[OneFierceSon]

So I am about finished with everything else on the car and its time to upgrade the system now. The car is a 2009 e92 335i m sport with the factory option 676 or "HIFI" system. I plan on using a technic harness, a JL xd600/6v2 for power, sws-8xi subs under the seats, and I am playing with the idea of using 5.25" components in the front doors to fill the gap between the subs and 4" speakers. There aren't many 5.25" speakers that are shallow enough to fit without interfering with the window but I have found these https://www.crutchfield.com/p_840L5/...uccent-L5.html.
They will take more power than most 4" speakers and will reach down to 61Hz. the mounting depth is 1 3/4" (44mm) which seems like it is in range from other threads I've seen. I am mechanically inclined and very familiar with car audio and I also don't mind modifying grills/mounts slightly as long as it looks factory from the outside.
So has anyone actually installed or tried to install 5.25" speakers in a e92 before? Any input would be much appreciated.

[ctuna]

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=641323

see speaker section of above.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=343673

[nvturbo]

Fitting a larger speaker into the stock location shouldn't be an issue. If the opening is smaller than needed, trim to fit. To increase depth, you can always add spacers/grilles,

I'm planning to ditch the stock 4" speakers for some 5.25" soon.

[biz77]

I guess the question is why? Is it just because there are more options available?

There is no need for the additional extension as you have an 8" woofer right under your ass that provides plenty of mid-bass and you can easily cross the 4" and an under seat woofer around 200hz and have nice integration between the two. Also, when you cross over a 4" driver at 200hz it's going to have considerable power handling. Lastly a 4" driver will have better off-axis frequency response and in the door of a car, that is exactly what you want.

[OneFierceSon]

Thanks for the replies guys.
And thanks for the links CTuna, Ive already read through most of those and there is a lot of good info in there I just hadn't seen anyone actually mount 5.25"s before. (maybe for good reason)

Those all seem to be pretty good reasons to stick with the 4's to but....My reasoning was since I was planning on switching to actual subs under the seats instead of mid woofers. I was thinking there would be big gap in frequency response between where the sub leaves off and the 4" mids come in, and that bigger mids would help shrink the gap. Not positive if this is the case or not as I have never heard sws-8xi subs in person and cant seem to find a frequency response rating for them. I'm thinking that if I can get good enough bass from the underseats then I don't have to give up any trunk space for a dedicated sub.

But if this is misguided I'm not dead set on going with 5.25"s and I will stick with 4's and try to find a good underseat midwoofer (seems like most of the ones in the speaker master list discontinued)
Either way I'd like to hear what others think so keep the replies rolling.

[Go Horns!]

1.75 inch depth is going to be cutting it close. 1.65 is about the max depth you should go. You will need to top mount the speaker on the door card.

The real problem will be making it look good.

[ctuna]

The subs are already mid woofers and have almost no output
with the stock amp(Hi Fi at least). I can see why you would want to put 5.25
in to better cover the midrange. Some 4 inchers go lower than others
the Morels are the best I have seen . Still the are physical iimitations
that can't be easily overcome due to speaker cone size .
Damm the design Engineers that think 4 inch and 3.5 inch speakers
are good idea in order to have swoopy doors.

[nvturbo]

There are way more options for 5.25" speakers than 4". Not too many manufacturers make their speakers in smaller sizes due to lack of demand.

[OneFierceSon]

well I always ruled out the morels because they were listed as "will not fit in e92 without heavy modification" on the speaker master list, but since you mentioned them again I actually looked into them. Specifically the morel hybrid 402 4"s https://www.crutchfield.com/p_210HYB...ybrid-402.html
They do seem like they reach really low in the frequency band for 4" speakers and they have better power handling than the luccents I linked above. Anyone seen these mounted in an e92 door? seems like it shouldn't be a problem mounting those, although the tweeter is listed as 28mm so I'm not sure if that is a problem.

[Damaskus325]

I am in the same boat. I just bought a set of Focal Polyglass VRS slim (https://www.crutchfield.com/S-8HGtyZ...s-100-VRS.html) second hand almost new. They will fit perfectly. The problem is, I also have a set of Boston Acoustics Pro50SE (https://www.crutchfield.com/S-hJTctB...-Pro50-SE.html) that I have had for some years and as good as the Focal sound, the Bostons are just better. They are 5 1/4 and 57mm deep top mounted. They are just too big without major modification and I am sad that I cant use them. They handle loads of good, clean power. This was why I was reluctant to let me E39 go. If anyone thinks that I can get these monsters in my doors, I am all ears.

[ctuna]

If you have the Bucks and are willing to modify your door
Panels . Jehnert Door boards.

[TheWatchGuy]

in my experience, you can usually get a good 4" speaker to cross over as low as a 5.25 will. There just arent many options at 4" like you said.

To mount the 5.25s, you will probably need to use a spacer to get them a touch more clearance, then trim up the backside of the door to make them fit. Or cut out the door and use a new grill in the door to make sure you dont have any clearance issues.

personally, I would leave the 8s under the seat as midbass, go with 4s (or 5.25s since there are a lot more options) for the midrange, and throw a small sub in a small box in the trunk. Do a fiberglass corner or wheel well box to keep it out of the way. It will honestly sound a lot better than making a small speaker try and go low.

[Asonchadwick]

Anyone thought of the seas 4 inch curv cone mids or full range??

I want to try a set.

[kaigoss69]

While I don't have my e90 any longer, I sometimes go through my old bookmarks when I'm bored and end up on this forum. If it were me with an e92 I'd top mount a good 4" midrange from Morel or AudioFrog (or some old school Bostons or JBLs), but only if they were driven by an aftermarket amp with a cleaned-up signal. If you're just looking to replace speakers and keep everything else OEM, go with Jehnert.

[OneFierceSon]

Yea, that's pretty much what I've decided. I'm going to end up using 4" morel hybrid 402's powered by a JBL xd600/6v2. Then depending how that sounds I will most likely switch the underseat woofers to sws earthquakes. I'll be sure to update with pics once everything is finished to maybe help others out in the future. Thanks for all the help guys.