What Size Speakers Fit My Car?

One of the biggest upgrades you can make to your vehicle is adding car speakers. While someone may not notice something under the hood or even new rims at first glance, upgrading your speaker system is a way to improve your audio quality immediately.

Stock issued speakers aren’t horrible by any stretch of the imagination, but they’re just not the same as properly made speakers for your vehicle. Soon, you’ll be hearing plenty of rich, deep bass and clear vocals.

It will definitely be hard to ever return to regular audio.

These days, there are so many speaker options out there that it can be overwhelming. First, you have to decide what upgrade you want to make. Then, you’ll have to see if these speakers can even fit in your vehicle.

The easiest thing you can do is buy speakers that fit in your car immediately and don’t require any modifications. That either means a bigger headache for you or more money you’ll have to give to a professional to finish the installation.

So how do you go about finding the ideal car speaker size? Not every speaker is the same and you’ll have to do some proper investigating and measuring before you can find the optimal speakers.

Below, we have a small guide that will help you in determining which speakers will work best for you and your vehicle. Keep reading to find out!

How To Measure Car Speaker Sizes

It’s time to break out the tape measure or ruler to help you find out your speaker’s measurements. For reference, all measurements are going to be in inches.

Speaker Diameter

Going back to your high school math class, you’ll remember that the diameter is the length from one end of the circle to the other. So, therefore, your speaker diameter is the length between one end of the speaker to the other.

Thankfully, speakers all have pretty standard sizes. You’ll need to measure closely to find out which one it is. Those standard sizes are:

• 5-inch
• 5.25-inch
• 5X7 inches
• 6.5-inch
• 6X9 inches
• 3.5-inch
• 4-inch
• 4X6
• 4X10
• 6X8

Very rarely will you see speakers that come in different sizes, but always measure twice and write once to be sure.

The 6.5-inch speaker tends to be one of the most uniform and regularly the best ones out there because it offers a number of customization options and configurations you can make.

It’s important to note that overall speaker size does not denote the diameter because it’s more of a category than a precise measurement. So don’t freak out if your speakers happen to be 5.3-inches instead of 5.25. The actual diameter can vary greatly.

Another measurement you should be taking into account is the cutout diameter. What is this? This is the mounting space size for your speakers. You will have to measure the width of the basket underneath the speaker flange.

Mounting Depth

Mounting depth is different from the mounting space. This refers to the distance below the speaker flange to the base of the speaker’s magnet. You need to measure this carefully as you don’t want your shiny new speakers to be bumping into the inner part of the car.

Not only will this distort the sound and cause rattling, but it’s also going to damage your speakers over time.

Mounting Height

To measure this, you need to start at the bottom of the flange to the highest point of the speaker. With this information, you’ll be able to make sure that your speakers aren’t bumping into grills and whatnot.

Knowing this, you can also get your spacer ready for the tweeters that are protruding out to the sides.

Mounting Screw Width

This is optional, but it never hurts to have as many measurements as possible. For this, you can either measure the screw width or drill a hole in order to best accommodate your new speakers.

Generally speaking, speakers have elongated mounting holes so you won’t have to drill holes yourself.

Installation Space

When looking where to install your speakers, you’ll find slots on the door panel, back rear, and front-rear. It doesn’t hurt to measure the holes as well. That way, you can have an idea of the size of speakers that they could accommodate.

With the correct measurements, you shouldn’t run into any big problems but it helps to be as prepared as possible.

Alternate Measuring Methods

If you find yourself in a position where you can’t measure your car’s original speakers or you just don’t feel like doing it, there are other methods to obtain accurate measurements.

Speaker Brackets

If you’re looking for recommendations for your speaker sizes, you can check out the speaker brackets themselves. You can see if they have markets that indicate the speaker measurements that they can accommodate.

If you are unable to find these markers, then your car doesn’t have this unique, interesting feature. Not every car model is going to be blessed with these markets, so you might have to make do with the other tips presented.

The Car Manual

Ah yes, that giant brick of a book that you looked at when you purchased the vehicle and have probably looked at three times since then. Believe it or not, it does have incredibly valuable information inside!

Head over to the audio systems tab or section and check the OEM speaker size. In addition to telling you the size, it should also have basic instructions or a small guide to help you find what you’re looking for.

In case you lost your manual, you can either request one from the dealer or head online. Remember to use CTRL+F for finding exactly what you want.

Going in Blind?

If you don’t have any measurements at all and don’t feel like looking them up, there are also other ways to find out.

Ask a Pro

Overall, this is the safest option. If you want to make sure that you are going to buy the right speakers for your vehicle, you should ask a professional to take a look. Even someone at a local store may have some car audio knowledge and can help you find the best option.

If you do decide to go the professional route, you may want to go ahead and make the purchase and have them install it for you. Some places may charge you more to install speakers that weren’t bought from them, so it’s best to buy and install in the same place.

Manufacturer

If you’re feeling risky, you can always take a chance and simply purchase a set of speakers that you have your eye on. You can always try to email or call the manufacturer to see if they have any extra knowledge that may come in handy.

The Internet

Isn’t the internet a wonderful place? You can find anything there from funny cat costume ideas to even information about car audio installation.

Crutchfield is a great website that will help you determine if a set of speakers is right for your car. Many times, Amazon will even have a compatibility guide to help you pick out the right speakers.

It’s pretty easy, you’ll just have to enter your vehicle’s information to find out if a speaker is right for your car.

When it comes to finally decide on a set of speakers, size isn’t the only thing you should consider.

Other Speaker Considerations

There are a few other things you should be thinking about before purchasing speakers, and many of these considerations have a lot to do with the components and material quality.

Weight

Even though you won’t be picking these up and moving them all the time, weight is important when you’re putting them in a sensitive area in your car.

Some parts of your car are not engineered to handle as much weight as other parts. You want to make sure that the speakers in the door panel weight less than ones in other areas.

Woofer Quality

For those who want the ultimate boom and punch in their bass, woofer quality is a very important thing to consider. You’re going to want to look for one that has light but stuff materials.

One of the best materials to use is polypropylene, which is going to give you a much deeper bass response from your subs.

Surround Materials

The most ideal material you want to find are rubber surrounds. They offer the best sound quality and tend to last longer and be more durable than foam and paper.

Those materials tend to deteriorate rather quickly, leaving you fresh out of luck.

Closing Thoughts

When it comes to finding the right kind of car speaker, there is no correct answer. The truth is everyone is going to have to look for something different based on the size of their car and the size of their speakers.

However you get measurements, it’s important you do that first before committing and falling in love with a certain set of speakers. Best of luck!