighty_Mouse_Ep]

They will probably sound like crap my friend and i tried it with jl 6wo's and yeah it sounded like crap we were also amping them with a fosgate 2002 amp so they each were getting 100 watts rms. It might sound better in your ep cause his was gutted and didnt have side panels in. To get better sound quality you would need to create some kind of enclosure for the sub

[Euro-Yellow-Ep3]

i Have a set of alpine type s speakers and the sound great, If u purchase the type r speakers it will come with an adapter plate that will let you install them in the front doors with no trimming. pm me for more info

[gracer718]

I ordered the Polk DB6501 components and the 6 1/2's for the back. This is my second ep, the first one had Alpine Type S and I really liked them, but this time I'm going to see if I can get any extra bass from the mid/lows. I hope my research pays off! I think the subs would be ok in the back with the panels, but I don't want to risk it. It would be pretty sweet though.

Now I'm on a mission to find speaker harnesses to set up the system as close to factory wiring as possible. Thanks for the feedback!

[BeaterEP]

Literally JUST finished an all-Polk install a few days ago.

Be aware that the brackets that come with the speakers really don't do much for you, front or back. Things just don't line up that well.
As for harnesses, easy! These are exactly what you need! Just pick up 2 pairs, and you're done!

I went with 1/2" generic spacers for the woofers up front, which weren't quite deep enough. Still wound up cutting a little bit for the big-ass basket/terminal section, but no big deal for me since I'm basically never getting rid of this car :D If you want to avoid cutting the door, I'd recommend 3/4" spacers. That should just barely clear everything.
EDIT: I probably wouldn't have had this problem if I'd twisted the speakers about 45˚...but I didn't want to for some stupid reason. So I wound up taking a bit of door panel off on the bottom right side (looking from front of speaker) to accomodate the terminals.

Tweeter install wasn't too bad, lot's of Dremel work to round the OEM housing out enough to fit the Polk units, and it's a tight fit. I probably should have given them just a bit more space, since I managed to dent the left side tweeter grill while I was pressing it into the housing. Doh.

Finally, you'll have to cut the raised area around the rear of the speaker grill on the door trim, the bit that sits around the OEM speaker mounts. If you take the time you can probably trim it to fit, but I just chopped it down to the nubs, and will be experimenting with different sealers to see if I can tighten the sound up later.

As for sound, the Polks are nice! Bright as hell, though! Def set those crossovers to -3db! Even then, I find I've taken a lot of the highs out with my head unit (it's got a 7-channel EQ, so no biggie). In addition, while the mid-bass is pretty tight, don't expect a lot of low-low out of these. There's a reason they make subs
I was actually a bit surprised how little bass I'm getting, which is why I'm seeing if a bit of surrounding material from the basket to the interior trim panels will help with the response.

OK, that was way more than I intended to type LOL, just saw you were about to install the Polks, figured I'd drop my recent experience!

[gracer718]

Thanks for the info! I got some dynamat and speaker harnesses today. How did you mount the crossovers in the front? The speakers should be here in a couple days, and I'll let you know how the install goes. I'm looking forward to hearing the difference!

[BeaterEP]

I picked up some of that heavy-duty adhesive backed velcro tape from the auto parts place. Comes in a box of like 4-5 feet I think?
The adhesive is really tough stuff, put one side of the hook and loop on the back of the crossovers, other side on the door panel.
I actually doubled up, two strips on each crossover. Those things aren't going anywhere!

May not be the most ideal spot, but I made sure I had them adjusted and working before mounting them, and since those Polks are actually marine-rated, I'm not worried about moisture. Not to mention they're tucked under the impact beam there, so there's enough overhang to cover the units.

[gracer718]

Finished the install this weekend, sounds great, except they need more power than I am giving them. I have an Alpine 9884 head unit with KTP 445 booster and they are not consistently great on every song. Sometimes they distort and sometimes they hit well, other times the power draw causes the auto shut-off on the head unit to kick in. I'm pretty sure I don't have a short in the wires, I think the speakers just draw a LOT of power. How are yours? Also, don't add anything to "box them off" because I had put dynamat behind them and it basically suffocated the sound, it is 100x better without it.

As far as the crossovers go, I mounted them in the kick panels (as suggested by a best buy installer) this worked out really well. and I was able to just use all of the wires included from Polk. I also used the velcro tape to mount my crossovers, and I'm sure it will hold up too! I ran the wires through the factory boots in the door by feeding a coat hanger attached to the wires with electrical tape (so I didn't rip other wires in the harness). The install was very clean, and one of the more simple ones I've ever done, thanks to proper planning and buying the right items! I also added speaker spacers in the front and it was a lot better than drilling the doors out. Here are a few photos. Thanks for the help!

[geeio]

am i the only person who thinks the mount kits for these cars are terrible, you dont need it, i just took my old hu out and put my new one where the old one is. and i got to keep my stock pocket and dont have a piece that is not even the same color as the rest of the dash. im just saying. you have options for a small sub to put in the trunk that will leave plenty of space for whatever else you might want, the infinity bass cubes are great and you can quickly disconnect if you need even more space. jl audio makes a 13 inch sub that needs very little room to sound good you could make a box that could even mount to the rear shelf or in your spare tire , alpine just released an 8 inch ported sub box that is small enough to tuck in the corner and for get it. you are not going to get any bass that is really that great from the stock speaker mouting locations.just some options, i have a kicker 8 inch l7 sounds great went from an alpine type r 12 and its just as effective.

[gracer718]

Thanks for the input. I agree, the aftermarket mount doesn't even come close to matching the stock color. Stereo DEFINITELY needs some bass, I will look into the Alpine box and Kicker/Alpine sub options. Also need to install an amp on those speakers, just need some free time!