Stratocaster

So after 6 years the new has almost worn off just enough for me to consider a slight mod to my 2010 SCREW XLT. I want to add 1 flush mount tweet in each of the 4 doors. I upgraded the factory speakers when I got it new but that was it on interior mods.

It's a standard factory config radio - 4 doors, 4 speakers and no sub.

Here are my questions:

1 What is the ohm Ω for each door?

2. For those of you who added a second speaker to the door what was the impedance or the total resistance in that circuit. What did you do about it?

My question comes from the unavoidable (for now) problem of adding speakers and changing the resistance to the head.

Say each speaker is 8Ω. The head would or should be designed to expect an impedance of 8Ω for that channel. However, If I add another 8Ω the resistance would be 16 for series or 4 in parallel. If I kept the 8 and added a 4 the impedance would be 12 aeries or 2 in parallel. I see no way to get the resistance for that channel back to whatever the factory head is without buying pairs having the same impedance and running them in parallel.

3. How do you guys handle the impedance problem? I suppose I could buy all new speaks and get the drivers and tweets in 4Ω and wire them in series, if the head is looking for 8 but I'd rather not replace all of the speakers unless necessary.

So let'r rip and tell me how you added extra speakers in yours to match the impedance with the head unit?

Thanks!

Wyo11Scab

iTrader: (1)

First of all I wouldn't worry about impedance with a factory HU. What kind of speaker did you use for an upgrade? 2 way or 3 way, you shouldn't want to put another tweeter in the door. If you want a tweeter then either switch to components or wire the tweeter in parallel. 2 ohms won't hurt the HU.

morehousej

just for a correction, an 8 ohm speaker and 4 ohm tweet in series will be 12 ohms as you stated, but in parallel, it will be 6 ohms not 2.

I believe the oem HU ar 8 ohm per channel, in this case you would be better to wire in series for a higher impedance, rather then in parallel where you my end up burning up the HU due to very little resistance. Your volume will suffer a bit with the higher resistance, but at least you will be safe.

nineball

you will need to do a lot of work if you just want to add some tweets into the truck. for example you will need to use some form of a crossover to limit what frequencies are going to the tweets, but there are some other things to consider if you want to go down this path.

the easiest solution would be to buy a set of component speakers and use the supplied crossovers they come with. if you are budget conscious then just replace the front door speakers on each side. you don't sit in the backseat when driving. depending on your choice you may have to buy some adapters as well. the factory speakers are 6x8 and the majority of aftermarket components are 5.75" or 6.5". adapter plates are easy to make or can be bought for around $15-20 shipped. you will also have to make a provision in the door to mount the tweet but it's pretty easy, and there are a few places to do so.

on that note just upgrading the speakers is not going to be a huge improvement. the factory headunit doesn't have the power to properly drive them. the headunit is designed to work with factory speakers so the power is limited and the frequency range is as well. that leads to getting an amplifier, which leads to a new headunit, which leads you further down the rabbit hole and in some cases eventually forces you to spend over $2,500 just for that new set of tweets and mids (without crossovers!) but not everyone has the same sickness as i do when it comes to mobile audio

and everyone's next question is "what brand do i go with?" that's akin to asking what oil is the best or what tires are the best - it is a purely subjective decision. for entry level equipment you can't go wrong with a trusted name like alpine or pioneer.

gbynum

8 and 4 in parallel won't be 2, but it will certainly be less than 4. The theoretical parallel will be 2-2/3. Simple formula for 2 in parallel is product divided by sum, or 32/12.

nineball

take a look at this link and you can figure it out for yourself

http://www.bcae1.com/spkrmlti.htm

the entire site is great for any audio questions you may have, and even ones you haven't thought of yet.

http://www.bcae1.com/

morehousej

You're right, I wasn't thinking, kinda did my math backwards.....

uuhhh lets just say I calculated it with "the new math" they are teaching kids these days in school....lol

Wyo11Scab

iTrader: (1)

Why not just use a crossover on the tweeter and do the job correctly? That will keep the impedance where it should be.