Prius C2 speaker upgrade

I have been wanting to replace the stock speakers for some time now. Well, I got new speakers for Christmas, 2 sets of Rockford Fosgate Prime R-165S R1 6.5" component speakers. Unfortunately, I didn't take pics while I was doing the install because it took a lot of time and my garage was only about 35°. However, I do have some comments.

1) None of the speakers are direct replacement. They will all need modification.
2) For the tweeters in the front, I used a Dremel to cut off the tweeter flush with the front of the bracket. I then used JB Kwik to build up a flat surface to mount to. And lastly, I mounted the flat tweeter mount to the bracket using the JB Kwik in approximately the same location as the original tweeters.
3) To remove the lower speakers, you will need to drill out the rivets holding the large plastic speaker frame to the door.
4) For the four lower speakers, I reused the existing speaker mount. I cut out around the speaker cone with a knife. Then I used a Dremel to cut out the plastic legs holding the driver. This will leave you with a nice bracket to mount the 6.5" speakers in.
5) In the rear of the C there are two small shelves on either side of the cover for the back storage area. These made a great location to put the rear tweeters using the angled tweeter mounts that came with the speakers.
6) After running the rear tweeter writes from the back of the car up to the door pillars for the rear doors, I checked the writing harness from the door. The speaker writes in the rear doors are white with a stripe of color. You can determine which color is which from a writing diagram (search the audio forums and you will find it). However, the wires from the harness in the pillar uses solid wires. The solid color wire in the pillar matches the striped color in the door. I.e. Black wire in pillar = black striped speaker write in the door.

Now, the results are incredible. The original speakers are like paper plates, so upgrading the stereo for performance is useless unless you are replacing the speakers. I know the prime series speakers are entry level, but the difference is amazing. The install does take time and effort, but it is well worth it and I would do it again, even in 35° weather.

If you choose to install new speakers, I hope the descriptions above help. And good luck.

 

The thread below is where I found the wiring diagram. Thanks ROLOPR.

wiring diagram for speakers? im having issues | PriusChat

 

The thread linked below is where I got the idea to reuse the original speakers as mounting brackets. Thanks SinisterSpatula.

Installed new speakers in C2 - my experience | PriusChat

 

This is a pic of the tweeter on one side. Kinda hard to get both in one shot.

 

If I can in the next few days, I will pull a door and put up pics of the speakers mounted in the door.

As a side note, I also have an 8" Rockford Fosgate Punch subwoofer in the trunk to round things out.

 

The sub and amp are probably at least 10 years old having been in each of my last 2 cars. The amp is a Pioneer GM-X542. I have it connected with the low level inputs.

 

Also, as many people have found, the space under the passenger seat is a great place for an amp. In my car, the amp is small enough, it doesn't even block the heat vent. Plus, this is a great location for running power wires. The box that the sub is in is undersized and was not made custom for this car. It was actually made for my previous car but works well enough for this one.

 

I wasn't able to get pictures of the speakers in the doors before going in vacation. I will try when I get back in a week or so.