Pioneer D-Series upgrade!

[StangTime]

Now, I got so caught up in doing the door speakers, I forgot to take pics. But, I also modified the factory speaker rings to mount the new components into the doors.
I also bought 2 cans of FLEX SEAL CLEAR at Costco for $14, and used 1 can to coat the outer panel of each door with clear rubber to deaden some road noise. Yes, 2 cans for 2 doors (1 can each door, for those mathematically challenged). And I mean the outer panel, not the inner panel. That's where a lot of road noise and vibration gets attenuated from.
Now, on the inner door panel where the speaker mounts, I used some Uxcell 5mm foam to help deaden more sound. I also used Uxcell foam over the rear fender wells, and used some Loctite expanding spray foam in the C-pillars to stop the rattle I had from the right rear C-pillar plastic paneling around the side curtain air bag.

https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/who-still-has-the-c-pillar-rattle-buzz.124656/

The pillar speakers are also a bit of a hiccup. I just pulled the factory tweeters, and I Dremel'd out the inside of the factory mount to make the new tweeters fit. Then, even though they held in place fairly well, I also hot glued them into place to keep them from shifting.

After all was said and done, I now have much less road noise, and much better speakers as a result.

Nice job on the install. Simple yet satisfying.

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[FreedomPenguin]

See, I have a JL Stealthbox, I have 0 on hesdunit for bass period. So good sounding speakers all I care about

How does full signal affect aftermarket speaker replacements if I replaced all 6 fronts? Do they sound good still ?

If you can find a JL box cheap I’d seriously do it. Bought mine $450 off here

 

[Condor1970]

Another little tip, is to find something to help out with deadening noise from the trunk, to help accentuate the bass from the speakers after making adjustments with Forscan.

I know this sounds cheesy, but I keep and old poly-filled Queen sized comforter in my trunk as an emergency blanket. I folded it twice to making 4 layers for a 2" thick poly-filled bass layer in my trunk. It fits perfectly, filling in the majority of the trunk floor. It also subdues road noise and a little bit of exhaust noise as well.

 

[goldenpants]

Hi Condor,

Excellent post! I am looking to put these speakers in my rear deck:
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_130TSA652F/Pioneer-TS-A652F.html
and then eventually learn what Forscan is and how to use it so that I can disable the bass roll off to the rear. Do you know how much clearance the rear speaker deck has for the tweeter that protudes out of the speaker? The dealer is installing mine so I don't know what will happen in case it is not a perfect fit. Also, did you cut a hole in the carpet above the speaker to install the speaker grills?

 

[Condor1970]

Hi Condor,

Excellent post! I am looking to put these speakers in my rear deck:
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_130TSA652F/Pioneer-TS-A652F.html
and then eventually learn what Forscan is and how to use it so that I can disable the bass roll off to the rear. Do you know how much clearance the rear speaker deck has for the tweeter that protudes out of the speaker? The dealer is installing mine so I don't know what will happen in case it is not a perfect fit. Also, did you cut a hole in the carpet above the speaker to install the speaker grills?

Those TS Series speakers are the lower end of their speakers. A quality 2-way will sound better than a cheaper 3-way almost any day. Especially when the 2-ways have a full 1" dome tweeter. I personally wouldn't install those, since they will be a minimal upgrade over the factory speakers. The D-series are more expensive, but have much larger magnets, and can handle much deeper bass without distortion.
To be honest, I would install the PowerBass speakers they sell for Ford Mustangs as a bare minimum. Anything better than that would be an upgrade. You may want to consider getting better quality speakers considering the amount of work it takes to install them. If you only want to do this once, do lots of research and make the investment so you never have to do it again.

Yes, I had to cut holes in the carpeted rear dash cover. Basically, any tweeter that is elevated above the plane of the woofer is going to impact the rear dash cover. That carpeted cover is only about 1/4-1/2" above the speaker. It's so close that I was able to use chalk around the edges of the old speaker and press down on the carpet to make chalk rings showing me wear to cut holes in the carpet to install the speaker grills. Also, that carpeted dash is very obstructive in transferring the sound of the rear speakers into the cabin. Even if my tweeters didn't impact the cover, I would have wanted to cut holes and install the grills for better sound anyway.

 

[FamilymanGT]

On the front speakers, did you install an aftermarket crossover for your setup? If so, where did you tap into the system?

 

[Condor1970]

On the front speakers, did you install an aftermarket crossover for your setup? If so, where did you tap into the system?

The set comes with the crossover needed for the Tweeter. I stripped the old speakers out of their rings, and mounted the Pioneer speakers in those rings because they work really well.

 

[FamilymanGT]

The set comes with the crossover needed for the Tweeter. I stripped the old speakers out of their rings, and mounted the Pioneer speakers in those rings because they work really well.

Is the signal that enters the factory 6.5” in the door a full range signal? I will be installing a JBL component set soon and have their crossover to install inline. I didn’t know where Ford separated the feeds.

 

[Condor1970]

Is the signal that enters the factory 6.5” in the door a full range signal? I will be installing a JBL component set soon and have their crossover to install inline. I didn’t know where Ford separated the feeds.

No, the Pioneers I got have the crossovers built into the base of the speaker itself. You do not need to buy a separate crossover for these. The front set comes with the woofer and Tweeter in the same box, both with appropriate crossovers installed for the set.
The factory signal going to the door is a full range signal, as is the Tweeter, so crossovers are needed somewhere. I do believe the JBL needs to have the separate crossover installed somewhere in line prior to splitting, since I think that crossover feeds both the woofer an Tweeter. That means you have to tear the dash apart, and find where it splits, if you want to use the factory wiring.
The beauty of the Pioneer D-series I got, is you don't have to do any of that. Each speaker has it's own crossover, allowing me to install them directly to the existing spot and using the factory wiring.
I have to admit it has taken time for these to loosen up, but now sound fantastic. At first, the fronts sounded pretty similar to the factory speakers, but have a much Fuller sound after lots of break in time. The back is where the big difference was. Even initially the backs sounded better, then sounded even more fantastic once the Forscan equalized the sound.

 

[FreePenguin]

Do the 6.5 pioneers w built in eq have a 2ohm variant?

 

[Condor1970]

Do the 6.5 pioneers w built in eq have a 2ohm variant?

I can't remember. All I know is they were a direct replacement option on Crutchfield with the same impedence rating for the factory speakers without having to rewire anything. When I installed them, I also used the original factory speaker rings with some black RTV and screws to hold them tight, and soldered the wires in place to use the factory plugs. My thread on this shows them installed. There is also videos on YouTube showing how to strip the factory speakers apart, and install the new speakers in then without needing to buy extra rings.

 

[FamilymanGT]

Yes, my JBL component system has a separate crossover. I was hoping someone knew where the split was. I could always mount the tweeters in the door panel but I don’t want to cut up my car. So complicated now a days.

 

[FreePenguin]

I can't remember. All I know is they were a direct replacement option on Crutchfield with the same impedence rating for the factory speakers without having to rewire anything. When I installed them, I also used the original factory speaker rings with some black RTV and screws to hold them tight, and soldered the wires in place to use the factory plugs. My thread on this shows them installed. There is also videos on YouTube showing how to strip the factory speakers apart, and install the new speakers in then without needing to buy extra rings.

9 speaker cars have 4 ohm 6.5 and 12 speaker cars have 2 ohm 6.5's is the issue.

 

[Condor1970]

9 speaker cars have 4 ohm 6.5 and 12 speaker cars have 2 ohm 6.5's is the issue.

I believe my base model 2018 GT has 4ohm speakers as well. It's a very standard setup using the common 4 channel configuration.

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