Ford Fiesta Mods at iba pa

**garyq** · February 21st, 2011 12:52 AM

just to share my comments/opinion on improving the lighting performance on your Fiesta.

If warranty is no.1 priority then do not do a retrofit coz for sure you will lose the warranty.

If lighting performance is no.1 priority then do an hid projector retrofit. Hands down this will beat any halogen bulb or even the Euro spec halogen projectors. Even if you mount HID bulbs on these headlamps.
I have yet to see a halogen projector that can even come close to the performance of an HID projectors and I've seen many. A complete hid projector retrofit is way cheaper than the Euro spec headlight and the looks will come really close to oem.

But you can actually get the best of both worlds. Improve lighting performance and not lose your warranty. Get an aftermarket headlight and retrofit this. The harness and mounting of ballasts can be done oem style, as in the whole HID syst is mounted on the HL and no splicing of the harness will be done. This way if ever you claim warranty it is so easy to use your stock headlights. This is in no way suggesting to fool the casa since if the harness is done properly and the retrofit is designed and executed properly, it will in no way affect the electrical system of your car.

Ganito I think yung Euro spec na headlights right? Close sa look ng Focus RS yung shrouds.

**vivafoxpro** · February 21st, 2011 12:57 AM

Originally Posted by antikryst

feel free to ask if theres any questions. will be glad to give more feedback. big upgrade daw if i get an amp. my friend who is an audio engineer in australia (not for cars though.. but for a studio) said that im not doing my speakers justice by not amping them. if i do get an amp... will post back and update my feedback on the upgrade.

That post was well worth your time and effort. Me not an audio guy like yourself will take your advise and NOT upgrade them anymore, contrary to my earlier plans. Mga below 5K din balak ko and I also think the stock ones are great. Ang trip ko kasi is audio books while driving. Driving is a bonus free time to learn more about anything under the sun, specially my line of work.

5K will go a long way towards my other future mods

.

Again, many thanks in the most sincere sense of the word.

**vivafoxpro** · February 21st, 2011 01:09 AM

Originally Posted by garyq

just to share my comments/opinion on improving the lighting performance on your Fiesta.
If warranty is no.1 priority then do not do a retrofit coz for sure you will lose the warranty.
If lighting performance is no.1 priority then do an hid projector retrofit. Hands down this will beat any halogen bulb or even the Euro spec halogen projectors. Even if you mount HID bulbs on these headlamps.
I have yet to see a halogen projector that can even come close to the performance of an HID projectors and I've seen many. A complete hid projector retrofit is way cheaper than the Euro spec headlight and the looks will come really close to oem.
But you can actually get the best of both worlds. Improve lighting performance and not lose your warranty. Get an aftermarket headlight and retrofit this. The harness and mounting of ballasts can be done oem style, as in the whole HID syst is mounted on the HL and no splicing of the harness will be done. This way if ever you claim warranty it is so easy to use your stock headlights. This is in no way suggesting to fool the casa since if the harness is done properly and the retrofit is designed and executed properly, it will in no way affect the electrical system of your car.

Ganito I think yung Euro spec na headlights right? Close sa look ng Focus RS yung shrouds.

Yes I vaguely recall a retrofit done with the slim type ballast placed inside the housing. I understand HIDs consume less wattage but throw greater light so burden on the existing wiring in terms of Amps is less.

I've done the "devil eyes" mod and noticed that space within the housing is plenty plus extra space on its "belly".

Here is my question Sir: How much would a retrofit cost? Please give a range from the cheapest to the most sophisticated.

Have you done a Fiesta already?

**antikryst** · February 21st, 2011 02:03 AM

Originally Posted by vivafoxpro

That post was well worth your time and effort. Me not an audio guy like yourself will take your advise and NOT upgrade them anymore, contrary to my earlier plans. Mga below 5K din balak ko and I also think the stock ones are great. Ang trip ko kasi is audio books while driving. Driving is a bonus free time to learn more about anything under the sun, specially my line of work.

5K will go a long way towards my other future mods

.

Again, many thanks in the most sincere sense of the word.

nice to hear i helped someone. kung 5k speaker upgrade talo talaga. im guessing it would be just the with same almost with no noticeable difference apart from the build quality.

