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Ok this is probably the thing in car audio i know the very least about. But im gonna give it one hell of a shot. I want to build my own front stage i know what i like in music and the hole nine yards on that so i figured that would help in designing a cost effective front stage. I have no clue on how to make crossover but i want someone who can explain it to me to the point where i can tinker. I currently have JL TR components that suck to no end. I want a solid mid bass to bring out all the notes missed between my current components and sub. So probably looking to go three way? I like the high notes to be very upfront and present but at the same time have low listening fatigue. I hate a sharp shrill tweeter, But i want it to reproduce syphany music? I like alot of Rock and crountry and rap, Mainly rock though. And i have found it hard even in others cars to find a front stage i like with rock. Thanks for all the help, and your gonna have to be patient with me on this one, i learn quick but i am starting at major noob stage here.

If you're not getting enough midbass, it very well could be because of install. So really, you should learn how to tune first, with a system that's already got a crossover which is setup for the speakers you're running. You can have a $1,000 3-way set and it'll sound crappier than your current 2-way because you don't know how to tune/install it correctly.
http://www.passivecrossovers.com gives you the basics on how crossovers work and how to build them, but not how to figure out crossovers points, slopes, baffle placement, etc, etc which is MUCH harder and MUCH more involved.

see the FAQ section. Jonathan wrote a terrific thread on choosing the right speakers that covers a LOT of what you want to learn, and I copied the thread to that section for archival purposes.

I'd go large format dome tweeter (since ribbons aren't ideal in a car), smaller midrange, maybe 3" or 4", and an 8" midbass driver. build your own crossovers, or ideally, go active and amplify each speaker individually with an electronic XO to handle all the amp channels.
speaker positioning and angle will be of vital importance to you as well.
as important as the speakers you choose.

x2 I keep forgetting about that article.
And x2 on speaker placement and aiming.

I have the install done pretty well. I have listened and learned how to make a good baffle and dampen well..... i dont have them aimed extremely well... But i know they are dampened well second skin sludge.. and i have a good mdf baffel for them. THey are JLs lowest of the low components. They are very very shrill tweeters, with little to no midbass response. They are designed to be run with a sub, but they still miss out on a large range of notes. I will give them credit though on the fact that they can make an acoustic guitar sound great, and some orchestra music really nice.

Im gonna read the tutorial right now ill get back with about 100 questions then

Stuff to look into for a budget:

The Peerless Exclusive drivers are very easy to work with and are great drivers for the money. Their newer HDS tweeter is very nice as well. The Peerless XLS subs (they make car audio specific versions of those) are very good performers as well and not that expensive.

SEAS has a lot of good stuff in their lineup. I wouldn't recommend the magnesium coned Excels to one that lacks experience in crossover design, however, due to the attention required to tame the driver characteristics (cone resonance requires notch filter, and good crossover skills to make sure that drivers mesh well together). The Nextel paper drivers, however, are very easy to work with and do just about everything right. Probably the best all around midbass driver I can think of for a 2 way setup, monster midbass output and top notch midrange up to around 3khz, makes it easy to mate with tweeters and subs. The SEAS standard lineup is very good as well. The new Poly mid (P18RNX/P) and their compact tweets are a good combo for the car. The CA midbasses are very nice too.

Dayton Reference lineup is good for midbasses and the dome midrange they make. Again, though, hard to work with in 2 way fashion. If you're going 3 way with the dome, however, the performance is hard to beat for the price and they're pretty easy to work with. DO NOT get their tweeters, however, they are very inconsistent in manufacture. I'd recommend a SEAS standard tweeter like the H1212 instead of Dayton's RS28A.

Dome midranges are a good thing in car audio due to the ease of installation and the fact that they are enclosed, meaning you don't have to worry about making an enclosure/baffle for them. If I were really shooting for a dynamic soundstage, though, I prefer 5.25" cone midranges. They cover a wide range, are typically very efficient, well made ones have low distortion at high volumes, and due to the range they cover it's easy to choose great midbasses and tweeters to mate with them. A solid 8" midbass in the doors combined with a 5.25" midrange in kicks and a tweeter either in the kicks or pillars will net a solid soundstage with high dynamic capability.

Ok jonathan you seem to be the master of your front stage domain. I just finished reading the tutorila. Lots of info read alot of it twice to grasp the concepts better. Ok now for the questions. I would like to run a good three way setup. As the tutorial said i want to stay away from pushng a 2 way system to do to much, pushin the midrange well over the octaves. I can run a good depth 8 inch in the doors. Will need to dampen alot more. Problem with tweeter placement is the pillars are covered in a clothe not just plastic a pillars. Not sure i want to mess with them a whole lot. So maybe putting the tweeters in the kickpanels is best. I dont understand how to image from the kick panels though.. wouldnt my leg on the drivers side through off the sound? noob question but i just thought of it... Also jonathan break down speakers with me a little slower lol. i like your descripition of the nextel paper drivers. I NEED easy to work with. Im gonna struggle with crossover building and need things to stay as simple as possilbe. Ok glasswolf you mentioned an electronic xover. Can you name some decent ones for active crossover? As of right now i have zero light dimming.. I mean zero at full volume with the fi.q18 and if going active is the way to go im more than willing to do so. Does that mean one amp channel per speaker, channel for tweeter, mid and sub seperate or send one channel to a xover and set from there? THanks alot for your patients guys.

ok so go with the dayton dome midrange 6ohm.. and the seas reference h1212 6ohm tweeter? is that a decent match? And as far as an 8 inch midbass woofer? now that is a fairly decent budget set up right there.. Tang band 8 inch woofer? or can it not play up high enough ill check jsut kinda through that one out there.

Peerless makes the SLS 8, Dayton makes the RS225, Adire makes the Extremis (if you need slightly smaller diameter). Just some suggestions to look into. (Not sure what Seas makes that would be optimal for midbass.)

Edit: Oh, and become intimate with http://www.madisound.com, http://www.partsexpress.com, and http://www.solen.ca.