Guys - I finally tore my coupe down this weekend & here's some preliminary data that some of ya may find useful. I installed a set of Focal Utopia components in the front doors ( 1" tweet easily fit in the factory A-pillar location & by simply cutting out the Bose driver from the factory basket & reusing it, the Focal 6.5" bolted right in ( 2 29/32" mounting depth ). I considered trying to shoe-horn in an older 7" XPERT driver ( depth is the same ) but since I'm going for a stealth install, the 6.5" fit perfectly behind the stock grille. In the rear I made some mounting brackets from 1/2" birch ( more solid than MDF & with less resonance ) to mount a pair of Focal 5.25" coaxials w/ depth of 2 3/8" ( strictly for rear fill - widens the soundstage
somewhat ). Again, these fit behind the factory grilles. I used Dynamat Xtreme to line both doors & the panels behind the coaxials as well as Dynasorb pads behind each driver ( including the tweets ). As JL no longer makes the IBU infinite baffle subs ( & I can't find a Velodyne!! ) I used a pair of Focal 5.25" subs ( model 5 WS ) in a vented 1/2" MDF/birch enclosure tuned to 38 Hz. I gave up very little trunk space & kept up the stealth theme somewhat. These subs R amazing for their size! Now, I WON'T win any SPL competitions but since my tastes in music lean toward jazz & rock 'n roll I'm very pleased. Yes, I used more Xtreme to line the trunk ( floor, lid & sides ) but the G is pretty well insulated as it comes from the factory. I'm running things off the factory Bose H/U & the sound's very clean. However, there's a bit of a hollow spot around the 80 hz frequency so my last ( hopefully!! ) step will be to use either another pair of 5 WS drivers or a Utopia 6.5" in a set of sealed kickpanels. Once I set my Butterworth Xover points correctly, the kicks will be set up for midbass; the doors for midrange & the tweets, well, they just scream!! Believe it or not, all this equipment is being run by a single Audison LRx 5 five channel amp. Granted, I have some low impedance loads but this amp is more than capable of handling them & asking for more! Sometimes simple is better. I have a butt-load of pics already but prefer to wait for the project's completion to post them. These mounting depths R just about as deep as U can go & still keep the factory grille openings, IMHO. Hopefully I can get the kicks done by next weekend & I'll put some pics up. Hope this helps some of ya plan some KILLER installs & good luck!!

 

Gene,
I have a set of Utopia 6W2's...TN51 tweeters...and 6.5 Audiom mids.
My plan would be to use all three. 6W2's as midbass in the stock locations.
Cluelss as to where to put the midranges, hate not to use um. this combo got me to the nationals last year.
Any ideas?

 

Junkie - U could do what I'm in the process of doing & that's fabricating a set of kickpanels. I'm waiting for another set of the 5 WS subs to come in & I'm planning on using them there as midbass drivers & cross the front door Utopia's up as midranges. I have a slight hump in the 80 Hz frequency area so I'm building a vented .3 cubic foot enclosure for the WS drivers. Gonna have to remove & reweld my E-brake but that's part of the "fun" of a custom install. Other than kicks, I just don't see the room in the doors for another 6.5" speaker. Let me know what U decide to do. R U planning on competing again with your system?

 

For us with MT Coupes, how would I put mids in the kickpanels.

2003 G35 Coupe 6mt Diamond Graphite
1992 Jeep Cherokee Blk 5.5 RE lift /w 33s
AIM= bkchang79

 

BK - As I have an A/T coupe, I'm not sure how close the clutch is to the driver's kick area. If U use a 4" mid it is likely that U'll have the clearance since the smaller driver requires less room. As soon as I get the 5WS subs installed I'll measure & give ya'll a shout back.