[nitroheel]

I really like the looks for the factory stereo and enjoy the steering wheel controls. However, I want to improve the overall sound of the OEM system. Since I have the factory stereo can I;

1. Add an after market amp and replace the OEM speakers (JBL, Polk or maybe Boston's)
2. Add an after market sub in the rear panel without having to add a sub box. I'm not in my 20's anymore and don't want to blow out my neighbor's windows just add some needed bass to my 3 Day's Grace CD
3. Put this all together utilizing the factory stereo and still end up with a great sounding system?

Thanks for any suggestions you may have.

 

[lilsalmon]

Which headunit do you have? The six disc?

1. Yes. Thats not a problem.
2. Not sure what your asking here. Do you have the factory sub and want to add an aftermarket one in the box?
3. #2 is the only one you need a little more clarification on. Otherwise its all doable. I lot of folks are utilizing factory headunits and buildign a system.. you are not alone

 

[HighVoltageNITRO]

Speakers - you can buy the 99KICK15 (KICKER) front speaker upgrades for about $150.00.

Then, use whatever sub amp and sub that you can fit (at the location of your choice)

You know, my '03 Liberty didn't have a sub but at that time Jeep sold a under driver seat mount sub that was really kind of nice. I got one and it would hit pretty good, but the best thing was you were sitting on it!

 

[lilsalmon]

Been really interested in replacing all my interior speakers with Polk 6.5 Momo components in the front and 6.5 Polk Momo coax s in the rear. With a custom sub box where the factory one would be.

 

[nitroheel]

lilSalmon, I did not purchase the factory installed sub. I want to add an after market sub but, do not want to add an after market sub box (those made of wood wrapped with carpet like material). I'd rather install a sub in one of the rear panels, I'm just not sure if there is enough room for this method of installation. My head unit is the standard unit that comes with the SLT. I was also thinking of installing the amp under the slide out cargo tray (is this possible?) for a custom install. Thanks for your help!

 

[lilsalmon]

Well here is what I plan on doing. I plan on purchasing the rear factory panel that was meant for the Nitro's with the sub and build a custom box for behind the panel. This will make it look totally factory with an aftermarket sound. If you aren't using a huge amp you can mount it above the box where the factory amp is located.

Here the factory blow out of what I am referring to.

 

[nitroheel]

lilsalmon, great info. I'll look into the factory sub panel and follow your lead. Again thanks for the tips. I agree with your choice of Polk, have had great luck with them in previous cars/SUV's

 

[lilsalmon]

Did you seriously like them... I am really up in the air right now... I had all JL XR components in my previous vehicle... but looking for something not as harsh.... I was pretty happy with the sound of the Momos.

I will keep you posted on my progress... and I still have to post the photos of my Zune integration and rear flip down....

 

[Smitty]

In my opinion the best bang for the buck is...

Forget upgrading the speakers, the factory ones are fine. All you need is more power, a sub woffer, and tweeters. Power doesn't blow speakers, distortion does. More power driving the factory speakers will be much crisper and clearer for the mid-range. The sub helps with the lows and the tweets help the highs. Get a good quality 4 channel amp (30-50W/channel, stable at 2 ohms, able to accept line level input, and built in x-overs), wire the factory speakers in parallel and drive them with 2 of the channels. Set the x-over for mid range from 100Hz to about 8500Hz. Use the other 2 to drive the tweets above the 8500Hz. Then get a good quality powered sub.

I have used this recipe several times in the past with great success. If you shop around you can probably do all this for $500-$750.

Smitty

 

[nitroheel]

lilsalmon I've had Polk 6.5's in my Explorer and have Polk's outdoor speakers on my back deck. I really like the crisp sound of Polk speakers so in my opinion you can't go wrong.

Smitty (my daughter's nickname is smitty) how do you wire speakers in parallel? I want to try this project myself but, don't wan't to mess it up. If I remember correctly all speaker connections will be ran from the amp as well as the sub. Is this correct? Regarding the tweeters, should I replace the small dash speakers with the new tweeters or are they just add-ons to the stock speakers? One final question, can you power the amp from an exsisting interior wire or does it need to be direct wired to the battery?

Guys thanks so much for all your ideas and input, NitroforumZ rocks!!

 

[Smitty]

Replaceing the dash speakers with tweets is a great solution.

I cut the speaker wires behind the radio. Then run 4 sets of speaker wires. One set is to go from the radio front speaker outputs to the line level inputs of the 4-channel amp. One set goes from the radio rear outputs to the line level inputs of the sub. One goes from the mid-range channels of the amp to the other ends of the cut wires that go to the speakers in the doors. The last set goes from the high-range output of the amp to the wires that go to the dash speakers (tweeters). To wire the doors in parallel just twist the front + with the rear + and doo the same for the minuses. Wiring these in parallel is the reason you need a 2ohm stable amp. You will lose the ability to fade front to back, the fader will allow you to adjust the relative volume of the sub from the dash.


A word of caution. Before you cut the factory wiring besure there is enough slack to make the connections and to be able to reverse what you are doing in the future. Also spend a couple of bucks and get the solderless connectors that have the "built-in" shrink tubing. One nice thing about this approach is you don't have to take the doors apart. And its completely reversable.


You would need to run a dedicated power line from the battery to a distribution block to feed the 4-channel amp and the powered sub. Besure to size it correctly. You need to wire the remote wire of the amps to a 12V source that turns on with the Acc position of the key switch.

Smitty