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Comments
You read my mind. There must be someone who's replaced their stock wheels and has them sitting in their garage. If not, the $200 deal at 800wheels.com looks like the next best bet. My neighbor (also a 2000 model) had his aluminum wheel on his spare tire bracket, so it must fit.
Koert
-mike
Recently a 98 Trooper owner over at VMAG (Mike in FLA) described how he had installed Alpine 5.25 inch speakers in the rear pillars of his Trooper simply by trimming some of the metal away from the Alpine's mounting tabs. I went to Circuit City and bought Alpine 1329's for $57 on sale. These are 5.25 inch coaxials. They did not fit the mounting holes in 95, but I decided to drill the new holes since everything would disappear behind the stock speaker grill. After drilling the new screw holes the speakers dropped right into the cutouts in the pillars.
I could not believe the difference in sound. (I left one 402 installed and put in one Alpine to test.) The 402 sounded like a tinny AM radio in comparison. With both Alpine's installed the overall volume is much higher and there is now decent bass coming from the rear pillars.
Even though your first inclination is to not drill the holes, it is a five minute procedure for each side and looks completely stock since it all fits behind the stock grills. More importantly, the improvement in sound quality is well worth it. It is likely that you will have similar results going to the larger Polk 502's (if you haven't returned them already).
Regards, Marty
95 Trooper LS
Can you clarify some things for me, I too have a 99/auto.
1.)Did you put coils on to get the 1-1/2" lift?
2.)Sway Bars to get lift or stiffness?
So far you've got me sold on the shocks, it sounds like the OME's do what Bilstiens do for other vehicles. I'm not sure if I need the coils
for my usage. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
This is exciting, I'm sure a 5.25" would be better than a 4" if it can be done without extensive cutting...
You do NOT have to modify the size of the cutout to fit the speaker itself. It fits fine with respect to both diameter and depth. And yes, it all fits beneath the stock speaker grill.
It is a very easy job but makes a huge difference in sound. I can't believe I listened to those wimpy 4-inch speakers for so long! And for the price (under $60) the Alpines are a bargain compared to the $79 Polk 402's.
Rgds, Marty
95 Trooper LS
I'm glad I saw your post before buying 4" speakers for the rear!
As to preventing damage in a rear-end collision, it likely won't do much but every little bit helps is my theory. I think its other main purpose is to prevent parking dings where someone taps the plastic bumper. I might also save the day off-road sometime when a tall rock springs up out of nowhere during a late-night 3-point turn.
Thanks for your review and how to on the Polk 502's. I noticed a big improvement when I upgraded all speakers to Clarion 2 ways, but like others noticed the rears don't fill the space with as much sound as the fronts. I look forward to trying the 502's with my Alpine CD Player.
In the last month or so I bought some Polk dx4 speakers for the rear of my 98 Trooper. I probably should have been ambitious and gone with a larger speaker back there, but I was feeling lazy and when somebody mentioned here that he had a used pair in great shape for sale, I jumped at the chance.
I suppose I might upgrade in the future, but it would be hard convincing my wife to let me do it...
I think they look better without them.
Bottom line is that your Trooper's audio will benefit from a larger speaker back there, whether 5-inch or 5.25 inch, Alpine, Polk or other.
Good luck, Marty
95 Trooper LS
I would have also installed the 602's in the front but the folks at Crutchfield only sent one set of adapter plugs with the speakers. That being said Crutchfield seems like a worthwhile place. They have great technical support, good prices, they include the adapters at no charge which makes installation a snap and would otherwise cost an extra $5 per pair at most places. So they screw up a shipment here and there. They promised to make it right and I'm only waiting another couple of days. I can easily live with that.
- The Polk 402a (4-inch) and Polk 501a (5-inch) will both fit the rear pillar with no mods required whatsoever. Just drop in and screw 'em down.
- The Polk 502a, which is a 5.25-inch speaker, will require drilling four new screw holes. Same for the Alpine 1329, which is also a 5.25-inch speaker.
Central indicates that the Polk 501 (5-inch) is a significant improvement over stock 4-inch paper speaker. I would agree. Having used the Polk 402a (4-inch) for six months and now recently upgrading to the Alpine 1329 (5.25 inch) I can say that in this instance bigger is definitely better.
Rgds, Marty
95 Trooper LS
-mike
I checked around and found them for my Trooper at www.autobarn.com. The ones I ordered were part # 94015 (listed under the Wind Deflector section). The web listing says they fit 92-00 Troopers, but they also fit my '01 LS. The instructions were more than just the typical generic junk. These actually explain how to mount them on the Trooper.
- Pop off the small triangular trim piece inside the door that holds the tweeter and also covers up the three 10mm bolts that hold the mirror in place. I popped the trim off with my fingers - just pressed forward on the vertical side and pulled out slightly. It came right off. One of the bolts is covered up with adhesive-backed foam, but the 10mm socket slipped right on it and worked okay.
- Loosen the bolts a few turns until the deflector fits between the rubber gasket and the rubber window channel. You don't need (or want) to take the bolts all the way out. Once the deflectors are in place, tighten the three bolts and snap the trim back in place. Total of about 20 mins to do all four doors.
