Ford Explorer Rear Side Panel Speaker Size
The Ford Explorer rear side panel accommodates an 8 inch speaker size and 6x8 inch speakers, supporting both unique speaker sizes across the model's production range. Compatible types for these units include woofers and full-range speakers. The specifications cover a range of years from 1991 to 2025.
| Year | Type | Size (inch) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Woofer | 8 |
| 2024 | Woofer | 8 |
| 2023 | Woofer | 8 |
| 2022 | Woofer | 8 |
| 2021 | Woofer | 8 |
| 2020 | Woofer | 8 |
| 2019 | Woofer | 8 |
| 2018 | Woofer | 8 |
| 2017 | Woofer | 8 |
| 2016 | Woofer | 8 |
| 2015 | Woofer | 8 |
| 2014 | Woofer | 8 |
| 2013 | Woofer | 8 |
| 2012 | Woofer | 8 |
| 2011 | Woofer | 8 |
| 2010 | Woofer | 8 |
| 2009 | Woofer | 8 |
| 2008 | Woofer | 8 |
| 2007 | Woofer | 8 |
| 2006 | Woofer | 8 |
| 2005 | Woofer | 8 |
| 2004 | Woofer | 8 |
| 2003 | Woofer | 8 |
| 2002 | Woofer | 8 |
| 1999 | Full-Range | 6x8 |
| 1999 | Woofer | 8 |
| 1998 | Full-Range | 6x8 |
| 1997 | Full-Range | 6x8 |
| 1996 | Full-Range | 6x8 |
| 1995 | Full-Range | 6x8 |
| 1994 | Full-Range | 6x8 |
| 1992 | Full-Range | 6x8 |
| 1991 | Full-Range | 6x8 |
Speaker Types
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Woofer | A larger driver for low frequencies, typically from about 40 Hz up to 1,000 Hz. It delivers most of the bass and lower midrange in a door or panel speaker system. |
| Full-Range | A single driver that reproduces bass through treble without a separate crossover network. It is the simplest replacement option and is common in factory audio systems. |
Additional Notes
- The rear side panel location in the Ford Explorer sits within the rear cabin walls, flanking passengers in the third-row or rear seating area, where enclosure depth and panel cavity dimensions directly govern the maximum driver size that can be mounted without physical interference.
- An 8-inch woofer, as specified for model years 2002 through 2025, requires a mounting cutout and rear clearance depth sufficient to accommodate a larger-diameter basket and longer cone excursion compared to smaller drivers, making panel cavity volume a critical factor at this location.
- A woofer is a driver designed to reproduce low-frequency sound, typically operating in a range from approximately 40 Hz to 500 Hz, and at the rear side panel position the woofer functions as a dedicated bass reinforcement source within the cabin.
- The Ford Explorer rear side panel mounting location, when fitted with an 8-inch woofer, relies on the surrounding panel cavity to act as a partial enclosure, and the acoustic output of the woofer is influenced by the volume and rigidity of that cavity.
- The 6x8-inch oval format, specified for model years 1991 through 1999 on applicable trims, is an asymmetric driver shape designed to fit mounting locations where vertical height is constrained but horizontal span allows a wider cone area, increasing effective radiating surface relative to a smaller round driver.
- A full-range speaker is a single driver designed to reproduce a broad frequency spectrum, typically spanning from low-midrange frequencies up through high frequencies, consolidating bass, midrange, and treble reproduction into one unit at the rear side panel position without requiring a separate tweeter or crossover network.
- The 6x8-inch full-range driver, relative to a round 8-inch woofer, covers a wider frequency range at the rear side panel but distributes that range across a single driver rather than dedicating the full cone area to low-frequency reinforcement alone.
- In the 1999 model year, both a 6x8-inch full-range and an 8-inch woofer are listed as compatible types at the rear side panel location, indicating the presence of 2 distinct mounting configurations or trim variants within that year.
- The rear side panel position, located toward the back of the passenger cabin, places speakers at a distance from front-seat occupants, and low-frequency drivers such as woofers at this location contribute to bass propagation throughout the cabin length.
- An 8-inch driver has a larger cone surface area than a 6x8-inch oval driver of equivalent nominal dimensions, which allows greater air displacement and generally deeper low-frequency extension when operating in a woofer-only role at the rear side panel.
- The shift from 6x8-inch full-range speakers in earlier model years to 8-inch woofers in 2002 and later reflects a change in the mounting aperture geometry at the rear side panel location between those generations of the Ford Explorer.