[klepto]

Im upgrading my speakers and running an amp to them. I want to mount my crossover in the car and run 16ga speaker wire into my door to give my woofer and tweets the power they deserve. What is the best way to run speaker wire into the doors? I know the rubber grommet in the door housing the stock wiring will be the best way, but how the hell do you get to it? It looks as if the grommet attatches to the car way up into the dash. Do you have to remove the dash to get to it and run new wires? Any of you guys have experience with this?

Thanks.

 

[euro_zx5]

All I can assure you, is that upgrading the speaker wire isn't worth the effort unless your putting $10,000-$15,000+ into the stereo.

 

[2005sangriaZX3]

I've also been wondering the best way to do this also. Right now I have speed wire hooked up to my Phoenix Gold Coaxials but when I upgrade to components I would like new wire, but don't really know how to get it into the doors.

 

[FocusInCali]

I drilled a new hole in the body....

 

[klepto]

What did you use to seal up the holes around the wire going into the door? Also, what is that wire wrapped in?

Bit of an off topic wiring note, but where have you guys run your power wire through the firewall?

 

[FocusInCali]

there are 2 sets of speakers wires in shrink wrap

grommets on the car body

and the shrink wrapped wires are going through the rubber boot in the door with a tight fit

having an automatic, I ran the power wire through the plastic clutch cover in the firewall

 

[installman]

If you're going to run new wire like cali just do it a little different (sorry cali) make sure the hole you drill on the car side is HIGHER than the door side. Your doors are designed to take water, the car side is not.

 

[PhilMayfield]

I have the cheap-o focus, so the only wires running through that little accordian thing was the old speaker wire. I pullet them apart, drilled out the plastic electical connector job on both sides and ran my speaker wire through. Connected the accordian jobs back up and it was good to go.

 

[RS-wagon]

I always use the factory wiring route. On my Wagon I drilled a hole directly in the center. Than ran the wire. Anything else looks tacky, IMO.

Tim

 

[hondaluver]

if you think about it.....the factory speaker wire is 12g i believe....if you tap into the speaker wire harness you should be able to use all factory wires from there. 12 gauge wire can handle 150w rms easily especially the quality of the wire in our foci. Unless yer running some serious components for a serious system...doesn't make one squat of difference. I've been working in car audio fer bout 3 years now (i know i'm still a newbie) but i work with very intelligent and capable guys who've been doing this fer years and we have never ran anything larger than 12 gauge into the doors regardless of power they are transfering, even with our jl coaxials/comps or even diamond audio components rated at 140w rms...the issue at hand should be length in relation to wire gauge and power transfer. You could run whatever gauge you want from the amp to the harness but the wire from the harness to the speakers is definitely adequate. Hope this helps and eliminates any unncessary work.

 

[youngkal]

12awg stock speaker wire huummm..no way mabey 22awg 18-14awg is plenty fine for anything but subs and 14 is going overboard in my opinion...jmeb

 

[klepto]

The stock speaker wire is super thin...no way its 12ga.

 

[FocusInCali]

hondaluver is knowledgable, i think he just had a brain fart, we all have 'em

yeah, i'd say it's 18-22ga, but it will still work for most systems

i ran 12ga for the woofers, and 18ga for the tweeters, and future midranges

 

[RS-wagon]

I run the flat 14g Stinger for the high end, and 10g for sub.

Tim

 

[faulkton]

lol i just use 12G for everything.. mids.. tweets and subs.. not cuz its needed.. just cuz i bought a few spools of stinger 12G.

Overkill > underkill

 

[mmarker469]

The best way to run the speaker wire is to drill a hole in the small plastic plug that is below the where the wires go into the car and than put a hole in the rubber piece where the wires go into the door.

 

[n0irsmurf]

I was actually about to attempt this tonight. I have my back two doors done, that molex was easier to tell what wires are actually being ran where. And I wasn't too sure on the front doors when I popped off the rubber thing. So right through the center should be fine? If I drill out a hole and just run the speaker wire through that? I really don't want to drill a hole in the body. That wouldn't be fun.

 

[remmargorp]

So right through the center should be fine? If I drill out a hole and just run the speaker wire through that? I really don't want to drill a hole in the body. That wouldn't be fun.

On the door frame, there should be one large oval rubber cover you can use, pull it out of the door frame (push in on one side to break the seal), then pull it out and use a razor knife to cut a small X in it.

On the car frame, you should have two rubber covers. One is used for the pre-existing wire that is run into the doors, there isn't really much space there so I would use the rubber cover below it). Pull it out (same method) and cut a small X in it.

Feed the wire from inside the car out the hole in the body of the car, through the X in the small rubber cover and into the pre-existing oval grommet of the door frame and into the door.

I used heat shrink tube and covered the wire before I ran it (so you wouldn't notice the speaker wire, looks stock)

 

[n0irsmurf]

So cut an X in the actual rubber? Would water then be an issue?