Speakers for the AIV Roadster

[IkeCan]

I replaced the speakers in my Roadster. The original Eclipse speakers are no longer produced. I found out the hard way that most of the grills on 5 1/4 inch speakers do not fit. On my 1998 Roadster the grills needed to be no larger than 6 inches in diameter. I looked at a half of dozen speakers and all of the grills were slightly larger. I finally found that Kicker Model DS525 fit perfectly. Hope this will help others who need to replace their speakers.

[99panoz]

Your speakers are between the seats are they not? I believe that a few of the latter 98' VIN's had the speakers in the dash like the 1999 AIV's.

I just replaced the factory Alpine SCS-1356 speakers in my 99' AIV a few weeks ago with Alpine's newest SPR-50C's and I must say that I'm simply AMAZED at the difference in sound quality. Of course the SCS's were the old paper cone type rated at 40W RMS (140W Peak) and the newer SPR's are 100W RMS (300W Peak) with silk dome tweeters and separate network crossovers. The speakers fit in perfectly but the new replacement tweeters were slightly larger than the originals thus requiring me to enlarge the dash/tweeter openings........not a big deal and the final result was well worth the minimal effort and expense.
I would highly recommend this upgrade to any 99' AIV owner.

[IkeCan]

Yes, the speakers are located in between the seats. Not the best place for speakers. If you are not careful, when you get in and out of the car you will place you elbow on top of the speaker. When I bought the car everything was perfect except for the speakers. The grills were dented and the speakers were shot.

I did not know that the '99 cars had the speakers under the dash. A much better location!! Does your car have a glove compartment box between the seats?

[99panoz]

Yes, they replaced the speaker location from between the seats to the dash on some very late 98's (I believe) and all of the 99's had them in the dash. By relocating the speakers, they were able to incorporate the glove box between the seats thus enabling some much needed storage space and getting a much better sound from the stereo. In fact & by definition, it's hard to get true "stereo" sound from the pre 99' AIV's when all of the sound is coming from and into your right ear.
Below are some pictures of the glove box between the seats and pictures of the tweeters in the dash. The speakers are mounted just below the tweeters (pointing down).
Also on your speaker upgrade since the newer speakers are able to handle more power than the factory originals, you may want to play with bumping up the gain setting on your amp a little to ensure your getting the most that the speakers can offer.

[IkeCan]

Thanks, I am finding the sound is much improved with the new speakers. I agree moving the speakers to the dash was a good move. Not only is the sound better (real stereo), but many who get in the car place their elbow on top of the speaker grill. I am sure that is how my speakers were damaged by the previous owner.

I am learning a lot about options for parts from other Roadster owners. I recently bought all of the front and back signal lights (as spares) from an owner in California who converted all of his lights to LED. He had found a source in England for the LED lights. He actually has a spare back up light on E-Bay that he is selling. He also replaced his front fenders with Alumium fenders. He found a motorcycle fender that he could modify for his car.

I also meet a fellow owner driving his car in the area. His car is almost a twin of mine. He had replaced his seats with a set of carbon fiber seats. Very impressive....but at this time I want to keep my car as original as possible. Have you done any modifications to your car?

[99panoz]

I've made a few modifications to my car & like you, I too wanted to keep the car as close to stock as possible. The changes or upgrades that I've made were rather minor in form and I actually viewed them to be more as a best described "corrective" change that should have been originally performed at the factory. Some of my changes include:

Replaced the factory stereo speakers (Alpine to Alpine but of much better quality)
Replaced the brake rotors to cross drilled (couldn't stand the rusted rotors that was on there)
Replaced the exhaust manifold with shorty headers (again, couldn't stand the look of the rusty manifold plus the shorty's weigh less & add 3-5 additional HP)
Removed the entire exhaust system and then had it ceramic coated along w/ the new headers (provided a seamless look, dissipates heat better and no more rust)
While my car was at the factory, I had JRD replace the rear gear to a 3.73 final drive (this was the gear that Panoz wanted to put in the car originally but could'nt due to EPA/MPG issues)
Replaced the stock throttle body with an Accufab TB (looks better, provides a quicker throttle response and also gained 5-7 HP - see picture below as compared to stock)
Replaced my wind wings with custom made tempered glass versions - same size and shape but just made from glass (no matter how careful you may be, the factory Lexan versions would always end up getting scratched and looked horrible)

As I say they were indeed minor changes and certainly nothing that would alter the car in any major way, but for what the car originally cost ($70K in 1999 dollars), one would have thought that these type of items would have just been standard on such a car.

