Well after months of reading debates on whether rear speakers are necessary or not, I decided to go ahead with the install. It's still an ongoing debate, but I'm gonna try to end it now.
Some background first:
- Base model Z
- Two months ago I changed out the head unit, front components, and added a 10in sub with 2 amps (mono & 4 channel)
- Dynamatted the doors and some sections in the rear.
As you know, installing the rear speakers is not easy as you must remove the hatch panels along with the panels that conceal the seatbelt modules. Behind the panel are holes in the inner-body that may contribute to the road noise (see pic). I Dynamatted this area. I had to shave down quite a bit of the 370Z speaker housing on the speaker panel in order to provide clearance for the new speakers....but they fit and the panels were able to fit nicely back in place. I ran 16 gauge wire to my 4 channel amp under the seat.
I don't sugar coat mods, but this addition was well worth it
for me. I understand the "2 channel" argument, but that only sounds good on paper. The argument doesn't hold up in a 370Z on SoCal grooved-concrete freeways at 70+ MPH. That's 90% of my driving! Adding rear speakers helps mask the road noise and it fills in some of the notes that my front components seemed to be missing. It improved the quality of all my music, most notably techno. It took a little tuning, but now my components are not screaming at my face and I have a nice blend of music surrounding me. You can kill the front speakers using your head unit and have a conversation with someone while the rear speakers are playing in the background....or you can kill the rear speakers whenever you like. It's nice having the option.
It's a cheap mod, but the labor will depend on whether you have have to tap back into the head unit or not. For $60 and half a Saturday, I say go for it
Amazon.com: Infinity 329CF 105W Peak 3-1/2 -Inch Custom Fit Two-Way Speakers (Pair): Car Electronics