I am installing 2 amps in my trunk. I am using 4 gauge wire from the battery to the distribution box and two 8 gauge wires from the box to the amps. My question is, should I run the 4 gauge wire from the battery all the way to the trunk and hook it up the dist-box there, or should I keep the hook up to the dist-box in the hood area near the battery and run both 8 gauge cables from the trunk to the amps? What do you think?

 

run the 4 gauge to the trunk. easier, looks better, gives more flexibility. can't think of any technical advantages, but I'm sure there are.

 

I would rather run the 4 ga to the trunk too( the is what I have). When you draw more current I would think that the 4 ga would be better than seperating it out right away, but I am not sure. I am not MECP certified just like doing stuff as a hobby to keep me busy and entertained.

 

I think runing the 4 Ga to the trunk would be easier, the hard part will be finding a hole to run that large cable through the firewall. Any help?

 

do a search on the running part. it's been answered numerous times.

 

4 gauge is more than two 8 gauge cables. So there is a current advantage. There are a few holes in teh engine bay and a few in the trunk. A big one that sticks out is in the spare tire well.

 

Doing some drilling in the trunk area is not a problem. Is it a 1/2 inch drill bit for the 4 ga wire?

 

Run a 4 gauge to the trunk area. If the amps are of good quality and draw good current, run a 2 back to 4's if your power inputs allow it.

Also, get a capacitor if you are running 2 good amps. 1 fared would be ok in most situations..

E-mail me with any other ?????

 

I'm running a fosgate(100W rms) and a PPI(150rms). I'm an old guy , don't need too much power. My hearing is alredy shot........

 

What you have is fine. You won't need a cap if you don't blare it either.

 

I'll only blast it on ocassion. If the lights start dimming, I'll consider a Cap

 

Do you think I can run 2 8g power wires straight to my 2 amps, instead of running a 4g to a block, then 8g to the amps?? Even if I get 4g current to the block, the 8g to the amps still get the same as 8g from the battery right?? I want to get my stuff hooked up, and trying to save a few dollars where I can. Gonna cost a few dollars to get a block and 4g wire. Plus,, it seems to me that dedicated lines from battery to amp would not be a bad thing right??

Thanks,,,,D-MAN

 

i think you may need to disclose how much power your amps will be sucking in order to get the right answer to your question

 

I will be running a 4-channel Alpine that pushes 40 X 4 for mids and highs,,,,and a 6yr old RF Punch75 (@120watts). This amp will soon be replaced however, with a JL Audio 250/1 class D amp pushin about 250 watts.

Thanks PJ....D-MAN

 

I would probably run a 2 gauge to the trunk. Then from a distribution block to the amps. For your info the lenth of the cable is important as there is a certain amount of resistance in the wiring. 8 gauge has higher impedance so will have greater voltage drop along any length of cable. But the greater the length the more significant the voltage drop. 8 gauge can carry up to 20 amps of current max for cable length 16-19 feet. 4 gauge can carry up to 65 amps of current the same distance. So you could get away with using 4 gauge, but will have less voltage drop if you use the larger cable.

 

Since we are on the subject of amps. For the 4 Ga wire, I was planning on using a 60a fuse and two 30a fuses for the 8 Ga wires. Anyone see a problem with this?

 

Sounds ok provided you aren't undersizing them according to the fuses on your amplifier.

 

undersizing? So, what you are saying is i should use fuses that are equal to or greater than the fuses in the amps?

 

Yup...Though the main fuse is mainly to protect the wiring from a short circuit to the chassis in the event of an accident...

 

But if you undersize the wiring the cable shielding will melt. Then the carpet. And then you will short to ground. The fuse is supposed to blow before the wire gets hot enough to start a fire, not after. But 8 gauge can carry 65 amps up to about 7 ft before suffering 0.5 volt drop or more.

 

Why get rid of that Punch 75? If you bridge that mono, that amp is the s**t! Rockford doesn't make them like they used to.

If you want a real amp, go with precision power...

 

Sorry, I may have mis-worded that a little FJC. The reason I am using the Punch75 in the first place is to save money. So, I should have said, "WHEN it dies, it will be replaced"....hehe. I got it about 5 yrs ago not working, I got it from a friend for cost of repair,,,,$110, only about 7-8 months old at the time. And Yes, I agree with you FJC, RF doesn't make them like they used to...IMHO So, the punch will stay as long as it runs, then I may go with a JL Audio cause my sub is a JL, or maybe an Alpine, cause my other amp for highs/mids is an Alpine, not sure yet,,,I'll cross that bridge later on. I kinda like to match when I can in some way.

To all you guys who responded,,,,thanks for the info and all the input...it really does help. Thanks,,,,D-MAN

 

People remember, the longer the cable the more current loss due to length. Unless you go with the biggest cable you can muster for the longest distance. Basically, for the set up described, he should probably opt to go with 4 ga. to distribution and 8 ga. to amps off block. Less current loss than 8 ga. straight back and will give the amp all the juice it needs for high current demands like bass notes. Also, why don't you run the cable on the outside of the car, i.e. along the fuel lines on the underside and come up thru the spare well. If you get good cable, the shielding is plenty good enough to protect your cable and you should just run a wireloom around it and be just fine. This way you don't have a big "tumor" running down your carpet. As far as fuses go, use what is recommended by the amps. If you go higher, the amp is either going to clip itself into nasty oblivion, and if you go lower the amp set up may blow fuses left and right. Bottom line, use the best and biggest cable you can afford, run it on the outside of the car, fuse it correctly, and enjoy. BTW, if you do this, you will not need to buy caps for the lights won't dim at all (unless you start running your amps down to 2 ohm mono loads or really pushing them extremely hard like that). Just my 2 long cents.