BTW, I kept all of the original parts in case I ever sold the car and someone wanted to return it to its original format.

[IkeCan]

Smart choices! I like the way everything you have done stays with the car's theme, and like you said probably should have been done when the car was built.

How did you decide on the 3.73 rear end? Does it make a big difference in accelleration? I believe the car was built with a 3.27 ratio rear end. Did you have the speedometer gear changed as well?

I hope to follow the same path you have taken. My car is 100% original, nothing has been done to it. The only non stock item on the car is a trickle battery charger and new tires! But I do see the rust on the exhaust and would like to make minor changes to improve performance. I thought about supercharging the engine, but I am not up to either the cost or work involved.

Is your steering rod showing rust? I am toying with the idea of getting it rechromed.

Last question, could you tell me who you went with to make your Wind Wings? I definately want to replace the Lexar ones.

[99panoz]

The 3.73 was suggested by the guys at the factory but was installed by JRD Tuning (Panoz's on-site tuner). Johan took care of everything including the gear swap as well as the spedo update. As for the difference in performance, I'd say that it was worth the price of the upgrade ($825). You're not really going to notice any quicker 0-60 times but you will definitely feel it in the seat under acceleration. It also made 5th gear much more useable.

My steering rod isn't showing any rust but if it were I'd definitely have to have it either rechromed or replaced. I'm just very particular about those types of things....... In fact, on my car any bolt that ever showed any signs of rust or dullness have since been replaced with stainless steel hardware.
My guess is, if you are noticing it then it is likely bothering you and you're probably not going to be satisfied until you do.

The wind wings were made by a glass tempering company local to where I live but any glass tempering company can do it. Mine were made to the following specifications:

3/16" thick clear plate glass
Pencil polished edge
Pre-drilled before tempering

I took them the original Lexan wing as a pattern and the new ones mounted back perfectly. I also replaced my hardware on the mounting brackets with stainless steel and included some rubber washers under the flat washers just to give it some extra "cushion" (no metal is in direct contact with the wing). For the few dollars more that they will charge you, go ahead and get them to make you an extra wing just in case you ever break one. It will be a lot cheaper now that they're producing than to have one re-made later.

[IkeCan]

Your reply came at a perfect time! I was sending out my wind wings for a quote on the glass. I revised my quote to three panes versus two. Having a spare is a great idea. I arrived at the same place on the thickness of the glass as well as the edge finish.

I know that I will need to pull the steering rod assembly and have it rechromed. It's amazing that nothing else on the engine has any rust on it. The original chrome plating must have been defective.

[sshrum]

What rotors did you end up with? I'm thinking of taking the brakes apart to paint the calipers and would like to switch out the rotors during the process.

[sshrum]

Looking at upgrading the TB on mine. Found this for $340:

http://www.americanmuscle.com/ac96cobuthbo.html

Did you run into any snags installing it. Seems straight forward.

[99panoz]

Looking at upgrading the TB on mine. Found this for $340:

http://www.americanmuscle.com/ac96cobuthbo.html

Did you run into any snags installing it. Seems straight forward.

Not exactly straight forward. On the 1996-1998 Cobra installations, the bridge between the dual-hole intake manifold must be ground or cut out so as to permit the installation of the larger single blade Accufab throttle body. It will be necessary to remove the upper intake manifold lid to accomplish this. Once you reinstall the manifold and mount the new TB, then you'll likely have to adjust the throttle position sensor. This is a bit time consuming and requires a little patience. Again, not sure what your skill level is in auto mechanics but this isn't a project for the novice. The good news is that Accufab has an absolute top notch technical support department who is always available to help.♦

[sshrum]

@99panoz: I'm researching rotors for the 99 Roadster...rear are 1996 Thunderbird Super Coupe. I'm asked on some sites for a submodel: standard or sport suspension. Do you know which one it is? TIA

[sshrum]

Opps stole the thread...sry.