Okay young Muffster I recommend............ actually I'd better deal with the below quote first:
I'm just in shock that Ad has all that heavy stuff added to his car, yet bleats about the cruise control and other gubbins in the fn2 civic gt being so against the type r 'because race car' sort of ethos!
-Ad- DC2 Weight Gain
1. Genesis amp and new wiring = +3kg
2. 6kg sound deadening to cover both front doors = +6kg
3. Removal of rear speakers and wiring = -3kg
4. Removal of sound deadening from boot and under rear bench = -5kg
5. Removal of useless brackets, heat shields etc = -5kg
6. Replacing cast mani with tubular Comptech = -17kg
Net weight gain after ICE install = -21kg
I've been looking around here and the net for information but unfortunately there's so infomation that I've ended up at a loss of what I actually need. I know what I want and that is not OE Honda speakers from 1995.
I've currently got an Alpine XDA-X311RR head unit for my iPod integration. I plan to do the whole install myself but I'm stuck on what to buy.
Is that a good bet? (Bar the HU, I plan to stick with it). Do I need to spend £400 or would I still get a good result from £250? My car is not refined in the slightest so I really don't want to fall into the 'You must get the best' mentatlity as I think it'll be a waste and the cheaper stuff can't be that bad but at the same time I don't want to buy a load of pish.
Thoughts? Suggestions? A Link or two and a message of 'You can't go wrong with that, it'll be reet'?
Stick with the Alpine as you're planning, seems like a good HU. Definitely get some component speakers and also consider an amp. All wiring and sound deadening (silent coat) can be had from
Car Audio Direct.
If you're thinking of an amp then call Gorden @
Amp Doctor. He now services and sells modified Genesis amps and was one of the designers/builders so really does know what he's talking about. I mounted mine under the passenger seat quite easily and it cost about £140 delivered.
The JBL MS62C are sensational components and well worth the price of £150 (
mine from Amazon). Adam Rayners' review at Talk Audio rates them up with the best at a fraction of the price, and with us talking about Tegs here, there is no need to spend more money on components as the lightweight tin can can only be improved soo much with some deadening!
But these will not fit directly as the bass-driver cage doesn't fit through the standard speaker cut out and the window WILL hit the speaker magnet once lowered. You'll need to cut away some of the standard speaker hole and make an MDF spacer as I did below.I can't find pics of the finished install but will take some more as I have a few bits to finish off still:
Sound Deadened Door
Speaker cutout mod
MDF spacers
The doorcards already have mark outs on the back for tweeters (well I know UKDM do) as you could get components as a factory extra. So no marking out is needed, all you need is the right hole saw.
Doorcard Cutout
You really should replace the standard wiring to the doors as it's almost hair strand thick. It's not the simplest, quickest or most fun job, but you can drill through the wiring loom connector in the door (plenty of redundant pins/sockets combinations) and feed the wiring through into the cabin. There's a guide on the American forums: Team Integra.
http://www.team-integra.net/forum/blogs/morningz/77-g3-running-new-speaker-wire-into-door.html
Do I need to spend £400 or would I still get a good result from £250? My car is not refined in the slightest so I really don't want to fall into the 'You must get the best' mentatlity as I think it'll be a waste and the cheaper stuff can't be that bad but at the same time I don't want to buy a load of pish.
You could spend less and not bother with an amp, utilising the HU output, but the amp will give you a much better sound and much better power handling ability. Just think how small the amp section of the HU will be! Putting in some better wiring is a must, even if it's just speakers to the HU. Not much cost but requires some fiddling around and feeding wires through annoying areas. Do it once, do it right!
Sound deadening in the doors is a must and will only add 3kg per door (Can buy a pack of Silent coat for £45). Otherwise the damn doors will just rattle as there's nothing to them!
So overall cost wise you'd be looking at Speakers (£150), Upgraded Genesis Profile 2 Amp (£140), Sound Deadening and Wiring (£60) =
£350
Also interested since I'm going to be using my car for commuting soon.
All I plan to do is replace the front and rear speakers, should be a simple job yes..?
Remove panels, 'plug out' speakers, plug in speakers, refit panels?
Rip out the rear speakers and get some better front speakers in. It'll sound much better, plus it's easier to treat the door with a bit of sound deadening and reflection foam.