**hausteam** · February 21st, 2011 05:43 AM

Originally Posted by antikryst

just placed them inside the doors using the stock speaker covers. the shape of the stock grills are molded and have a weird shape. didnt want to ruin the OEM look also so i opted not to have the grills placed. parang mahirap din lagay since parang squarish yung stock shape.

placed feedback somewhere at the back of this thread. if you are not a sound guy.. you may not even notice the difference from the stock fiesta sport setup.

now that ive set it up properly via the head unit EQ, and the ipod EQ... heres my feedback now that ive spent quite some time listening to it. mejo lumambot na rin yung woofers so it sound better now.

also.. i used to be really into portable audio. im just saying this since i believe this is important to really know where my impressions are coming from. i used to have shure e3cs ($200 in-ear headphones)... bitin... so i upgraded to shure e4cs ($300 in-ear headphones... these are small headphones and not the big ones). bitin pa rin... planning to upgrade next year to jh-audio customs ($600 na!). for some instances... i use cans.. i have the shure srh440s... about $99 which i love. really wanted to go higher end for the cans when i got it last year in the US but the ipod on its own without an amp cant properly feed enough power to the more high end ones .

im also a bit into home theater but not hardcore. spent more on my earphones than my home theater. i dont know anything at all about car audio. but i pretty much know what sounds good or not.

so now on to my impressions for the infinities running on the stock head unit... with the ford OEM ipod cable.

also to note... here are the best settings i found for my setup

IPOD EQ: flat
Fiesta Head Unit settings: DSP-rock, EQ-everything set to 0 except for fader +1 rear, mid -1

PROS:
*more detailed than stock fiesta speakers
*highs are brighter.... infinity tweeters sound a LOT better than the stock tweeters
*better construction overall of the speakers, infinities were installed with the included crossover, infinity speakers were maybe 2x-3x heavier than the stock speakers also

CONS:
*low end lacks punch. more detailed than the stock speakers again but bass has been reduced. the stock head unit just cant power them enough
*volume is a bit lower with the infinities vs the stock. upping the volume gives distortion on the low end... mejo basag na. the stock speakers could go a bit louder vs the infinities without distortion.
*mp3s with low bit rates (128 kbps) sound bad... actually this is a PRO if you are into audio. it means that the speakers can really show you how a good mp3 file should sound like... though it also highlights the negatives of low bit rate files

CONCLUSION:
bitin pa rin ako. i get waaay better clarity from my ipod and headphones... so im itching to install an amplifier. im thinking of getting a midrange 4 channel amp. looking at the rockford fosgate R300... thats about 10k php. haaay. pag di ako nagapagpigil ill have one installed when i get the time. also to note... my service advisor at ford connecticut said that theres no problem with warranty even with an amp install. i guess basta tama pag install.

if you are not an audio guy... you will notice the upgrade but it wont be worth 10k to you. specially if you use low quality mp3s na pirated pa. i rip my mp3s from original cds and set it to a bit rate of 256 kbps minimum. i also use AAC since the file size is smaller than mp3s for the same quality.

if you have a fiesta sport... i believe that cheap speaker upgrades (5k-ish php for fronts and backs) wont be much of an upgrade. baka pareho lang sa stock ang tunog so just hang on to your cash.

to be honest... i feel that my 10k upgrade isnt that worth it... not yet at least since wala pa amp. i almost went crazy and went for focals.... but that would set me back around 18k just for fronts and backs... entry level focal pa yun. didnt feel like spending that much right away since i never really upgraded my speakers before... wala pa ako alam.

my estimate is that the stock speakers with the stock head unit sounds like 5k speakers already with an aftermarket (pioneer head unit). made this estimate since my sister's car has a pioneer head unit (10k-ish) with a set of 5k-ish speakers. so if you are just gonna go for a 5k-ish speaker upgrade wag na lang.

hope this looong post helps someone here who is undecided on getting a speaker upgrade.

feel free to ask if theres any questions. will be glad to give more feedback. big upgrade daw if i get an amp. my friend who is an audio engineer in australia (not for cars though.. but for a studio) said that im not doing my speakers justice by not amping them. if i do get an amp... will post back and update my feedback on the upgrade.

Excellent post! I don't envy your speakers but I envy your discerning ears.

**master siopao** · February 21st, 2011 09:02 AM

* anti, I also envy your headphones hehehe, so as i have posted earlier, it seems that the stock speakers of the sport is really different from the trend, so if you have a sport, then perhaps it will really be better to stay with your stock, as for trend owners like me, who only have cheapo speakers at the front and none at the back, well, having speakers at the back really makes a big difference.

to trend owners who added speakers at the back, heres my audio settings, ipod nano (via aux) equalizer off, head unit rock, bass mid and treble dependent on song ( free mp3's kaya iba iba ang volume level hehehe ) then set your dsp to concentrate on driver, and it brings the sound up front.

