Whether you’ve blown the speakers in your car, or you just want to get a little better sound from your car stereo then the factory presets allow, there are plenty of reasons to upgrade your car’s stereo system.  Or maybe you’ve decided to upgrade your entire audio system to get that “bump” you have always wanted.  No matter what the reason, upgrading your car’s speakers is a fairly simple process.

What speakers should you get?

Well, this depends on how simple of an install you want to have.  If you’re only replacing blown speakers, you’ll probably want to keep this simple.  Buying the same size that’s already in place makes swapping out the speakers and easy process.

However, if you want to improve your sound system and be ready for other future audio upgrades, you’ll probably want to get larger speakers.  For the main speakers, choose speakers that are around the same size or a little smaller.  You’ll also want to install sub-woofers to get that “bump” – the larger the speakers, the more “bump” you’ll get.  Typically, 10” sub-woofers are the standard for the best bass.  Finally, add a set of tweeters for clearer voice audio sound.

Start with the door speakers.

Before you get started, be sure to detach the batteries negative cable, since you’ll be working with your car’s electronic devices.

The speakers inside the door panel on each side of the car are the easiest of the speakers to replace.  Open the car door and look around for any screws that could be holding on the panel.  Some panels “snap” off and back into place.  If this appears to be the case with yours, be very careful removing the panel, as they are very expensive to replace.  If your car has manual window cranks, remove those to finish taking the door panel off.

Once the panel is off, locate the speaker.  Remove any screws holding it in place, taking care when working with the speaker wires that are attached.  When you have the speaker detached, carefully remove the wires from the back.  Some speakers have a plug that contains all the wires needed, while others have wires attached to several places on the back of the speaker.  If the wires attach to different places, be sure to mark them so that you can get them correctly connected to the new speaker.

If you’re replacing the speaker with a larger one, you might have to drill new holes for remounting the new speaker.  If so, be sure that the new screw placement won’t interfere with any moving parts inside the door.

Finally, you’ll have to go through the process in reverse to put your door back together.  Reconnect all the wires for your new speaker and screw it back into place in the door.  Replace the panel, repeat the process on your other door speaker and you’re all set!

The other speakers

If you’re only replacing the door speakers, you’re done, but if you want to replace the other speakers at the back of your car, there’s still a little work to be done.  And although the process is pretty much the same for the speakers themselves, getting to them is a bit different!

The ways these speakers are installed varies from model to model, making it difficult to describe