Brackets to install Aftermarket Speakers in Model 3

[bradhs]

Thanks! A parts list and tool list would really make this a breeze. If others corroborate a marked improvement in sounds quality then I'd like to move forward and also contribute some money for all you've done. I don't have a 3D printer, so I think it might be easier to buy the parts off of you.

Yes I am happy to do that for you. Could you PM me exactly what you need? That way I can keep organized! If you are looking for his door woofer brackets, printed, keep in mind that those are massive print jobs (20+ hours per speaker!!) so it might take several days as I have to use the printer for some other stuff too . You could send via paypal whatever you feel is fair, along with whatever it costs to ship.

@bradhs I definitely will post a list of third party things needed. I will work on that tomorrow along with editing the install video.

Anxious to hear how it sounds.

Thanks for the new parts but please don't ship them yet. don't want to open it again so soon right after closing it. LOL. I have been biking to work recently and have not had much time to listen to it. Hopefully, my install is good and I will not need to redo it. I'm not planning to replace the tweeter... yet. I will let you know. Thanks again, I really appreciate your work.

 

[alexcimorelli]

I’m grateful to be a part of this community - what other automaker has such incredible crowdsourcing and enthusiasm for car audio ?

 

[alexcimorelli]

Yes I am happy to do that for you. Could you PM me exactly what you need? That way I can keep organized! If you are looking for his door woofer brackets, printed, keep in mind that those are massive print jobs (20+ hours per speaker!!) so it might take several days as I have to use the printer for some other stuff too . You could send via paypal whatever you feel is fair, along with whatever it costs to ship.

Excellent! Really appreciate it. PM sent.

 

[davitsio]

Thanks for the new parts but please don't ship them yet. don't want to open it again so soon right after closing it. LOL. I have been biking to work recently and have not had much time to listen to it. Hopefully, my install is good and I will not need to redo it. I'm not planning to replace the tweeter... yet. I will let you know. Thanks again, I really appreciate your work.

No worries! I will hold on to them then and just let me know if you ever want the tweaked midrange set. I am happy to send it to you.
You're welcome. The project has been taking all my free time for more than a month lol, but the end is in sight! Just the door woofers to finish.

 

[kel8kel]

Thanks for the report!!

Quick question. Did you hear a before and after on the rear speakers isolated? I've been thinking that's a no-brainer upgrade, but it sounds like maybe it's not? Just wondering how you know that they're only creating a little fill compared to the stock SR+? I'm wondering if they tuned them well, so that they are subtle but would make a big difference if you killed them as part of the overall upgrade. Thx!

No, I didn't hear the before and after with the rear speakers isolated, only the completed product. But what made the most significant difference are (in order) :
1) 8" subwoofer
2) Activating tweeters in front
3) Replacing mid drivers in front
4) Activating rear deck speakers

However, I'd imagine if I didn't have numbers 2 and 3, activating the rear speakers would have much more of an impact in terms of adding to the ambient soundstage.

 

[groovyd]

@groovyd That rolling bit sounds super obnoxious. I am sorry that the first run was so tough....it was for me too without the correct wrench. I don't know what the pop might be, but I would also just check the blade connectors too to be safe. I have noticed that they can come loose if they are not really well crimped or soldered to the speaker. On my install, I decided to add a little bit of solder to the top of each blade where it connects to the speaker. You will see that on the video.

Also, for everyone, Audioliphe.com is now updated with the latest STL models for everything as well as the ability to order whatever I am building. groovyd, if you are planning to order the tweeter equipment, go ahead and I will ship the midrange updated set at the same time. ElectrekPanda, you can do that as well if you plan to do the tweeters. I had some printer trouble this weekend but figured it out and am back up and running. I am going to add instructions for building the plugs for those who are interested; that is the most difficult part for me to do. Building a set is fine, but they are tedious to do in large numbers!

Order #00000000003 - what about the extra tweeter you said you have? I will need that too... I plan to replace all the original mid brackets and solder the wires to the speakers when I do. I will be cutting those slide on connectors off. Just don't trust them.

 

[davitsio]

Order #00000000003 - what about the extra tweeter you said you have? I will need that too... I plan to replace all the original mid brackets and solder the wires to the speakers when I do. I will be cutting those slide on connectors off. Just don't trust them.

I have everything ready to ship, and I agree with your thought to solder the connectors if you feel comfy doing some soldering. I personally always solder unless I really feel I won't need to for some application. So, I can ship the tweeter with the rest of the stuff if you want. I bought the tweeter pair for $85 because it was on a sale discount at Crutchfield, and I have never taken it out of its factory plastic. If you want to split that in half, at $42.50, I will box it all up and send them Thursday morning--no extra shipping cost needed because it won't add much to the brackets' shipping. My paypal address is on the contact page of the audioliphe website, in case you don't already have it.