**antikryst** · February 21st, 2011 09:32 AM

Originally Posted by master siopao

* anti, I also envy your headphones hehehe, so as i have posted earlier, it seems that the stock speakers of the sport is really different from the trend, so if you have a sport, then perhaps it will really be better to stay with your stock, as for trend owners like me, who only have cheapo speakers at the front and none at the back, well, having speakers at the back really makes a big difference.

to trend owners who added speakers at the back, heres my audio settings, ipod nano (via aux) equalizer off, head unit rock, bass mid and treble dependent on song ( free mp3's kaya iba iba ang volume level hehehe ) then set your dsp to concentrate on driver, and it brings the sound up front.

theres a high chance that the speakers of the trend and the sport are actually the same minus the rear speakers. the sport stock speakers are also cheaply made. paper cones and very very light.

baka iba ng konti yung output of the head unit thus making it sound different. it can also be that its the same with a few missing settings like the fader which was mentioned somewhere here. then just a lack of rear fill from the rear speakers.

if someone upgrades the trend's front speakers let me know. lets compare pictures of the stock speakers so we can know once and for all if they are different.

or maybe some of us here can compare the actual sound. trend vs sport. the sport should have the rears turned off via the fader so its an apples to apples comparison. stock vs stock... front only. also use the same ipod, same songs, and same settings.

**antikryst** · February 21st, 2011 11:54 AM

just an update... di ko na kinaya. decided to have an amp installed at mickeys. they are setting it up right now. will just go back for my car later.

cost was about 15k including installation and the converter (not sure) so it will be compatible with he stock stereo which probably doesnt have amp outputs. i got a db drive okur 4 channel amp. wanted the rockford fosgate but it was out of stock at the moment.

A3 80.4

Features:

DRIVESINK heat management system / Buffered pre-amp input circuitry / Continuously Variable 12dB Low Pass X-over / Continuously Variable 12dB Bass boost * 45Hz / Continuously Variable Subsonic Filter (15-55Hz) (Mono Amps) / Direct-connect integrated Speaker and Power wire Terminals / Full Range RCA Line Outputs for easy Daisy chain / RCA configuration / Variable Input Level Control / DC-DC PWM power supply / DC Short Circuit Protection / Bass Remote capability
Specifications:

4 Ω * 14.4 VOLTS: 4 x 80 Watts / 2 x 200 Watts
2 Ω * 14.4 VOLTS: 4 x 140 Watts
1 Ω * 14.4 VOLTS: -
SUBSONIC FILTER: -
CAPABILITY: 2 Ω Stereo
M CARTON: 4

http://www.dbdrive.net/products-deta...es=A3%20Series

will keep everyone updated once i get to listen to it.

**vivafoxpro** · February 21st, 2011 12:43 PM

Originally Posted by antikryst

theres a high chance that the speakers of the trend and the sport are actually the same minus the rear speakers. the sport stock speakers are also cheaply made. paper cones and very very light.
.

Here is the stock speaker of the Trend sedan:

You can compare with the ones taken out from your sport.

As I have said before, like beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, sound quality is in the ears of the listener.

Master is even planning on additional subs for that extra thump

.

Me I'm quite happy with mine in the way I use them.

All the audio terms you use sound Greek to me which means I fall outside of the sound guys.

**antikryst** · February 21st, 2011 01:14 PM

Originally Posted by vivafoxpro

Here is the stock speaker of the Trend sedan:

You can compare with the ones taken out from your sport.

As I have said before, like beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, sound quality is in the ears of the listener.

Master is even planning on additional subs for that extra thump

.

Me I'm quite happy with mine in the way I use them.

All the audio terms you use sound Greek to me which means I fall outside of the sound guys.

will check them later when i get home. actually good sound isnt that subjective. good and bad can be clearly differentiated. the subjectivity comes in when you look (or listen) at how good you want the sound to be... good sound can also have different flavors. meaning some like it with more bass, some, like me, dont.

i prefer good neutral and natural sounding sets. to put it simply... i like listening to music how it was meant to be heard. i dont like adding extra bass to music that wasnt intended for thumping bass.

thats how i chose my headphones... sana ganon din tong upgrade ko with the amplifier.