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No Brainer 4" drop-in speaker upgrade phenomenon

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Do you have a link to where to buy the speaker rings? Is your Roadster a 2.5? Does it matter?

My Roadster is a 2.0, but I don't think it matters. I believe he runs the business out of his home. The rings are fiberglass, and were $45. He can be reached here:

JCR Fabrication Inc
[email protected]
954-214-5032

There are alternatives to his rings, sold on eBay for $8 made of MDF.

MDF Speaker / Spacer Rings, 5 1/4" 3/8" Thick One Pair Made In USA

and plastic:

PVC Plastic Speaker / Spacer Rings, 5.25" 6MM Thick One Pair Made in USA

I don't know the exact dimensions of my rings, but I can pop them out and measure them, if you're really interested.
 
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There is a guy on the Lotus forums that fabricated speaker rings for the dashboard speakers that allow you to go up to 5.25" speakers without any modification to the dash. I took a chance, ordered them, and installed them on my Roadster. They fit.

Like Wiztecy, I didn't want to modify anything in the car that I can't restore to full stock quickly. I didn't even want to replace the head unit so these were a great option. I just swapped out the 4" to 5.25" speakers in the front, and matching 4" speakers in the back. Night and day difference in terms of sound quality with minimal work.

Do you have any pics of the larger speakers installed?
 

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What 5.25" speakers did you use?
There is a guy on the Lotus forums that fabricated speaker rings for the dashboard speakers that allow you to go up to 5.25" speakers without any modification to the dash. I took a chance, ordered them, and installed them on my Roadster. They fit.

Like Wiztecy, I didn't want to modify anything in the car that I can't restore to full stock quickly. I didn't even want to replace the head unit so these were a great option. I just swapped out the 4" to 5.25" speakers in the front, and matching 4" speakers in the back. Night and day difference in terms of sound quality with minimal work.
 
I've spent the past week in the rabbit hole of parading the sound system. I went into a shop looking for the JL 4" to drop in. I let myself get upsold on lots of upgrades including the head unit and speakers, which then required amplification, which then lead to other problems described below and a solid week of wall-to-wall BS. We learned many lessons the hard way:
1) we couldn't find any JL or Alpine 5.25" speakers that fit in either the front or back, even with the $8 eBay speaker ring adapters. If you use the $8 adapter, you might get the 5.25 into the ring, but there wasn't enough room between the edge of the ring and the windshield for the speaker grill. I ended up scrapping the plan to get any 5.25" speakers and instead got stupidly expensive 4" Focal components for the front and 2-way 4" Focals for the back.
2) if you install a small amp between the head unit and wired connectors, don't forget that at least some roadsters have Blaupunkt amps. When both amps are wired together, it can blow out the subwoofer. Guess how we found this out?
3) if you install 4" 2-way speakers but you now don't have a sub, it will sound awful --6 tweeters screaching in your face. No tweaking will make that sound good. A sub is required. I didn't even know that I had a sub until it was blown.
4) if you need to change the sub, most info online will tell you that the battery needs to be dropped. NOT TRUE. The sub is located behind the driver's seat me the door. It can be accessed by removing the driver rear tire . There's a plastic housing that needs to be unscrewed and then the entire housing twists off (kind of like a smoke detector). Then you can unscrew the speakers. It looks like they're screwed in from the interior of the cabin and that you've just wasted your time, BUT the 6.5" sub will come out. I can upload a pic if desired. Thanks to Ed at the San Diego TSC for the heads up. That guy is the best for saving my ass.
5) not all 6.5" subs will fit. The one they put in didn't fit. They had to remove the plastic ring from the blown sub and attach it to the new sub. It took a couple minute of grinding to get the old ring to fit on the new speaker.
6) you'll need more power to drive the sub and new 4" speakers.
7) the big ass JL amp they installed won't fit anywhere. They put it in the passenger footwell, but covered it up. You wouldn't know it's there. They also added a small amp just for the sub. Possibly unnecessary, but wtf at this point, right?
8) now it all sounds good, I drive home and the airbag cover falls off and airbag light is on. They broke the clips to get into the dash. I'll order new ones. How will I get the airbag light off? A trip to Tesla?
9) I get home almost home and the stereo starts making clicking sounds. 12v battery needs service notice comes up on the little display.

You're now all up to speed. I'm guessing this is an entirely new rabbit hole that will require me to take off the front tire and remove all the wheel well liners to access the 12v battery. Will I need to get a rechargeable 12v with an extra charge port that I need to plug in at night? I'm ready to cry.

TLDR: avoid rabbit holes. Just get the 4" speakers.
 
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What 5.25" speakers did you use?

I bought these Rockford Fosgate speakers. They were inexpensive, had good reviews, and I remember the brand was hot in the late 80s/early 90s.

Rockford Fosgate Prime R1525X2
Rockford Fosgate Prime R14X2

Perhaps I was lucky because the grills don't extend above the speakers too much, or the speakers deep enough where they might be a problem in the dash. I would say to check the physical specs of these speakers against any you are considering to avoid issues with installation, like glight2000 in the post above.
 
I bought these Rockford Fosgate speakers. They were inexpensive, had good reviews, and I remember the brand was hot in the late 80s/early 90s.

Rockford Fosgate Prime R1525X2
Rockford Fosgate Prime R14X2

Perhaps I was lucky because the grills don't extend above the speakers too much, or the speakers deep enough where they might be a problem in the dash. I would say to check the physical specs of these speakers against any you are considering to avoid issues with installation, like glight2000 in the post above.

Heychubs: Those speakers look pretty sweet. I would imagine that a 5.25" speaker would be a pretty big upgrade to overall sound quality. Those RF's have great reviews! If I had to do it over again, I'd follow the heychubs path.

