Door Speakers & Subwoofers in my Leaf

[Randy]

Hi Gary,
Enough of the wiring matched the factory manual that it gave me some good clues about which wires were positive and how they were wired into the plug. I posted a new photo above showing the cut ends and the wires I saved. I ended up making the assumption that all of the (+) wires were on the same side of the plug and I kept it consistent that way. I did not do any battery phasing checks, etc. but just ended up wiring all 4 speakers the same way...

By the way, I forgot to mention this...Has anyone put their ear up to the factory tweeters to see how much sound they put out? It's close to none

[Randy]

NIce job. As a note,

4) if you are cutting the factory speaker cage and not going back to stock just cut the factory speaker wire and crimp new ends on for the new speakers.

Thanks, EVDriver.

Because the factory harness plugs into the speaker right at the edge (on the outside), I don't believe that the wires will reach the rear of the new speakers. After soldering on the Metra wires with the speaker connectors (about 5 inches long), I had only an extra inch or two of wire by the time they went all the into the bracket and connected to the rear of the speakers.

So if you install a traditional speaker with the connector at the edge of the magnet, I think you'll need some sort of wire extenders for the factory harness to reach...

[Herm]

what is that flashing tape normally used for?

[EVDRIVER]

what is that flashing tape normally used for?

Sealing windows and such.

[EVDRIVER]

NIce job. As a note,

4) if you are cutting the factory speaker cage and not going back to stock just cut the factory speaker wire and crimp new ends on for the new speakers.

Thanks, EVDriver.

Because the factory harness plugs into the speaker right at the edge (on the outside), I don't believe that the wires will reach the rear of the new speakers. After soldering on the Metra wires with the speaker connectors (about 5 inches long), I had only an extra inch or two of wire by the time they went all the into the bracket and connected to the rear of the speakers.

So if you install a traditional speaker with the connector at the edge of the magnet, I think you'll need some sort of wire extenders for the factory harness to reach...

Yes, that is usually the case, you can just make a pigtail meaning there is no need to get special connectors. When doing speaker upgrades with an amp I always run new wire and the factory wire is a bit small when using higher powered amps. As far as you tweeter observation related to sound level, this is very dependent on source material.

[gascant]

what is that flashing tape normally used for?

Sealing windows and such.

Exactly. More specifically, modern windows have nailing flanges around their perimeters. A quality window installation consists of a layer of housewrap or cheap "window flashing" applied to the framing, followed by the nailing up of the window. The flashing tape is then applied over the flanges on top, L and R sides and acts as a seal to keep out water (the bottom is left open for drainage). You can tell the difference between a quality builder and a lesser one--the lesser one will just glob a bunch of cheap caulk over the nailing flange to seal it. You can use this flashing tape to make some minor roof repairs as well.

[Herm]

By the way, I forgot to mention this...Has anyone put their ear up to the factory tweeters to see how much sound they put out? It's close to none

before or after the speaker switch?

[Randy]

Sorry, I was talking about before the switch. I haven't contorted my body yet to get back in that position with my ear right up there by the tweeter with the new speakers installed

[GeekEV]

Thanks for doing the research Randy! I just did this upgrade myself tonight with help from my brother. I elected to disconnect the factory tweeters after all as they add this high frequency "scraping" to the sound. Depending on how much high frequency hearing loss you have, you might not notice. It definitely sounds better! A long term listening test will confirm...

[gascant]

A bunch of early delivery owners were bemoaning the stereo system a while back--I still think it's a shame that, as quiet as the LEAF is (and I've ridden in it 3 times now), Nissan didn't elect to put in a Bose sound system like the one that's in my wife's Altima Hybrid. Maybe they were trying to save some money? I would gladly have paid for it despite my high frequency hearing loss.