I'm also sending you far more adhesive speaker foam than you will actually need for your Tesla, just so you have it. I would recommend you get some speaker loom tape if you can. I love it for this project....

By the way, all, I still have an extra Infinity 4032cfx hanging out in the factory plastic wrap as well, because, just like ElectrekPanda, I bought two pairs and only needed 3 speakers.

 

[ElectrekPanda]

I have an Model 3 SR+ ... are the door tweeters supposed to be active for my car?

 

[kel8kel]

I have an Model 3 SR+ ... are the door tweeters supposed to be active for my car?

no they are deactivated along with the pillar tweeters and rear deck speakers

 

[groovyd]

I have everything ready to ship, and I agree with your thought to solder the connectors if you feel comfy doing some soldering. I personally always solder unless I really feel I won't need to for some application. So, I can ship the tweeter with the rest of the stuff if you want. I bought the tweeter pair for $85 because it was on a sale discount at Crutchfield, and I have never taken it out of its factory plastic. If you want to split that in half, at $42.50, I will box it all up and send them Thursday morning--no extra shipping cost needed because it won't add much to the brackets' shipping. My paypal address is on the contact page of the audioliphe website, in case you don't already have it.

I'm also sending you far more adhesive speaker foam than you will actually need for your Tesla, just so you have it. I would recommend you get some speaker loom tape if you can. I love it for this project....

By the way, all, I still have an extra Infinity 4032cfx hanging out in the factory plastic wrap as well, because, just like ElectrekPanda, I bought two pairs and only needed 3 speakers.

sent

 

[davitsio]

@groovyd I shipped the tweeter this morning via priority mail so you should have eveything with 2 day shipping.

 

[davitsio]

For everyone: This is a brief list of the materials I needed to install everything.
Absolutely Necessary stuff:
Ultra low profile torx t20 rachet.
Vinyl Electrical tape
small electronics flathead screwdriver (or an eyeglass screwdriver)
needle-nose pliers
Trim removal tools

Useful stuff:
Wire Loom harness tape
Soldering iron and solder
A method to cut a tab off of the passenger side infinity speaker (perhaps tin snips. this is helpful for the fit in the dash, but is not strictly necessary and I did not do it on my install or video of the install)

Most of those things it is likely many of you have already, and most are easy to find generically. In case it is helpful, I specifically used this for wire loom tape: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EH6IZ6Y/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I can't find the trim removal tools I specifically have online, but they are like this: https://www.amazon.com/Tresalto-Rem...4ATS7B4F17V&psc=1&refRID=XJDDEEVB74ATS7B4F17V

And this for the torx wrench: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07D4DZB1T/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

As for the video, still working on editing it as this is my first time doing this sort of video and editing for online posting. Let me know if I can help anyone with questions. By the way, the focal tweeters make a huge difference compared to stock tweeters: the clarity is incredible, and I can now hear individual instruments and voices i never could before in my music, but I have not been able to get the balance right yet. For the moment, the "s" sounds are a little hissing and lisping, which I haven't figured out, but it's making me crazy, so I will call up crutchfield to see if they have some ideas. Did you have any issue like that with your focal install @flashflooder ?

 

[groovyd]

For everyone: This is a brief list of the materials I needed to install everything.
Absolutely Necessary stuff:
Ultra low profile torx t20 rachet.
Vinyl Electrical tape
small electronics flathead screwdriver (or an eyeglass screwdriver)
needle-nose pliers
Trim removal tools

Useful stuff:
Wire Loom harness tape
Soldering iron and solder
A method to cut a tab off of the passenger side infinity speaker (perhaps tin snips. this is helpful for the fit in the dash, but is not strictly necessary and I did not do it on my install or video of the install)

Most of those things it is likely many of you have already, and most are easy to find generically. In case it is helpful, I specifically used this for wire loom tape: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EH6IZ6Y/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I can't find the trim removal tools I specifically have online, but they are like this: https://www.amazon.com/Tresalto-Rem...4ATS7B4F17V&psc=1&refRID=XJDDEEVB74ATS7B4F17V

And this for the torx wrench: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07D4DZB1T/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

As for the video, still working on editing it as this is my first time doing this sort of video and editing for online posting. Let me know if I can help anyone with questions. By the way, the focal tweeters make a huge difference compared to stock tweeters: the clarity is incredible, and I can now hear individual instruments and voices i never could before in my music, but I have not been able to get the balance right yet. For the moment, the "s" sounds are a little hissing and lisping, which I haven't figured out, but it's making me crazy, so I will call up crutchfield to see if they have some ideas. Did you have any issue like that with your focal install @flashflooder ?

perhaps solder a cap across the tweeter as a low order lowpass?

 

[groovyd]

brackets arrived... not quite sure how the tweeters get mounted inside them and do they need glued in? they don't seem to snap in securely.

 

[groovyd]

Installed the two door tweeters, relatively straight forward but a couple things to consider...

