NOBLEWV

I just bought a 2002 Protege ES on July 9, 2002. I understand (and have seen) that the 2002.5 Proteges have the tweeters in the upper part of the front door panels near the dash. The 2002's don't have this. I was wondering if the wiring for the new tweeters was already there in my Protege hiding behind that little triangle panel? I'm pretty much happy with the way the stock stereo sounds, but I would like the small tweeters that are in the 2002.5's. Does anybody know anything about this? Are they available? How much do they cost? etc...

Thanks...

NOBLEWV

Oh, and one other thing...

I noticed in my Mazda "dealer installed accessory" brochure, you could upgrade the stock speakers with a set of KENWOOD speakers for the front and back. Has anybody done this? How does it sound? and, I bet it's cheaper to just order the Kenwood speakers yourself than let the dealer do it for you.

Thanks...

pantherES

Since one else has answered, I'll give it a shot. I would assume that you don't have the wires already there. The only way that would be possible is if at the begining of the model year Mazda knew they were going to produce a 2002.5 model. The only way to know for sure is take it apart. Sorry I don't know for a fact. Good Luck.

douggie

If you have everything in stock, I would just leave it alone. That stock head unit is already pretty weak in pushing the 4 paper cone speakers. Adding 2 tweeters would just put more load on it and make it worse.

You can always upgrade to aftermarket component speakers and just mount the tweeter there or somewhere in the door (do a search). But this normally requires an amp to drive such speakers because they need more power to sound good

Dave Cameron

The responses are correct, there are no wires in the 2002 going up the door for placement. The tweeter set uses a pretty simple set of chokes off the standard wiring harness anyway.
The Kenwoods that Mazda offers are pretty stock fare for Kenwood, and can be found on E-Bay on a regular basis. They are much better than the paper cones that come stock, and will be driven by the integrated power of the headunit, so if all you desire is better speakers, keep them in mind.
They can be purchased other places for much less than Mazda prices though.
Find someplace and listen to the Kenwoods if you can, make sure you like the sound of speakers before you purchase them.
You can save a boatload of money by doing the install yourself.

NOBLEWV

Thanks a bunch! I appreciate your input. Okay, next question...... If I were to buy better replacement speakers, what sizes are in the doors and the rear dash panel? I'm sure (??) if I were to buy a "component system" with tweeters, front and rear speakers, plus an amp, I would definitely notice a difference in sound quality. I did a very simple install of a head unit I bought from Crutchfield in my 92 Protege and noticed that there was an extra wire in the harness labeled "amp turn on." Does my 2002 stock head unit have this or will I have to mess with the wiring to get things cranking? Will the amp come on when I switch on the stock head unit?

Sorry for all the questions... I've used the search feature for speakers, amps, tweeters, etc. I find A TON of threads on these topics, but everybody seems to be doing something different. I get confused. LOL!! I don't want to be able to shatter the windshield in my car with sound, but I do want to have nice sounding tunes in my car. I drive ALOT and tunes are what keeps me going. Thanks!

pantherES

If you are looking for simple try www.crutchfield.com. You can input your vehicle year and model and they will give you a list of easy fits. You can find speakers a little cheaper elsewhere, but you'll know what you are looking for.