i want to mount my tweeters on the black sail panels (behind the side view mirrors)on my 5th gen. But to be able to aim them correctly i think it would be nice to make custom tweeter pods. Does anyone know how to make them? Or does anyone know of a place in SoCal that does it? How much would it cost me? thanks.

 

It will cost you a lot to have a shop do it. You can make them yourself with fiberglass if you're willing to put some time into it. There should be some decent stuff out on the web regarding how, or I can post some tips.

But why do you want to put them up so high? Because one is so much farther than the other, you end up getting the effect of everything being pulled to one side of the car. If you're going to the trouble of making custom speaker pods, put them low - in the kickpanels - so that the distance from your ears to each speaker will be more equal.

 

I've got mine in the sails, and they sound pretty good most of the time.. I don't really have much problem with the sound coming from the left side- that's partly taken care of during the aiming process..
the obvious problem I do have are when I'm listening to stuff with acoustic instruments like string bass or cello or even bass guitar, you'll hear the lower parts of the instrument from from the door, and the higher parts (like bow rubbing on the string, picks clicking as they hit the strings, etc), the highs are obviously up top.. I got lucky at IASCA finals because they didn't play the tracks with that kind of stuff on it, or I would have gotten royally screwed..


so what I'm saying is: the imaging will be slightly better up top, but be prepared for the sound you'll get. I'd recommend making a temporary mount for your tweets (play-doh works wonders for this stuff), and see what you think BEFORE spending the time and money to build tweeter pods.

As was said, kick panels would probably be a better idea, but again they have their limitations and compromises. try a few things and see what you like best.

BTW, if you have a shop do them, it'll easily be $100 just for tweeter pods. custom door pods will cost $500-1000.

 

the thing with custom kick panels is that they are more expensive and also i need the leg room. that was one of the reasons i got a maxima. also, the tweeters in the stock location dont sound bad and if you think about it, the distance from the sail panel to your ear is almost the same as the distance from your door speaker location to your ear. do you think you can post some tips on building them with fiberglass? if i did it, i'd use the existing sails and build on top of it. thanks for your response!

 

how did you mount the tweeter on the sail? how did you aim them? thanks in advance.

 

Tip: Use a laser pointer to aim the tweeters. Also, try to flush-mount the tweeters into the sail panels instead of mounting them to the surface. It will look better and stealthier.

 

Playdo, clay or something of that nature to get the best sound. Then use some polyurethane instant foam or the green foam blocks used to hold dry flowers. Cut and sand to get the shape which looks best and gives the firing scheme you discovered works best useing the playdo. Then wrap in fiberglass and bondo or epoxy and lastly cover in vinyl, leather, carpet or some other nice looking fabric*.

If you use the instant foam make sure you mask everything. I mean everything! And you will have to wait 24 hours for it to expand fully and harden.
* Go to a fabric store. They have hundreds of choices for your custom pods.

 

For a not so great pic of my tweeters, installed in the sail panels of a 97 Max, click here. http://lawunet.com/max/images/car_bostons.jpg
(There was direct sunlight shining down, the tweeters looked more discreet than the picture would lead you to believe).

This was a "standard" installation, surfact mounted, each tweeter aimed at the opposite passenger's seat. If you choose custom pods, you may want to get price quotes in advance. It may not be as much as you think to do a nice custom job.

However, I am a believer in Kick Panel mounts... the tweeters may run the risk of being more muffled, covered up by legs, shoes, groceries, and things like that than when they are in the doors or the sail panels, but you can up the crossover settings or equalize accordingly. Try this... Sit in the middle of the back seat, lean forward, and compare that stereo image to what you get sitting in the drivers seat. It's not "how loud is the treble", it's "does it sound like a deep and natural stereo image?". That's roughly the difference you'll notice between kick panel installs and sail panels, because yes, the tweeters are much further away, and the distance difference is much lower in kick panels.

If I was doing it over, my "cheap bastard" instincts would combine with my audiophile instinct, and I'd have left the 6.5 inch speakers in the door, and put the tweeters in the kick panel, just a few inches from the woofer. If I was willing to spend more, I'd do a true kick panel install.