I tried doing a little research and question asking on BB and Tweeter but I have been getting two answers back and forth. First I am told to buy my wiring kit based on the wattage of my amp ( so I should buy the 500W wiring kit), which I thought was correct. Someone at tweeter told me not really, and I should base it on the size of the fuses in my amp. I have two 20w fuses, and his eyes I should stick with the 200 watt wiring kit.

This is for a system which has three JL 10 W0, and a planet audio 400w amp. I had it installed in my old altima, now I want to install it myself with some help from some write ups I found and a friend. Can anyone clear this up for me?

 

wattage......i just usually but 4 gauge power wire and ground and for sepakers like 12 or 14 if really big subs u can use 10 but just buy a 500 watt kit you will be fine...any other concerns PM me done a million installs and no problems and always sound great

 

Well is you amp 400 RMS? If so you should probably use 4 gauge wiring and get the 500 watt kit if it is 400 max use 8 gauge and a lower amp kit.

 

The thickness of the wire has to do with the maximum amount of current it can carry versus the length of the wire. For example, for a 400W amplifier with a 40amp fuse, 8-guage wire is fine as long as the wire isn't too long. Because the longer the wire, the more the voltage will drop. You certainly can't go wrong with 4-guage, but if the wire only needs to be 10 feet long, then it's overkill (but certainly acceptable). If your sub amp is in the trunk and the wire will be 16 feet long, then I'd stick with 4-guage. Under 10 feet and 8-guage will suffice.

The advice given to you by BB and Tweeter were only part of the story.

Tony