is there a product to retard dryrot?

[ricebike]

i finally had some time to pull my door panels to see that the outer rings of the 4x6 Clarion speakers are dry rotted & gone...

i'm currently making mounting plates(from a scrap piece of high density fiberboard) for 6/5" 3-way speakers that i've got for $10.

is there something that i can use to prolong this new set of speakers from dryrotting? ie. using aerosol silicone(in a can) on door/trunk weatherstripping to keep those from becoming dry/brittle.
Modified by ricebike at 3:14 PM 4/18/2005

[Rex]

Not really . Pretty much anything you would put on it would add mass and slow/diminish the speaker's performance. Hard to say how or if it would be noticable.

A speaker has a defined "life" that can be greatly influenced by the environment (heat, moisture, cold, etc). In reality, you should replace door speakers every 3-4 years, but that could change dramatically if you have nice well sealed doors in Maine and keep the car garaged to alot less if your doors leak and it's parked outside all year in South Fla.

Another reason, I think name brand mid-level co-axials are better for the average joe.

[ricebike]

<shrugs> well just curious... old clarions still working ok, just can't > the Bass/volume that much or the distortions will kick in.

thanx for the quick reply.

[ricebike]

update: installed 6.5" 3ways on front door panels... started working on rear speakers as they were also dryrotted.

pulled ~5" speakers from a junked 89 dodge shadow that's sitting on the driveway & it has a weird, shiny coating on the area that i was mentioning... soo i went to the trunk of that car to pull the 6x9 speakers & they also have that gunk on there...

(ps: i found an enclosed 2way 6.5" speakerbox for $15 & just used that w/ extended wires from the original speaker locations) soo a whole set of speakers that sound better than old ones for $35

[PoorManQ45]

Ah, you really don't have to worry too much about the surround deteriorating for atleast 2~3 years. This is assuming that the speakers are designed for automotive use, which means they're designed to with stand "harsh" climate conditions.

[ricebike]

ya, it just surprised me that speakers from an 89 dodge shadow was in much better condition than the nissan's...

still dunno what type of stuff dodge put on the surrounds of the speakers. it was all intact & looked brand new when i pulled them out to test fit on my 240

[Simmsled]

Stock speakers are made of one of two materials in general. One is the foam crap that, in oem applications, does not last long due to heat ie the Clarion speakers. The second is basically cloth that has some sort of a film on it, ie Bose. These usually last a lot longer but deform over time. There is not really a way to keep factory speakers intact. Aftermarket speakers are made MUCH better than oem. Yes this even means $20 Wal-Mart speakers are better than OEM.

Here is a funny story for ya...

One of the installers that I worked with went to Wal-Mart and bought a set of Jensen Component speakers, a pair of 6x9s, and a Jensen 10 inch sub for his own car, a mid 90s 200SX. He made some really sweet kickpanels for them and a nice ported box for the 10. He used an old Kraco amplifier for the sub and some old Kenwood amp for the highs/mids. His install was stealth except for the kickpanels which you could see but he still hid all the brand names.

He put this all together to see how good he could make a system sound with the lowest end stuff. It actually sounded pretty good. I was really suprised.

He threw a couple 31 band PPI equalizers in there and tuned it with an RTA , took it to a regional sound off, entered it in SQ, and placed 6th out of about 20 cars. That was what AMAZED me. Each of those EQs were almost 700 bucks and he was one of the most amazing installers/tuners that I ever knew, but doing what he did was just awesome. You should of seen the judge's faces when he said that he had Walmart speakers in there.

***DISCLAIMER*** this is an isolated incident do not buy Jensen products thinking you will rule the world.

it was cool though.

[PoorManQ45]

Yep, the install is what really makes or breaks a system.