How to install tweeter, Easy and Quick Methods, and Tips

Not satisfied with the car's audio system? Thinking of installing some tweeters? Well, that's a very wise decision you have made.

Installing tweeters in your car will improve the car’s stereo quality by a lot. However, not everyone knows how to install tweeters in their cars. That’s why I am going to share some methods and tips regarding installing tweeters in your car.

Without wasting any time, let’s get going with it. 

Before you go ahead and learn to install tweeters, you should know about the different types of tweeters for a car.

Related: improve car sound quality

Types of tweeters 

First, let's talk about the different types of tweeters you can get for your car audio system.

• Dome tweeters

Dome tweeters are the most used tweeters you can find out there. They have a dome-like design with an aluminum wire on the dome's rim and has a suspension. The part that moves in a dome tweeter goes on a plastic frame and a placed on a ring magnet.

There are many types of dome tweeters; some are made of fabric or silk, and some are made of different metals. The softer domes produce better sound, but they are fragile. Whereas the metal domes are stiff, which is why they tend to have a ringing sound.

• Cone tweeters 

Cone tweeters are tweeters that are made of paper. This is a reason they are pretty fragile and prone to damage. However, that doesn’t take away that these are some quality speakers that can produce crisp and clean highs. Also, they are not that expensive to make. However, you can’t see many cone speakers these days.

• Piezo tweeters 

if you want to get some efficiency out of your tweeters, then these are your best bet. They come with a crystal material, also known as piezo material. The current flow through this material and responds to the frequencies and amplitude flowing through it. That’s how you get the sounds.

The advantage of these tweeters is that they produce loud high frequencies without needing too much power.

• Ribbon tweeters 

Ribbon tweeters are a bit unique in shape and nature as well. With ribbon tweeters, you get to see a thin and flat diaphragm. These can produce great responsiveness from the speaker, which brings out a great detailed resolution. They are also quite light.

While they have the quality going on, they can be a bit expensive. And they aren’t very effective when it comes to producing lower highs.

• Plasma tweeters

Tweeters can't go more futuristic than this one, at least not in several more years. These are tweeters that work with an ionized gas that is electrically charged. They have a very complex mechanism of working, which makes them very responsive without having to use too much current.

Aside from these fundamental tweeters, you can find a lot of variety in them, such as horn tweeters, super tweeters, concentric tweeters, and so on.

Related: Focal Speakers reviews

Primary types of mounting options

Now, just knowing about the tweeters won’t cut the deal for you. You have to know about different mounting options as well. There are 4 primary types of mounting options available for you.

1. Surface mounting

Surface mounting is the mounting option where you will be installing the tweeters on the surface of the location. Here, you first put the tweeter into a cup and then place the cup on the surface. The issue with surface mounting is that it can be seen, and it may ruin the looks inside your car.

2. Bottom mounting 

If there are grills or holes in your car for tweeters, you can easily do this. All you have to do here is push the tweeter into the grills, and that’s pretty much it. It's the easiest way to mount a tweeter in your car, and you don't have to damage your car in any way either.

3. Flush mounting 

When you want to make sure the interior of your car stays clean, this is the way you should be mounting your tweeter. To do this mounting, you have to make a hole on your door or dashboard, depending on where you want to place it.

Then, you can put the tweeters inside the hole, and they stay flushed in the interior. This will give you a clean and smooth look with the tweeter installation.

4. Angle mounting 

These days angle mounting is the best way to mount your tweeters in your car. It gives the option for adjustments and brings out the bass in an effective way. Car manufacturers nowadays are providing this kind of mounting option in their cars for the quality of it.

So, now that you know these mounting options, here are some suitable locations to mount your tweeters in your car as well.

• Upper door: To mount your tweeter on the upper door, you have to go with flush mounting. You can drill a hole if the panel is large enough to fit the tweeter.
• “A” pillar: The “A” pillar is the place between your front window and the windshield. You can use surface mounting to mount your tweeter in this place, as you can create a hole here.
• Sail panel: Many sail panels have a place to install your tweeter in them. So, in this case, you can go for a bottom mount. But if there is no allotted place, you can create a hole and go for flush mounting.
• Dashboard: This is the most popular and perfect location to install your tweeters. Many cars even have allotted space for tweeters in the dashboard. So, bottom mounting should be an easy thing to do here.

And that’s it for all the general knowledge you needed before mounting your tweeters in your car. Now, let’s get onto the actual process and see how to install them in the first place.

How to install tweeters to speakers

First, I will tell you how to install your tweeters to speakers, which is the most common method. Usually, this is the general way of installing your tweeter.

1. The first thing you have to do here is cut off the power of your car. So, turn off the engine and take out the negative terminal off the battery. This is done for safety.
2. Next, look for the speakers and tweeters in your car. Different cars have different placements for it. Sometimes you may need to open up some panels for it as well.
3. Remove the speakers or tweeters you want to replace. You can use screwdrivers or knives to remove any wiring from the speakers.
4. Now, you have to add the crossover of your new tweeters and add them to the main power source.
5. Then you have to connect the wire from the crossover with higher frequency to your tweeter and wire tweeters to speakers. And do the same with a lower frequency to the woofer.
6. Lastly, you have to mount your tweeter to your desired mounting location. Make sure that all the components are fitting perfectly and you have done the wiring properly.

How to wire tweeters to speakers? That’s it for the installation of tweeters to your speakers, and it’s that simple. Now, let's check out other ways to install tweeters because this may be the default way, but it may not be suitable all the time.

Related: How to connect car stereo wires

How to install tweeters to amp

If you want to install your tweeters to amp, the basic process is pretty similar. You still have to cut off any electrical connection in your car by disconnecting the negative battery terminal. Aside from that, you have to emphasize the connections mostly. Here’s what you can do-

• You have to connect the tweeters to the unused amp channels to make sure it’s working. To do that, you simply follow along the wires, both positive and negative, on the amp. And you have to make sure it matches the polarity of the tweeters as well. This way, you can easily connect your tweeters to the amp.
• Another way to make sure is to connect the tweeters to the same connections as the speakers. You have to make sure the connections maintain the same polarity with the speakers and the amp.

How to install tweeters without crossover

If you have tweeters without any crossover, then don't worry at all. You can still install your tweeters without crossover; here's how you do so-

1. The basic cutting of the power and turning off the engine are pretty much the same. Then you have to remove the panels where the tweeters or speakers are located.
2. Then, you mount the speakers in your car using your preferred mounting method.
3. Here is the real part you should be concerned with. The wiring of the tweeters without crossover will be the tricky thing to do. Here, you will have to make sure that you are using the right polarities and using connectors to connect the wires from the tweeters.
4. Then, you have to solder the wires to secure the connection. But before you do that, make sure the polarities are right; otherwise, it can cause a short circuit.

Last words 

To sum up, knowing how to install tweeters can be pretty handy as it’s not that difficult to do. You don’t need to be an expert to install tweeters. With some simple instructions, you can do it yourself.

And now that you know all about it, you shouldn’t have any problems figuring things out. As for the installation method, always try going for the default installation with the speakers and crossovers. It’s the perfect way to install your tweeters in your car.