Stereo Upgrades

[wiffmajig]

I have an 09 XLT, without Nav and the SYNC system (it also has the factory rear DVD player). My wife is fussing about the not so great stereo and would like to have some upgrades done.

From the research I have done I REALLY do not want to mess with the factory head unit. With all of the SYNC integration, I would rather leave it be.

I have done a bunch of research but have little to NO results. Basic door speakers are easy but I do not know where to find info on HOW MUCH power is going to each speaker and is it worth upgrading the speakers without putting in an amp.

The final thing is she would like to add some bass without taking up space if possible. I found one article that mentioned the 3rd gens have two 8 inch subs in the back (one on either side) If so...has anyone ever messed with this area? are the wires run back there our would I have to start from scratch? and if so...where would I pick up the bass signal?

Sorry for all of the questions but Ford seems to have locked this system down pretty good.

 

[Remo]

Here's what I would do...

If you're a real man...tell you wife to quit complaining and enjoy her fully-loaded, very expensive, brand new suv.

If for some reason you fear your wife (or just want to avoid a fight, lol)...tell her that its not possible (or practical) to upgrade the system w/o replacing nearly everything and doing a ton of custom work.

I'm just yanking your chain, but I am semi-serious. I have some decent audio experience so I can help out with the basics, but I know ZERO about the 3rd gen trucks.

My two cents...on modern vehicles, its not worth replacing factory speakers without amping them. Factory speakers are very efficient and use very little power. Aftermarket speakers are going to need the extra power to sound good. There are oem interface options available (at least I assume; I know they exist for prior generations), so you could integrate aftermarket equipment with some stock components. As far as the subs go, see if they make prefab boxes designed for your specific truck. Check out JL, MTX, Q-Logic...

 

[GAINMOB]

SPOT ON REMO!!! i switched out my door speakers...got a little better but my HU makes the differece with the EQ settings...next is to amp the doors up/go components...you should be able to find a stealth box that fits in the rear sub area...i think...but if you do the doors...go ahead and spend the extra $$$ for the 4-channel amp...

im thinking 2 sets of tweets in each door as well...6 1/2 or 6 3/4 components

 

[dj2big]

where is there a rear sub area?

 

[GAINMOB]

left side in the cargo area...

 

[SOLISIMO]

Some expys come with it others dont so he might not have it

 

[dcarr]

is she just looking for a little more bass without distorting the highs? a simple bass tube could be an easy fix. first thing is find out exactly what she is unhappy with in the stereo.

 

[DF5.4]

I have a little JVC sub mounted under the middle rear seat. It's working pretty good. It's not going to rattle anyone's windows but it fills in the bass.

 

[GAINMOB]

is she just looking for a little more bass without distorting the highs? a simple bass tube could be an easy fix. first thing is find out exactly what she is unhappy with in the stereo.

great suggestion...bring that back to us...

 

[wiffmajig]

I am literally laughing out loud reading your post REMO...Actually my wife is one of the coolest NON-nagging ladies I know. I am a very lucky man.

She does simply want more bass...You know that girly dance music will blow a factory speaker in a heart beat. So I am going to have to go with new door speakers and a bass tube may be my best bet.

Unfortunately I have not met anyone that has any experience with the 3rd gen trucks. Damn fancy multimedia systems!

 

[GAINMOB]

just add a 10in sub....do the doors and call it a day...just noticed your in VA...audio one in norfolk i think...im in hampton...theres another guy in VAB...

 

[dcarr]

Te good thing with a bass tube is simplicity most have built in MPs so all you really need to do is get a high input low output adapter thing (speaker wire in RCA out) and put power to it. I never used one but a couple guys I knew in high school did back in the days of limited high school budgets

 

[Remo]

I am literally laughing out loud reading your post REMO...Actually my wife is one of the coolest NON-nagging ladies I know. I am a very lucky man.

She does simply want more bass...You know that girly dance music will blow a factory speaker in a heart beat. So I am going to have to go with new door speakers and a bass tube may be my best bet.

Unfortunately I have not met anyone that has any experience with the 3rd gen trucks. Damn fancy multimedia systems!

