Well I was wondering if there was anything wrong with not using the ground wire without a gold terminal ring (the ring that you're supposed to crimp to the bare wire and goes between a bolt and the bare metal of the car)? I'm having a really hard time crimping the thing to the wire, and just thought, why not I just take the bare wire and put it between the proper bolt and metal to ground it with? Is using the terminal ring really important?

Also, can someone give me a crash course on how exactly I am supposed to crimp the terminal ring to the ground wire? The ring and the ground wire all came with an amplifier wiring kit, but I don't really know how to crimp the wire, any help please .

 

it should be fine as long as its secure..just make sure u grind the paint off the grounding point and the bold is tight

one of the reasons FOR the terminal ring is to ensure that the wire is secure to the point, and to make it look nice

u can crimp it using pliers, crimpers (the real way), or worst case scenario use a hammer and screwdriver. how big is the wire?

 

The wire is 4 gauge. Inorder to crimp, I have to crimp the ring to the insulation, or to the strands of bare wires?

 

Strands of bare wire. You want as much contact as possible. That's why you also strip the paint off your grounding area. Having 4 ga wire is pointless if your total grounding area is the size of a 16 ga.

 

Vice grips may also come in handy. If not just take it to an audio shop install bay. I think most places would be nice enough to help you out.

 

i crimped my 4 gauge using our vise. the middle of our vise got this V groove and i put it in there, and tightened the vise as hard as i can. that ring terminal ain't coming off

 

I don't like the insulated ring terminals, especially with 4 gauge wire. Get the gold rings with the rubber boots. Slip the boot on under the terminal then crimp the ring terminal with big pliers or a crimper, or solder if you wanna do it the best. Then slip the rubber boot on over the crimp and your golden. eBay has got some really nice, cheap gold and platinum ring terminals with boots. Don't skimp on your wiring, be patient and do it right.