# How to properly install speakers in the door



## SGPMan (Mar 10, 2012)

Hi, I've been reading this forum to understand how to properly install a car audio system. This is my first time doing it myself, the last car I had I had it "professionally" done and it didn't turn out as well as I had hoped. So this go around I'd like to do it myself to see if I can do a better job then the last shop I went to.

I have a 2012 Honda Fit and recently purchased a set of Focal 165 KRX3. I would like to know what I should do to properly install the woofers in my car doors. I've already used Dynamat Extreme to lessen the rattle and I had made a speaker mount but would like to know what else is required to make these sound great. I've enclosed some pics of what I have already done but I'm willing to make to effort to make changes or redo anything that you all see is wrong with the install. Thanks for your input!


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## Pitmaster (Feb 16, 2010)

You might wanna cover that large opening on the inner doorshell along with any other holes to seal off the backwaves from the speaker, and get rid of the plastic sheet barrier.
Also, did you put deadening on the back of the outer doorskin as well?
What is your speaker mount made of?


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## SGPMan (Mar 10, 2012)

I did apply the Dynamat to the back of the door and the mount is made of birch painted black but I'm thinking about taking it off and making it out of MDF instead. What is the best way to seal the hole? I actually took the plastic off originally but I read that it serves as a barrier to prevent water from getting into the door.


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## Pitmaster (Feb 16, 2010)

SGPMan said:


> I did apply the Dynamat to the back of the door and the mount is made of birch painted black but I'm thinking about taking it off and making it out of MDF instead. What is the best way to seal the hole? I actually took the plastic off originally but I read that it serves as a barrier to prevent water from getting into the door.


Is that baltic birch plywood; if so I'de leave it.
I like to use sheet metal for the large holes, that's just me. Fiberglass,thin plywood,MDF, be creative. Just fasten it with screws so it can be removed for later access, and use rope butyl or similar to seal it around the edges.
That thin plastic barrier just keeps moisture from getting into the interior surfaces, the water gets in from the belt moulding(where the door meets the door glass).
Seal up the holes and you wont need it


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## nineball (Jan 17, 2008)

i used roofing flashing and self tapping screws. quick, easy, cheap and removable if the need should ever arise.



































you can also go to any fish store and get some clear tubing to run your rods/cables through to keep their movement free.


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## minbari (Mar 3, 2011)

Pitmaster said:


> You might wanna cover that large opening on the inner doorshell along with any other holes to seal off the backwaves from the speaker, and get rid of the plastic sheet barrier.
> Also, did you put deadening on the back of the outer doorskin as well?
> What is your speaker mount made of?


x2

rip all that plastic off and deaden the door right., that plastic will vibrate like crazy, not to mention that a good sealed door will sound better.



SGPMan said:


> I did apply the Dynamat to the back of the door and *the mount is made of birch painted black but I'm thinking about taking it off and making it out of MDF instead. * What is the best way to seal the hole? I actually took the plastic off originally but I read that it serves as a barrier to prevent water from getting into the door.


the birch is a far better idea. MDF soaks water like a sponge.


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## SGPMan (Mar 10, 2012)

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll redo my doors this weekend. Thanks for posting the pics, it really helped a lot!


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## pimpndahoz (Dec 11, 2011)

I have those speakers, where you plan on putting the mid/tweet?


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## SGPMan (Mar 10, 2012)

The A Pillars contains side air bags so I was planning on fiber glassing the pods into the corner of the cars. I'm still researching how others have mounted mids & tweeter in their Fit and maybe finding a different alternative.


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## matt1212 (Jan 14, 2010)

nineball said:


> i used roofing flashing and self tapping screws. quick, easy, cheap and removable if the need should ever arise.


x2 on the roof flashing...it can be easily cut to size and still doesn't weigh all that much. Use it to cover any hole larger than a baseball. Self tapping sheet metal screws are the easiest, just double check whats behind where your screwing, including moving the window mechanism to check for clearance (the screws have a sharp back and will tap through anything or scratch windows if they come in contact). Take your time, my first time took me over 4 hours per door. Remember, the point of sound deadening is essentially to just add weight to stop vibrations and create a massive noise barrier. I'm no pro installer, just another diy guy like yourself. Here was my finished product:

Front door before:









Front door after:









Rear door before:









Rear cleaned with mineral spirits and holes covered with flashing:









Rear door complete:









Coax closeup:








(I was young and nieve when I put that crossover in the door. Wanted to cut down on wires to run through the boot but hasn't given me any problems)

Not hard when taken in steps. Try and do a door a day:
1. Strip away any stock deadeners/sealers that can be replaced by deadening material
2. Clean adhesive contact area with mineral spirits
3. Deaden outer door skin as well as possible (part through the door that touches the outside). Check for complete window/lock operation before continuing
4. Cover all larger holes on the inner door skin with flashing to provide a surface to dynamat over. I also bough a roll of aluminum tape for the smaller holes. This is completely unnecessary but could be done.
5. Dynamat as much as possible without ruining the fit of the door panel. Take your time and use a roller to make sure every piece is glued down.

