Jeez… big different between the Focal Polyglass 165 VR3 (a three way component speaker) and the 165 VR (a two way component speaker). My previous posting was about the 165 VR3, which apparently you are not mounting.

OK… forget about the stuff I posted about the Focal Polyglass 165 VR3… now we are talking about the 165 VR.

Question: Are you planning to mount the Focal Polyglass 165 VR in the stock door speaker slot?

If YES, you may be in for a frustrating project. The depth-from-wall measurement for the 165 VR is 68mm (2.7"). That is at the limit of what fits, and you might not be able to stuff this speaker into the door. You may be buying a door pod sooner than you planned upon.

--Spike

 

So you're saying it would sound better to have all four speakers underpowered than the two most important ones have enough juice?

and the Alpines are only 60w rms

Spike: I realize that, not sure how the 3 came into there lol. Yes I was planning to try and mount it in the stock location. I really want to build my own pod and sub box when I get back and have a garage to work in, so I wanted to avoid forking over for a pre-made. Plus, if I were to do that, I think I'd want the tweets with it, which I don't seem to see other than custom pods.

What prevents me from getting a larger than 1" spacer to make it fit?

 

I agree. The “freebie” Alpine coaxial speakers devildriver421 receives with his Alpine MRP-F300 purchase are actually decent speakers that need powering from an external amp.

He should use all 4 channels to drive the front Focal components and the rear Alpine coaxials. When devildriver421 adds a SubW, he should add a dedicated amp to drive this.

--Spike

 

You need the spacer, but the problem you have mounting a Focal 165 VR is its depth-to-wall measurement, which is 68mm (2.7").

The stock door slot allows fitting up to a speaker with a 2.5” depth. You might be able to fit a speaker with a 2.7” depth, but it will definitely be a challenge. It’s not the spacer that is the problem.

I attempted fitting a Focal 165 V2 - Depth from wall: 68mm (2.7") - into the stock door slot, and decided it was just too tight. I went with a Focal 165 V Slim - Depth from wall: 56mm (2.2") - which easily fit the stock door mount.

--Spike

 

Other than pods, what can I do? Can I just take out the grill and stick a bigger spacer?

 

No… That won’t work. The door panel is concave at the stock speaker grille position. If you cut out the grill, you have an uneven (not flat) surface to apply the grille. Don’t even think about it.

You need to get door pods for your Focals. You can buy prefabricated door pods that fit better than what you make yourself, and your co$t will be much less and your result will be much better if you go with a door pod you get from an aftermarket seller.

If you want to do your own finish on the door pod, get one of the unfinished pods available from a couple of sources. We have a vendor on my350z.com that can supply this for a very good price.

--Spike

 

Ok guess it's too late to turn back now...just answered the door for the big brown truck and my Focals are here! On a different note, does anyone know where I can get Nissan silverstone paint?

 

It’s not over… It’s just started. You have the weekend ahead of you… so plenty of time to tackle the project.

Remove the front door panels, hold-up the Focals to the space and see what size depth is available and what size spacers you need for the project.

If it looks impossible, start planning the door pod or kick fitment… and if you want a finished or unfinished pod.

Look at the bright side … mounting a great speaker like your Focals in the stock door slot will sound poor. So… if you are forced to go with door pods or kicks, you will have much better sound.

--Spike

 

How can I tell if the grill is going to fit back on or not without actually mounting it though?

Also, I've been unable to find anything other than wicked c.a.s. pods

 

^^ Remove the door panel, remove the stock Clarion or Bose midrange speaker, and place your Focal midrange speaker into the stock door slot.

With everything in place, try fitting the door panel back to its original position. You do not need to fit spacers for this test. What you notice is that you are unable to fit a speaker with a depth greater than 2.5”.

My advice: Start shopping for a door pod or a kick.

--Spike

 

Any recommendations on different pods?

 

???

 

Unless you are going to custom build door pods, the wicked CAS pods seem to be the only ones on the market.

 

^^ and, they are very good pods.

--Spike

 

Does anyone know where I can get some paint to match the silver interior accents on a black interior? I haven't been able to find a color code and I'd prefer to paint them over vinyl

 

Wow...........seems like a lot of trouble. Am I the only person in the world satisfied with the stock radio?

 

Most likely, yes.

 

Good point/question. Some thoughts…

• Many people buy the Z for its agility on the track. Of course, this buyer could care less about the car’s radio, and might even remove the radio and other CES components to save weight.
  
  
• Some buyers could care less about the sound. They want to hear the engine and its exhaust, and they could care less about sound quality. In fact this is the market that Nissan identifies for the Z.
  
  
• The Z is about the noisiest car you can buy. It’s a “tin can.” It has very little insulation, almost no sound-deadening; and the car’s interior receives a great deal of noise from the tires, the roadway, the engine, and the exhaust. And, the flimsy OEM CES can rattle the door panels, the rear space, and provides awful sound (even with the Bose “upgrade”).
  
  
• If you want better sound, you must replace the H/U, the speakers, the SubW, the amps; and, add sound deadening, door pods and/or kicks.

People who want better acoustics might find the G35/37 a better alternative.

--Spike

 

Ok so I'm ordering the pods. I'm still curious though...

Why wouldn't the system sound it's best with the high quality speakers being brought to their full potential and leaving the other speakers to not sound as good as they could since theyll be turned down anyway?

It just seems like I got the high quality speakers for that reason, why not let them really shine vs taking away their potential to give the power to speakers that aren't as important or good.

 

^^ You answered your own question. Maybe you do not want to bother mounting and connecting the rear speakers.

If you do mount your new rear speakers, connect these to your external amp for the best sound, even if you only plan to run them at very low volume. That is the best way to balance your sound.

If you do not mount the rears, use the external amp’s 3rd and 4th channels to power the SubW you plan to buy.

Don't install rears and drive them with lousy power. You only pollute the good sound from your fronts.

--Spike