My next challenges:
1) figure out how to upgrade the 12v battery to accommodate the amps. I've skimmed some posts where people have swapped the lead acid for lithium ion, added a second battery for the audio system, and/or or adding a trickle charger. I will scour the TMC forums for more info. I'd love to be able to swap the existing 12v for lithium AND add a trickle charge option, but I'm not sure if that's possible. I'd be grateful for any advice to avoid these new rabbit holes.
Note: Some warnings on using a 12v lithium battery here:
Replacing the 12V aux Battery

2) Dynamat the floor and wheel wells
3) add weather stripping or something to the lower door frame to keep the water out.
4) add window tint so that the honeys have toward a little harder for a look. :)
 
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I think we tried those exact speakers but couldn't get them to easily fit in the front. The issue is that once the spacer is added (and I only had the $8 eBay version), the speaker would look ok, but the grill wouldn't have enough room at the windshield.
The JL TR-525CXi are indeed 2.5" deep instead of 1.7/8" for either the 4" JL Audio TR-400 or the 5.25" Rockford Fosgate Prime R1525X2...
So that's more than 1/2" difference. Could cause trouble!
 
The website www.dealercostcaraudio.com has the 4" JL Audios for $59 / pair. The site isn't the most secure, so I used a gift card I had lying around. If you use the code "FREESHIP" you can get free ground shipping. I'm starting with the rears and will order more if it all goes well.
Did not go well. They cancelled my order with no explanation. I emailed with no response. I called, was put on hold, then hung up on. But they haven't charged my card... yet.
 
@glight2000, any update to your upgraded sound adventures?

I just purchased a 2010 2.0 with Base audio, just like your VIN 503, and I'm looking to upgrade the audio as well. I've decided on the four JL speakers to replace the two dash and two rear speakers, and am only seeking a subwoofer that will fit in the cutout behind the driver rear wheel in the photo.

Were you able to find one that fit?

It appears our stock headunit is 200W, so I'm assuming if I upgraded to no further than a 400W, like the one included in Electronics Group, I shouldn't need to make any 12V modifications. I'm also only planning to run a five speaker setup, and not a seven, so I'd imagine the power required would be LESS than the Electronics Group cars with 7 speakers.
 
@glight2000, any update to your upgraded sound adventures?

I just purchased a 2010 2.0 with Base audio, just like your VIN 503, and I'm looking to upgrade the audio as well. I've decided on the four JL speakers to replace the two dash and two rear speakers, and am only seeking a subwoofer that will fit in the cutout behind the driver rear wheel in the photo.

Were you able to find one that fit?

It appears our stock headunit is 200W, so I'm assuming if I upgraded to no further than a 400W, like the one included in Electronics Group, I shouldn't need to make any 12V modifications. I'm also only planning to run a five speaker setup, and not a seven, so I'd imagine the power required would be LESS than the Electronics Group cars with 7 speakers.

Everything is working reasonably well on the sound system. I don't know that my sound system actually strained the 12v excessively. I think the lead acid battery was just due for replacement as they often don't last for more than a year. I replaced it with a weak lithium ion battery and haven't had any hiccups. FWIW, replacing the 12v wasn't a big deal.

Here's what I picked up for the audio system:
Pioneer DEH-x9600BHS
Focal ISC 100
Focal ES 100k
JL Audio jx400/4d 400w 4-channel amp
Miniamp ($135) for sub (kicker 12px100.2?) 50w RMS x2 channels
6.5" subwoofer


The reason we replaced the subwoofer is because the idiot installers blew the original sub by adding the amp without removing the original Blaupunkt amp. They put in some low end sub they had in their shop. I'm not sure of the make/model.

If I had to do it over again, one upgrade would be adding a separate sub volume knob.
Good luck with the upgrade. Please keep us posted on your progress or message me. I'm happy to pay forward the many favors I've received from the roadster forum members.
 
Does anyone know what speakers the 2.0 Roadster came with by default? I was going to upgrade mine, then looked and it seems I have some coaxial polk speakers already. I wonder if it would get any better?

I also wonder if anyone has tried sticking one of these bluetooth speakers on the back shelf and called it a day:
Amazon.com: Anker SoundCore Boost 20W Bluetooth Speaker with BassUp Technology - 12h Playtime, IPX5 Water-Resistant, Portable Battery with 66ft Bluetooth Range / Superior Sound & Bass for iPhone, Samsung and more: Home Audio & Theater
 
My 2.0 was a base audio package. The stock front and rear speakers were not coaxial but very decently built
synthetic cone and heavy frame with a hefty magnet. No ID of the manufacturer on them.

My first upgrade was the JL tr400-cxi in the rears that many have done in this forum. As expected coming from non coaxials
these really opened up the mid range and highs. However, I wasn't happy with the lows and
have been holding out on the sub. Many general speaker reviews suggested Morel Maximo had a good low end
for a 4". I swapped out the JLs for these and it made a very, very significant improvement in the low frequencies
but the mid and highs were ok but not as good as the Jls. Very happy with the Morels. So after I put an alpine HD 149 BT head unit in
I put some kicker tweeters in the doors to take care of the highs and all is well especially with the electronic equalizer in the alpine.

I was going to put the JLs in the front, but the stock non-coaxials were decent speakers and a good match with the tweeters.

The biggest tip is that i finally found the matching harness for the tweeter cable in the door after looking at many many harness pictures.
Turns out it is the same that is on a jeep wrangler. You just need to reverse your polarity. Crutchfield has them:
Metra 71-039C Speaker Wiring

In the end, sounds much better, but a sub would be ideal...all this talk about straining the 12V system is holding me back...
I just wonder if there is data to support this and what is the limit. Indeed, the upgraded audio package has the sub, so I
don't see where a low power sub will cause such a differentiation. Anyway, I could be wrong...