- with door open simply lift gently up on the entire tweeter assembly and it should pop off it's latch. there is a good 3" of extra wire that lets you easily disconnect/connect without hassle.

- removing the tweeters from the assembly around them is a bit difficult as you need to somehow hold back 2 of the 3 tabs together while pulling it out. I found a very small flathead to help here. be careful not to break one of the 3 tabs that holds it in place.

- since there is plenty of wire on the door side connector you don't need any of the existing wire that comes connected to the tweeters. do not try to de-solder those wires from the tweeter since it is most likely to overheat where the metal tabs are pressed into the plastic tweeter housing and you will pull the entire tab out leaving you with a hair thin delicate wire that if breaks will require you to buy another tweeter. best option here is to simply cut the wires off the tweeter where they connect and tin and solder the wires from davitsio's kit directly to the metal tabs on the outside.

- to prevent the delicate metal tabs from being pulled out of the plastic tweeter during installation or from just day to day road vibration and to assure they don't short to the magnet put a dab of shoe glue over them and around the wires where you soldered them on.

- spread a thin dab of shoe glue around the lip of davitsio' 3d printed adapters to secure them in and prevent rattling.

- connecting the assembly back onto the car door is very easy, just be careful to align the clips going in and push the wire back down into the door.

As far as sound goes I would say it is slightly cleaner then stock but nothing extreme. It didn't cause me to adjust my EQ at all. I do notice a very slight siblance but am wondering if the polarity of davitsio's adapters was correct. The positive wire of the tweeter with the red stripe appears to be connected to the wire without the black stripe of the adapter. Is this correct?

 

[groovyd]

also replaced the brackets in the dash mids and installed the third tweeter. new brackets are much better than the originals in terms of stiffness, clearance and screw holes being an easier fit. this time i shoe glued the speakers to the brackets and soldered all connections. unfortunately even though i replaced the clicking left mid with my extra it still has that clicking during system warm up. must be coming from the car amp itself or something in the ventilation system. it isn't entirely periodic like a bad cap would be but somewhat random. it also sometimes seems to do it when the car turns a certain way but it doesn't sound mechanical. it sounds like it's coming from the speaker and seems to go away after around 5 min drive.

this second installation went way smoother with the torx 20 ratchet and nothing got dropped but to be honest you also need a fixed torx 20 right angle that is even lower profile than what was linked above for the first few turns of a few of the screws. you need both actually because the non ratchet would be a hassle once they clear. this time i managed to get the fabric grill back on with all the clips properly seated was maybe the biggest challenge of the whole install. took maybe 2 hours this time including the tweeter. third tweeter really helps even out the highs across the front and is highly recommended assuming you replaced the 2 in the doors. it was also a lot easier to get the center wire harness out of the way with the longer tweeter wire.

its starting to sound much better now with everything redone. the slight sibilance i thought i heard also seems to have gone away since installing the center tweeter. in all it is a worthwhile upgrade though it is challenging and tests your determination and keeping your cool through all the annoyances of it. how much easier it would have been had Tesla just done things very slightly different the whole setup could probably have been done in under 2 hours.

not looking forward to the focal woofers in the doors but i can tell they are what is holding the system back now. now that the highs are crisp and clean you hear the flab in the bass much more. can tell there is too much slop and rattle in the doors with the bass.

 

[groovyd]

oh one recommendation to davitsio i almost forgot. have your 3d prints label the top or speaker side. it wasn't clear on some of them and i ended up having to pull things out and flip them over which was a bit of a mess since they were shoe-glued to the speakers. just put some text on 'speaker side' on each of them, even the tweeters. especially the center tweeter i had backwards at first and the glue gunked up the cone a bit trying to pull it out to flip it. also i think you should use one gauge thinner wire on all your wire kits.

 

[alexcimorelli]

@davitsio was kind enough to print brackets for 6-3/4” door speakers for me. They fit perfectly on my audiofrog gs60’s. Will be installing tonight or tomorrow.

 

[9-Volt]

...But what made the most significant difference are (in order) :
1) 8" subwoofer
2) Activating tweeters in front
3) Replacing mid drivers in front
4) Activating rear deck speakers

However, I'd imagine if I didn't have numbers 2 and 3, activating the rear speakers would have much more of an impact in terms of adding to the ambient soundstage.

I had a local shop undertake your suggestions in 1-3. Big difference and I don't feel like anything is lacking from not activating the rear deck speakers in 4. My shop echoed your sentiment that the rear shelf speakers only provide a bit of "fill" and said I wouldn't notice anything missing re: the sound stage by not hooking those up with the sub installed. Just wanted to report back and give you a shout out.

 

[Drizzle]

Hey guys, I'm looking to make a quick speaker swap (no aftermarket amp) as easy as possible. Have I arrived at the right place?

How realistic is it to buy aftermarket speakers with no aftermarket amp, use these brackets and have it sound better than before? If the answer is realistic, I want to buy these from the seller asap.