I have the same issue as you and was wondering what you were able to com up with. I know that was a long time ago, but have not been able to find much info.

 

here is my input, impedance is not so much of an issue as most people think, for example most stock stereo systems use 8 ohm speakers but if you install 4 ohm speakers you will get a louder sound because you are (in theory) drawing 2X the power from the amp. 99% of the time the amp will handle the lower impedance. now for your subs, I would suggest going with a DVC 4 ohm sub (actually has 2 sets of terminals) this way you have many different options for impedance (depending how the amp is configured) or a single 4 ohm if DVC is not available. now what I would be concerned about is wattage rating. I would try to find a sub that has a rating of (at the very most 75 - 100 watts RMS. If you go with a sub that wants too much power and you under power it you will damage the sub (and the amp if the impedance is too low).

most (even factory) amps will run a speaker anywhere between 4 and 16 ohms comfortably, IMO most of the factory subwoofers that I have seen (with there own amp) were close to the 75 - 100 watt range.

now if your quality of sound outweighs your financial budget, then I would go with 2 of the new JL 6 w3 4 ohm subs and a new amp to power them (however these should make a great factory upgrade with the stock amp).

JL wants about $160 each for these subs on there website.

 

If you are using the factory stereo, you will need 4 ohm.

 

Here is my issue. I have gone to a car audio specialist, and 3 Best Buy's. Every person I spoke with in their car audio sections have told me that I can't replace my factory subs with aftermarket. The day before yesterday I went to Best Buy and spoke to a guy who was in the middle of an install. I showed him my blown out subs and asked if I could replace them with 6.5" Kicker 08CVT654 Sub. They are 4OHM. He gets out a device and hooks it to the subs and he said that my subs were 2.5 - 3 OHM. What is the deal here. More than anything that pi$$es me off is that the bleeping speakers just don't say anything on them at all. To sum this up, you all are saying that these Kicker subs that are rated 50-150 Watts and 4 OHM will work just fine? Thanks in advance.

 

4 OHM is what you need. Keep in mind that these are in a free air plastic enclosure. Don't expect a whole lot from it. I would at least add some dynamat to the rear door while you are in there....

 

If your speakers are blown I am suprised they even had a reading on an ohm meter, all you are doing with an ohm meter is reading how much resistance there is across the coil of the speaker, most speakers will be a bit off (even out of the box they can be of by up to .2 ohms, and that resistance will change in reference to the coils position with the magnet. If a coil has burned it will change the resistance, if the coil has shorted and is touching the magnet (the woofer has seized) you will get 0 ohms of resistance, so by them reading a blown speaker is not a good solution (however it is a starting point) as for replacing that sub with aftermarket yes you can. 4 ohms is the common impedance for a speaker. Depending on what sound system your rover has in it the minimum sub power is 30 watts RMS if the kicker subs are 50 - 150 watts RMS and 4 ohms they will work but keep something in mind you are not replacing the amp so you may not get any better sound out of the kicker. If you have a junkyard around anywhere find out if they have any stock subs, ford and chevy both offered low wattage 6.5 inch subs that might give you close to equal sound for less money remember with a few differences a sub is just a sub, impedance and power handling will change but with factory systems they will be very close. Personally I would get a basslink (or some comparable small powered sub) you will spend a few more dollars and give up a little more space but have MUCH better sound.

 

just thought I would put up some picture to help explain about the impedance reading, I took 2 pictures of my subs readings the first is on the table and the second is on a cushion (actually changes the position of the coil in relation to the magnet) this is a 4 ohm sub. think of it like a light bulb, the lower the impedance (or the thicker and shorter the coil or fillament is) the brighter the bulb will be (or more the sub will move) and the more watts of power the sub or light will consume. 4 ohms for a speaker in a car is like 60 watt bulbs in a house its pretty standard, however in many cases a 40 or 100 watt bulb will be fine in the same sense you may find or use an 8 ohm speaker (or even a dual 2 ohm sub, which is common in competition since dual 2 ohm voice coils wired in parallel is 1 ohm and that will pull some serious power from an amp, and usually some smoke too if it cant handle it!!! )

 

Man, now you've got me wanting some hawaiian sweet rolls....... Haven't had one of those in years.

 

ha ha, sorry they went along with my rotisserie chicken and mashed potatoes (and of course bud light!)

 

Replace the bud with Coors and I'll be over at 5.

Oh, and in Oklahoma, you have to pronounce it "Kewers Laat"....