Output Power: 20W RMS x 4. i know didly squat about audio electronics so does that mean i have 20 or 80 rms?

 

you have 20rms per channel(1 speaker)

 

There are a lot of options here - One member just sold 4 Pioneer 6x8 for $100 on this forum, and Ebay and Craigslist are good sources too. I got 4 Rockford Fosgate Prime series 6x8 for $90 a few months ago (stock ones were blown - the surrounds were gone). Crutchfield recently performed a sound test, and they determined that a new head unit was the best buy for the buck, if your budget allowed only 1 upgrade.

 

ive already got a new head unit. it was one of the first things i did other than take the bug deflector off. but when i get higher on the volume the speakers get to cracklin and such so if it dont cost too much id like to put new speakers is that can handle it

 

I got all 4 of these in my truck I don't remember how much I paid its been a while since I bought them but they sound great with my cd player and I turn it up loud I also have 4 sound stream tweeters and 2 12 inch subs tho

 

You get that kind of distortion and clipping when you overdrive the speakers. If you look for name-brand bargains on Ebay and Craigslist, you can get away with 4 new speakers for about $100. Even in the used market (due to a wreck), there are many 6x8 Kickers, Fosgates, Pioneers, Polks and Infinitys out there, since both Ford and Mazda had this odd size. And, usually, it's the other way around - where the head unit cannot sufficiently power the speakers for the volume you want (usually due to the load - 4 Ohms or less - which is the resistance rating of the speaker itself). If you have the spec sheet for the head unit you have, try to match the "impedance" rating for the speakers. And FYI, RMS x 1.414 = peak rating (where RMS stands for Root Mean Square, or continuous power at 0 volume units). Speaker manufacturers tend to trump up the peak power rating, but it doesn't mean they'll sound good at that power level - it's more of a "voice coil melt" level.