The purpose of sealing and deadening a door is to prevent the back waves of the speaker from entering the cars cabin (trap back waves inside door) as well as to block exterior road noise. This being said, your job will be ineffective if:
1. there are large holes on your inner door skin
2. your dynamite has air bubbles or is not adhered to your door. If its not actually stuck down, its not adding mass to the door frame.
3. you don't use enough mat on the door...my front doors are 2-3 layers thick and rears are 1-2 and I've never had a problem. Complete coverage is just as important

Good luck with your install. Don't be afraid to take some pictures as you work. There nice to look back on if you forget how something goes together.


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## SGPMan (Mar 10, 2012)

Wow, those pics are really helpful. I really appreciate it! I'm assuming that the doors don't have to be perfectly sealed since the wire for the window motor extends into the door and I'll need to leave some room for it to fit thru. Lastly, I had used the Dynamat Extreme originally but I have about 60 sq feet of the Fat Mat left. Would it be ok to use the Fat Mat or is the Dynamat worth the extra $50 to buy?


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## matt1212 (Jan 14, 2010)

SGPMan said:


> Wow, those pics are really helpful. I really appreciate it! I'm assuming that the doors don't have to be perfectly sealed since the wire for the window motor extends into the door and I'll need to leave some room for it to fit thru. Lastly, I had used the Dynamat Extreme originally but I have about 60 sq feet of the Fat Mat left. Would it be ok to use the Fat Mat or is the Dynamat worth the extra $50 to buy?


Dynamat is simply mass (rubber) with adhesive. Therefore, there's very little the Dynamat corporation can do to make it's product superior to other deadeners. Dynamat could be denser or tougher, or its adhesive superior, but if the Fat Mat can be worked with and will fit where you need it to it can never hurt. (sound wise that is, your gas tank won't love it)

And no it is impossible to completely seal a door, considering it naturally has small holes to drain water out anyways. As I said, just do the best you can, especially on the part of the door between the back of the speaker and the inside of the car. Im not sure what you mean by where the wire extends through the door, but if you look at the pictures in my previous post you can see how i dealt with a wiring harness. If the edge of any flashing is up against wires its good practice to wrap the wires in some sort of protection.


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## Cruzer (Jul 16, 2010)

how much u guys pay for your roofing flashing? i like the idea because with screws its not going anywhere, its thin, i can go get it now and not wait.

last vehicle i used mlv and its so thick when u go to put the door back on its hard to get it to do correctly


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## nineball (Jan 17, 2008)

matt1212 said:


> Remember, _the point of sound deadening is essentially to just add weight _to stop vibrations and create a massive noise barrier.


no, the point is* not* to add weight. that's why companies have products that weigh less and perform better today, and gone are the 2-4 layer 100% applications in favor of 10" x 6" tiles. 



Cruzer said:


> how much u guys pay for your roofing flashing? i like the idea because with screws its not going anywhere, its thin, i can go get it now and not wait.


$6 for 5sqft, 10' x 6". $8 for double that.

Shop Amerimax 10'L x 6"W Galvanized Steel Flashing at Lowes.com


http://www.lowes.com/pd_13715-205-7...ashing&page=2&Ns=p_product_price|0&facetInfo=


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## Driven Audio Tony (Feb 14, 2011)

I like to use Deflex Power Pads (Cascade sells them) behind the mids too.

You won't ever get the door 100% sealed, just do the best job you can.


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## Danometal (Nov 16, 2009)

Cruzer said:


> how much u guys pay for your roofing flashing? i like the idea because with screws its not going anywhere, its thin, i can go get it now and not wait.
> 
> last vehicle i used mlv and its so thick when u go to put the door back on its hard to get it to do correctly


Haha, not right now. Smyrna Home Depot is closed


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## Cruzer (Jul 16, 2010)

Danometal said:


> Haha, not right now. Smyrna Home Depot is closed


i usually go to lowes anyways


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## matt1212 (Jan 14, 2010)

nineball said:


> no, the point is* not* to add weight. that's why companies have products that weigh less and perform better today, and gone are the 2-4 layer 100% applications in favor of 10" x 6" tiles.