You're a good sport. Good luck with your audio build.

 

[GAINMOB]

never heard a bass tube...any good?

 

[dcarr]

Not window shattering but does ok. The ones that are internally powered are matched properly with power to speaker so they do ok and sound decent. They make them for boats too lol

 

[dj2big]

just add a 10in sub....do the doors and call it a day...just noticed your in VA...audio one in norfolk i think...im in hampton...theres another guy in VAB...

where did you get that hitch cover?

 

[GAINMOB]

bought it from Expedition on this forum...but you can pick one up on stylin.com...it will be primed...not painted for about $90 i think...i looked it up in august when i was told they might not cover it in my crash...they repaired it instead of replacing it...plus paint...cool with me

 

[lastwaltzvan]

No expert but have been reasearching upgrading the speakers & amps in my (wifes) 2011 while maintaining the factory look.

Factory P/N for the sub on the 09's with the upgraded system is 18C804 ($212 from Ford). It houses an 8" driver that can be upgraded with an aftermarket piece. The factory amp mounts to the box, don't know if it or the driver is included with this p/n. Would think it should fit behind your drivers side rear panel like from the factory unless they stuck something else there, if so only mod may be to create an opening in the trim panel for sound.

Next problem is how to get a signal don't know if your HU would have a separate bass out. Perhaps one of the Guru's could point you in the right direction on that.

If you want to see what the box looks like think someone on this forum or the Ford Enthusiasts added the "way back" pillar speakers from 3rd gen Navigator to an Expedition & in the thread there are some shots of the molded plastic factory sub box.

Hope this helps, just trying to help keep momma happy, if momma ain't happy, nowone is happy.

 

[mark620]

some insite for your upgrade

Wiff I myself feel the stereo in my loaded 2010 limited is not up to par. I have sync,nav and rear dvd. I wanted to retain all commands of factory system and sync. I found out the the jl audio clean sweep, jbl ms-8 and rockford 360.2 all take the speaker input in and let you go into rca jacks to a new amp/amps. You retain all factory features with these interfaces. There are other companies out there who offer something along the same lines but I went with the rockford 360.2 because of the features ,price,eq for front,rear and sub and all the crossover points. I have a standard limited not the el. It has a factory sub in the drivers rear panel of which I pulled out and made a fiberglass mold of. I made a new enclousure for a new 8 inch small enclosure sub and amp holder for the 2 amps for the system. I change all the speakers to 6.5 mid and tweet sets. 5x7 is a exact fit for this truck. I used all Cdt Audio speakers and Alpine pdx amps. For the doors I did 150x4 and the sub got 600x1. The sub that was in there was a 8 inch also and I could have gone to a 10 inch but I did not feel like messing with the grill. If you have a el JL makes a stealth box for it and that makes life easy. I wanted to retain all factory look and no space loss so I went this route. I have alot of car audio experiance so it was a fun project for me. It took alot longer than I wanted with work and 3 kids I had to sneak time in to work on it. I sound deadened the doors and over killed the power wire with a small second battery mounted under the truck, back by the spare tire. I did not need that but I did not want to worry about running the stereo for a long time without having the car running. I was looking for sound quality and not just boom. I am almost done with it so I can not tell you how it sounds. I did not have any problems at all the truck has alot of room to run wires and it comes apart easy. One thing when pulling the rear panel off you have to pull the tray and cup holder to get a good grip to pull the panel off. If you pull at it wrong the clips snap. Also the wires are easiest to grab for your speakers input right at the locations (where the boot from each door comes into the car). If you have rear dvd ther are another set of wires because the rear speakers go in and out of the dvd unit. So trying to find which ones are the right ones can be a pain since they are both the same color. Just grab them at the boot on the pillar. I hope this may help. Good luck.

 

[Knautical2001]

Most good stereo guys (companies) should know how to use your factory head unit and a small powered amp with a sub to get the best sound. I have had a system in every one of the vehicles I have owned. It is usually the first thing I do. The good thing about my 2007 Expedition EL E.B. is that it already had a great one to begin with, but if it didn't, I would have taken it straight to my stereo guy and asked him what he would suggest. All in all everyone has great info for you.