Hey guys, I going to upgrade the in-cab front speakers in my 2000 Civic EX and I had a few questions. I’ve done quite a bit of searching, but haven’t been able to find answers to these questions that satisfy my curiosity.

I debated for a while as to what component speakers to put in my front door and I’ve decided on the Alpine SPR-17S since so many people have given great reviews of them.
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_500SPR1...SPR-17S&tp=106

According to the JBL fit guide, my front door speakers have a depth of 1.8” and the speakers are 2 3/8”. People mention spacers that add depth but I have never heard of or seen them in action. Do I even need to use spacers or can I just cut away the stock plastic speaker shroud in the door? If I do need spacers, do they stick out annoyingly far? I assume a product like these is what they refer to: http://www.scosche.com/products/sfID.../productID/868

From what I have read people suggest to mount the crossovers inside the door itself (I will be powering with an amp eventually, but not at first). But I have not seen any pics of where to mount them in a 2000 civic door; they just say “in the door, watch the window”. Well, after looking inside my door there are a few place I could mount, but the plastic is very thin and nothing looks like an obvious mounting spot. Any suggestions here would be most welcome.

Right now I have a 4ga wire powering a Kenwood amp in my trunk. My idea was to keep that 4ga wire going to the trunk, add a distribution block in the trunk, and run a short 4ga to my kenwood and another wire (probably another 4ga) to the following amp for my in-cab speakers:
http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/CarAu...roductID=14929

Would using the distro block like this work? My Kenwood amp pulls a lot of power (X811D) so I want to make sure there’s enough power for both amps. I’ve never used a distro and want to be sure of things before I start buying parts. Also, does anyone recommend a decently priced distro block?

My deck will be an Alpine CDA-9886 once I finally order the thing. Here’s a link to the current amp I use for my subs: http://www.crutchfield.com/S-0kx0OQC...KAC-X811D.html

Thanks guys (and gals)!!

 

For the depth of the speakers, what limits the factory depth is a plastic cup that is behind the factory speaker. This plastic housing can easily be cut out with a dremel tool or some other kind of saw. It is very common to have to cut this out, and I have done it on both of my civics. Once it is cut out you have close to 4 inches of depth which is plenty for those alpines (I have the exact same speakers). and no spacers are needed.

as for the crossover, the best place I found to mount it is is behind the armrest, just toward the rear of the car of the the door pull bracket. It fits perfectly behind the armrest because there is a huge cavity between the door and the panel when it is all together.

I dont have an actual picture of the crossover, but the red circle is approximately where mine mounts.

 

Also I would recommend just running a whole new amp wire for the second amp, just so that you know you will be getting the amount of current necessary to each amp. If you use too small of a wire to both amps, you may not get enough power to them which results in a loss of performance. Also you run a risk of possibly overheating the wire and melting the shielding, which ends up costing more money down the road. So basically I view it as better safe than sorry.

 

The Type R will fit:

And your crossover can go in that little pocket behind the door card:


I wrapped mine in foam and strapped it into place

 

When you cut the plastic away, you still need something shielding the top of the speaker. Rain water will drip down inside the door; the window gasket never catches it all. If your speaker is not protected, this water will get into the speaker and ruin it.

 

Ahh okay, I don't want to starve anything if I can help it. I was trying to avoid having to buy and run another 4ga from the battery all the way to the trunk, but it looks like that's the best solution. I don't think overheating would be an issue for me since I have an inline fuse right next to the battery.

Ahh wonderful crossover advice, thanks gunz and Sigracer! I hadn't thought of right next to the open plastic thing, I originally thought I'd mount it TO the thin, circular plastic piece.

Good thinking. With my stock speakers I had actually cut out the passenger side speaker surround, but didn't think about water damage. Definitely something to consider.

 

I thought about getting some of those foam baffles and cutting the very backs of them off. That "should" keep the water from running into the speaker and not limit my mid-bass frequency response...

 

iv ebeen using my same REaudio components choped into the door panels of 2 vehicles... no water damage...

tho i must say... why did ya deaden the plastic door panel i hope you did the door skin itself also... ive never deadened a plastic panel...

but if your worried about water damage then buy some pockets....
http://www.crutchfield.com/g_762/Foa...owAll=Y&tp=660

ive never used them tho...
ive heard of afew people saying they sound better and few people have said they sound worse...
but i guess if the sound quality was bad then you could always cut some holes in the bottom of the baffle... that way the water will still stay off the speakers but they will be able to breath alittle easier.

 

Ohhh thanks! Those baffles look like exactly what I need. After reading some crutchfield reviews on them, seems they are designed to require some type of ventilation... Plus, I have to cut a hole for my speaker wires anyway

 

I was bored! I deaden EVERYTHING when I get bored! Plus, the deadener was FREE! Believe it or not, it cut down on hearing any external noise, even though technically deadener isn't supposed to do that.....