Could you elaborate nineball? I was always under the impression, from what I have read on this site, that sound deadening was all about adding mass to body panels, thus lowering the panels resonant frequency. I was told by another forum member that this is why deadening materials are referred to as "mass loaders."

Are new products just as efficient with less weight? Id love to ditch the close to 200lbs of dynamat in my car for a lighter alternative


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## Cruzer (Jul 16, 2010)

matt1212 said:


> Could you elaborate nineball? I was always under the impression, from what I have read on this site, that sound deadening was all about adding mass to body panels, thus lowering the panels resonant frequency. I was told by another forum member that this is why deadening materials are referred to as "mass loaders."
> 
> Are new products just as efficient with less weight? Id love to ditch the close to 200lbs of dynamat in my car for a lighter alternative


read here
Sound Deadener Showdown - Your Source for Sound Deadening Products and Information

cld tiles can be used only only 25% and work optimally. thats not a lot of mass


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## nineball (Jan 17, 2008)

matt1212 said:


> Could you elaborate nineball? I was always under the impression, from what I have read on this site, that sound deadening was all about adding mass to body panels, thus lowering the panels resonant frequency. I was told by another forum member that this is why deadening materials are referred to as "mass loaders."
> 
> Are new products just as efficient with less weight? Id love to ditch the close to 200lbs of dynamat in my car for a lighter alternative


adding mass was the old way of doing it. that's why a lot of people still think you need a few layers to be effective. see the post above mine and read don's site. fwiw i just ordered 40 of his tiles for a 2012 fusion and i will probably have leftovers.


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## SGPMan (Mar 10, 2012)

So should I seal the holes with the metal flashing and then buy maybe 20 of the cld tiles and apply it to the doors? Or just use the Fat Mat?


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## nineball (Jan 17, 2008)

i really doubt you will need 20 tiles just for 2 doors. with a quality product you only need about 25% coverage on large flat panels. 

if you are happy with the results you have with fatmat then there is no harm in using that i guess. the flashing will make "sealing" the openings easier.


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## Cruzer (Jul 16, 2010)

What's the best way to apply the flashing? I had a friend helping me install mdf spacers and speakers using self tapping screws and he slipped and got my speaker 

I don't want to slip and hit my glass or a plug or anything


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## nineball (Jan 17, 2008)

Cruzer said:


> What's the best way to apply the flashing? I had a friend helping me install mdf spacers and speakers using self tapping screws and he slipped and got my speaker
> 
> I don't want to slip and hit my glass or a plug or anything


With the window down measure to see how far you can go without hitting the window. Chances are the distance is way more than you need. Self-tapping screws will work just fine. Also check for any wires or rods at this point and plan accordingly. If you need to you can get clear plastic tubing from a fish store cheap to line the wires/rods. Leave the window up during installation and you won't hit it.


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## matt1212 (Jan 14, 2010)

Cruzer said:


> read here
> Sound Deadener Showdown - Your Source for Sound Deadening Products and Information
> 
> cld tiles can be used only only 25% and work optimally. thats not a lot of mass


It seems very reasonable, especially as I couldn't see someone in the business encouraging using 25% the material. I only question where he says that the "old" style is counterproductive. I could believe the effectiveness of adding deadening material declines exponentially, making it much more efficient to use less, but don't know if I would consider swapping old for new.


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## Cruzer (Jul 16, 2010)

the roofing flashing lowes had is very thin. is that okay or should i do 2 layers? it seems very sturdy for as thin as it is, will 1 thin layer do just fine for sound waves and sealing it up?


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## nineball (Jan 17, 2008)

One layer with some cld over the top and you are fine.


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## pionkej (Feb 29, 2008)

matt1212 said:


> It seems very reasonable, especially as I couldn't see someone in the business encouraging using 25% the material. I only question where he says that the "old" style is counterproductive. I could believe the effectiveness of adding deadening material declines exponentially, making it much more efficient to use less, but don't know if I would consider swapping old for new.


You SHOULD consider swapping "old for new" because the "old" way provides very little benefit, if any, at a MUCH greater cost. 

CLD is designed to stop resonance in large, flat areas. You don't need it in curves because they don't flex. 

CLD doesn't do good at stopping panel to panel resonance (foam, butyl "rope", or silicone does though). 

CLD doesn't do a good job at blocking noise either (*something weighing around 1lb/sf or greater with a physical decoupled does though). 

So you could spend a couple hundred bucks on CLD and have a car with zero body panel rattles, OR spend a couple hundred and have a car with zero body panel rattles, zero trim panel rattles, AND reduced road noise. 

*MLV is a popular choice because it's fairly cheap and effective, but you could use lead, foam, or banana peels, as long as it has density greater than 1lb/sf it will work.


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