[Carnivore]

The speaker mounting rings I fabricated out of MDF 14 years ago when I installed upgraded speakers in my '07 Rav4 have rotted out. I think it would be best to replace them with aftermarket plastic ones so I won't have to worry about it again. Which ones work best -- Metra, Scosche or something else? I also see some on Amazon branded as Orgrimmar that look clean, if they fit.

Are most of these adapters deep enough to accommodate speakers with larger magnets? I seem to recall the reason I cut mine from 3/4" MDF was to make sure they provided enough depth for my 6.5-inch CDT component woofers to fit.

 

[Foryota]

The speaker mounting rings I fabricated out of MDF 14 years ago when I installed upgraded speakers in my '07 Rav4 have rotted out. I think it would be best to replace them with aftermarket plastic ones so I won't have to worry about it again. Which ones work best -- Metra, Scosche or something else? I also see some on Amazon branded as Orgrimmar that look clean, if they fit.

Are most of these adapters deep enough to accommodate speakers with larger magnets? I seem to recall the reason I cut mine from 3/4" MDF was to make sure they provided enough depth for my 6.5-inch CDT component woofers to fit.

Someone here used plastic cutting boards for adaptors. Whenever I eventually replace mine with my Kicker speakers gathering dust on a shelf, I’ll be doing this rather than MDF. I tried to get the aftermarket adaptors (mine are 6.5”) and didn’t have any luck finding the right fit.

I’ve seen a few people use MDF for this, sorry to hear they rotted out. At least you got 14 years out of them!!!


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[Carnivore]

Do you remember which adaptors you tried? I'm looking at the Metra 82-8148 as the ones I'd likely try first unless someone tells me they definitely don't work on our Rav's.

 

[Foryota]

Do you remember which adaptors you tried? I'm looking at the Metra 82-8148 as the ones I'd likely try first unless someone tells me they definitely don't work on our Rav's.

These guys. Remember, I’ve got 6.5” Kicker speakers I originally bought for my Hyundai Elantra. I only did test fits though - never actually installed these.

They should work in a recessed situation like you see here. If more space is needed at the back (shallow area) then these will NOT work in the reverse. If installed as shown here, it may be necessary still to drill holes in the door metal for the screws attaching the speaker to the bracket.


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[Carnivore]

A couple reviews on Amazon indicate they had fit issues with that adaptor. One said it was too deep for his '07 Rav4, and others complained that 6.5-inch speakers are too big to fit it. You've already got them so you might as well try them. I'm going to go with the Metra though, and see if I have any luck.

 

[Foryota]

A couple reviews on Amazon indicate they had fit issues with that adaptor. One said it was too deep for his '07 Rav4, and others complained that 6.5-inch speakers are too big to fit it. You've already got them so you might as well try them. I'm going to go with the Metra though, and see if I have any luck.

Just depends on TIME to do it. It got bumped way down the priority list a while ago [emoji38]


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[NameofUser]

+1 on 14yrs.

Perhaps MDF again, b/c easy And cheap? BUT, paint ALL the sides before installing, esp if multiple 3/4in adapters are needed to provide the spacing. I imagine this would make it outlast well beyond 14yrs.

 

[Carnivore]

+1 on 14yrs.

They've probably been on their way out for a while, I just didn't know it. The reason I removed the door panel in the first place was that the passenger side speaker was cutting out. The same moisture that had caused the MDF to swell up and decay had also caused the wire spring clips on that speaker to rust, but otherwise the speaker still looks and sounds as good as new. I soldered some new pigtail connectors to the terminals and will use waterproof twist connectors on them.

Perhaps MDF again, b/c easy And cheap?

I already ordered the Metra rings which hopefully also will be easy and effective, we'll see. I'll be able to observe first-hand how they compare to the MDF. I'll report back once I've received them.

 

[Carnivore]

MDF ring after 14 years of service.

Rusted spring clips with some MDF stuck to the frame of the speaker I just pulled out. I soldered short wire pigtails to the speaker terminals and reconnected them to the speaker wire with waterproof twist connectors I had on hand from an underground sprinkler job.

New plastic Metra ring installed. I had to break off all the optional tabs and file down the remaining plastic flashing around the inside edge in order for the 6.5-inch speaker to fit. I discarded the cheap mounting hardware that came with the kit and bought stainless steel hardware to prevent future rusting -- Three #10 nuts, bolts, washers and lock washers to mount the ring to the door, and four self-tapping screws to mount the speaker to the ring,

Once installed, the speaker hides the scratches and rough edges that were visible on the mounting ring. Not that it matters since the door panel hides everything once it's reinstalled.

Big picture of the CDT Eurosport components that I mounted on the door in 2007. You can see patches of Dynamat type sound deadener I installed around the door. I used a copper grounding strap from Home Depot to fabricate the mount for the tweeter and angle it toward the listener behind the factory grill cover. Rear door speakers are slim coaxial CDT Eurosports. There's a small but effective JL Audio microsub in the back cargo area, with amps in the storage nook under the cargo floor. Head unit was originally a Kenwood DNX7100 and was recently updated to a Pioneer AVIC-W8500NEX navigation unit with wireless Android Auto (or Apple Carplay which I don't use). Other than the minor water damage repair I just made the system has held up extremely well.