- Just a hint - make sure to test fit and know exactly where you're gonna stick them before you expose the adhesive. Oh yeah, wipe down the area where you'll attach them with the supplied alcohol wipes. Also, keep an eye to aligning the front and rear door deflectors on each side of the vehicle so that they wind up at the same height. It looks a lot better that way. I know, because I got the passenger side rear door deflector about 1/4" higher than the front door. Oh well, my wife sees it but I don't ;-)
- Only tool needed is something to loosen and re-tighten the mirrors. A 10mm socket on either a ratchet drive or socket handle works fine. Once exposed, there's nothing that limits access to the bolt heads, so you could also use an adjustable wrench (crescent type) or even a large phillips head screwdriver, as the bolts are also phillips slotted.
Total damage was $52.95. They have a special going that gives free shipping on orders over $50. I ordered last Wednesday and got them (via UPS 3-day) on Monday.
When I put them on my pickup, I worried about how long the adhesive would last. I could just imagine one of them falling off and then it would look like @#&^%#. Well, next month will make 7 years and they are still firmly in place.
HTH,
Charlie
P.S. Hope this looks okay - spell check messed it up and I've tried to edit it after posting. Any mistakes are NOT mine ;-)
-mike
I had checked hotrod-offroad.com and they were $42 and change there but they wanted $10 in shipping. I also plan to check the local Wal-Mart as at the time I got the Pathfinder units they also had ones for the Trooper. If that doesn't work Pep Boys carries such items and will usually special order the models they don't stock as well as match Wal-Mart's price.
I also appreciate the detailed information about loosening the mirror. If nothing else I will know to allow a little extra time when planning the work.
Again, thanks for the information.
With the first set still firmly stuck after 7 years, I guess that your approach would be pretty safe, too.
Charlie
-mike
I've been doing some research on back up aids for my new Trooper. Have anyone ever installed one ?
how well it really works? Please,let me know.
My wife just backed up into a Lexus and cost me 1200 bucks...
Anyone ever heard about R.O.S.S.( Rostra Obstacle Sensing System )? It seems to be the best system on the market, Somehow; the installation makes me kinda nervous ... Please, help me out if you could.
thanks
The only trick to the spacers is that they are pre-cut for 4 screw holes when the Isuzu design uses 3. I just used an ice pick to punch small holes for the 3 hole layout. In fact this was an overall advantage as the spacers held the screws and themselves in place during the installation.
I found that the mounting holes in the speakers were about a millimeter off from perfectly aligning with the mounting holes in my door. I had to start the longer screws at a slight angle in order to reach the mounting holes.
I used the free adapters from Crutchfield so that I could just plug into the factory harness and onto the speaker wiring lugs. These adapters had very tight tolerances requiring quite a bit of pressure to push on to the speakers. Rather than take a chance on pushing too hard on the speakers I first took a small screwdriver and spread open the Crutchfield connector just a tad. This made the connection easier and still very secure. Using the 6" long adapters means I now have an extra 6" of wire behind the speakers. To keep this from flopping around I cable tied it out of the way.
Again, this was an easy, very doable project. It was just a couple of minutes longer than I thought it would be.
-mike
http://isuzu-suvs.com
-mike
-mike
I think when I upgrade the basic, stock cassette/tuner I will be more able to get the most out of both sets of speakers. In any event, I am much more satisfied with the post upgrade sounds. I also suspect these speakers will last much longer than the factory ones.
Here's the link to the shop where I got my Lund Interceptor bug guard (Central 4WD). There's also a picture there. It attaches under the lip of the hood with 4 screws - same ones the factory guard uses. They have it on sale right now for $49.99.
Also, how are the Rancho's and EMU springs doing with the body roll? Are you cornering a little flatter now? Does the ride feel more controlled? How much firmer is it? Like does it rattle your teeth going over a small bump? I'm thinking about the same setup - planning to start with shocks first and working from there.
http://www.central4wd.com/gocart/itemdetail.asp?ID=743
-mike
The shocks are N15/N65 and the springs are OME912?
Also, what are you guys paying for installation on the springs. I'm getting quotes of $15.00/ea. for shocks, is that in the ballpark?
Thanks
-mike
Thanks.
Let me know if you find a better price on OME shocks....last time I checked 4 Wheel Parts online had them for 60.99 each.
They have also installed my torsion bars and rear OME coils. They also did installation work on my Toyota LC. So far I've been very happy with them and will continue to go back there.
You will LOVE the OME shocks - they are truly outstanding. They ride easy when slow going over rough stuff, then ride perfect at 85mph on bad highways - all due to the excellent valving and robust workmanship. Just wait and see!
If 4 Wheel parts comes close, I'll go for that. They quoted me $15.00 per shock for installation and said they need to look at the vehicle to determine how much the coils would be.
Does anyone know @ how much one full turn on the torsion bars lift it. My intension is to lift it to the max. but maintain factory alignment.
I'll let you know when I get the other quotes.
-mike
Here's the exact E-mail:
Hello
We don't carry the OME suspension components anymore but they would be $59.95 each if you would want us to order them.
Please let us know if you find a better price elsewhere, We wont be undersold!!!!
!!!NO REASONABLE OFFER REFUSED!!!
If I can be of any further assistance feel free to call toll free 877-474-4821 ext. 5616
Ray Sanchez.
With an attitude like that, I think we have a winner here! Thanks to all for the lead and advice on the torsion bar adjustment.
I am speaking from a position of no experience here, so I might be wrong. However, I believe that it would be better to install upgraded torsion bars along with the springs. That would properly balance the front and rear spring rates.
I am interested in hearing from those of you who have only upgraded the rear springs. Has your handling suffered?
Tom