I know this comes up all the time but I've searched the forum and didn't find what I was looking for. I know the later 240's had 5.25" speakers in the front doors and that their odd shape means that the few aftermarket speakers that will fit still require some compromises. So we don't need to go through all THAT again!

Just wondering if anyone has seen possible replacement candidates since this was last discussed? I'm not that into car stereos, but one speaker is dead and the other is on its way out so I'd like to replace them and getting more paper Volvo speakers seems pointless. When I do happen to come across car audio stuff I always take a look to see if anything might work for my 240. While killing time in Wal-Mart today waiting for an Rx to be filled I saw these Pioneers:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?product_id=2569446

They LOOK like they could possibly fit, but I've got a set of Infinties under my desk that looked that way too. If it wasn't about 5am I'd look up the dimensions of the stock speakers and compare.

So anything new out there that fits? If not I'd rather swap door panels and go back to 4" in the front than cram in some odd-fitting 5.25"s. Unless someone has some pics of a nice non-stock setup in the front doors (of any size) that they can share!

Those rear 4"s have to go too! They barely do anything, and mine are riveted in and a bit off from where I'd like them to be based on the look of the door panel. I stuck some 6x9's in the rear deck of my last 240 but I really don't want to cut this one!

Tom

I have a pair of 5.25" Denons in the front of my 91 245. As usual, only 2 of the mounting tabs line up directly, but that's not really an issue. The bigger problem with these and most aftermarket speakers is that they don't clear the factory grilles. I just popped the mesh out, and installed the factory trim without them. I'll be reinstalling the factory speakers before I sell the car anyway. In my next 245, I'll be using Boston Proseries.


I also bought a matching pair of Denon 4" for the rear doors, but I haven't ordered the adaptors for the factory grilles. The 5.25" cost me about $12 plus shipping, and the 4" cost about $10 plus shipping, both on ebay. There was a seller with dozens of pair of them last year, but I think they finally sold out.


And yes, having owned both an 87 245, with 4" factory speakers, and the 91, with 5.25" factory speakers, the bigger ones definitely sound better.
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1991 245, 61k miles, looking for a 5 speed 92-93 245 cheap.

Try and locate the square grilles from the 851 series. They fit all 5.25's and clear the arm rest.

Thanks, once I started searching for BA 851's I picked up your older posts on them. Sounds like the fit nicely but I have yet to find any for sale any where new or used.

Tom

I'm not claiming they're as good as many aftermarket units, but I was able to swap out for a bad factory speaker on my 1992 245 and it is definitely better. And it was $3 at the PNP.

You have to nip out a little bit of the panel to enlarge the cutout opening, but it's all hidden by the factory grille. Wire cutters did a clean job for me.

Good luck.

Doug Harvey

I put some 4.25'' Eclipse speakers in my car. We tried to fit 5.25''s but they were way too big, so I had to drop back to the Eclipses.

The speakers were just a tad too large to be covered by the factory Volvo speaker grilles. As a result, I've got the Eclipses covered with their usual black wire mesh, but visible just around the edges are the holes where the former Volvo speakers went.

If I were re-buying, (I'd first get better speakers than Eclipse, then) I'd probably stick with some 4-inch speakers that could be covered by the factory Volvo grilles, or find something that covered up the mounting holes for the former speakers. It appears now that when I was young and dumb and first got the car, I managed to compromise in both directions on size (neither going to the larger size I wanted nor sticking with the discreet 4-inch size) in a way that managed to give me the worst of both worlds. Your mileage may vary.
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'89 244 GL -- 105,XXX miles (see profile for info on car)

Yeah, I'd like to stay with 5.25"s if at all possible. I don't think the Volvo grilles look great, but they're better than holes showing in the door panel. I have no problem using the aftermarket speaker grilles, but they've just got to look decent. The arm rest and the contours of the door panels don't make that easy.

Generaly speaking, I think you'd get better sound out of a 5.25" than a 4". At least when comparing different sizes of the same brand, especially on the mid to low end speakers.

Well I guess the hunt goes on... I've been wanting to put up a little website now that I have some space online, maybe this issue deserves a page. Details and pics from those who have replaced the stock speakers would be nice.

BTW, the 740T grill looks great! I'm tempted to swap mine, I've got the all black vertical bar grill now.

I think today will be the day I install the large tach I've had sitting in my glovebox forever! Maybe at least get the lights wired up for those accessory guages too - tired of people asking why I have no oil pressure.

Tom

4" speakers are the proper replacement size for the late model 240s. If you buy from Crutchfield they will send the adapter so you can use the factory grills. I just got some Blaupunkt 4" speakers, I forgot the model number. Anyway the Crutchfield guys said they wouldn't be an exact fit, and they ended up fitting perfectly. I'm pretty sure just about any 4" speakers would fit with little or no modification, because they tend not to be very deep. On the other hand, I can't imagine any 5.25" speaker working without major modifications that won't end up looking stock.

Late model 240's actually came witrh 5.25's so as usual Crutchfield is incorrect.

have you checked out crutchfield at all? Enter in your vehicle and they will tell you exactly what does and doesn't fit.

worth the effort.

Mike

Well they have the wrong speaker size for post 88 240's, ignore the factory rear shelf speakers and won't even address the rear pillar mounts for the 245 so if you want it wrong ask Crutchfield...

Crutchfield's fit guide is often wrong, and late 240s are no exception. They say a 4" fits, when a 5.25" is the correct size. I had the same problem with my wife's 91 VW Cabriolet, when the Crutchfield guide lists the wrong sizes for both the front and rear speakers.
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1991 245, 61k miles, looking for a 5 speed 92-93 245 cheap.

it won't really fit cause the 5.25 inch speaker is actually raised up a bit from the mounting holes, so that it can actually work.

In my situation, I had an 81 240 wagon that I was putting the speakers into. All 5.25 inch speakers I tried out had mounting holes that lined up, but needed to have clearance for the woofer. As a result, I had fabricated (from wood) a set of flush flat sided brackets that I could place 4 inch speakers into. The whoel assy. would fit into the original mounting locations with ease...