wire and power...

MTXMAN
MTXMAN Posts: 682
edited July 2003 in Car Audio & Electronics
Just for the record what size wire pulls what amount of amp current...
1/0=?
2=?
4=?


Trying to figgure the best way to run my amp and wether it'd be better to run 4ga back for each amp or run one 1/0ga and split to 2 4ga...(1/0 is so hard to hide :( )
Hemi: (HEM -e) adj. Mopar in type, V8, hot tempered, native to the United States, carnivorous, eats primarily Mustangs, Camaros, and Corvettes. Also enjoys smoking a good import now and then to relax.
Post edited by MTXMAN on
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  • PoweredByDodge
    PoweredByDodge Posts: 4,185
    edited July 2003
    0 gauge isn't hard to hide dude -- unless u have very thin crappy carpet -- if u run it under the padding that is under the carpet you should barely if at all be able to see it... then if you have a floor mat over your carpet you surely shoudln't be able to see it.

    anywho...

    over a 15-ish foot length...

    8 gauge up to about 35-40 amps.
    4 gauge can run up to about 75 amps
    2 gauge up to about 150 amps.
    0 gauge up to about 300 amps.

    how much current are u looking at running ??

    note - actual current, not just adding up the fuses on the amps.

    last i heard u were hunting a 2000 w amp and a 4 channel ? or something like that.

    if u did 100 x 4 + 2000 x 1 ... u could use a single 0 gauge line, branch off with 0 to the 2000w amp and 4 to the four channel.
    The Artist formerly known as PoweredByDodge
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  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 0
    edited July 2003
    If there is a problem running it inside the car, you can always run it under the car and enter through the rear. Monster Cable makes a great grommet for running power wire through metal. If you do this , you must protect the 1/0 from the elements. We do this with 3/4" non-metallic liquid tight flexible conduit made by Electrician's Choice. Make sure you seal both places where the wire enters and exits the conduit to keep moisture out. Wire tie or (preferably) use cable clamps to attach it under the car.
    Monster Competition Grommets
    Home Depot
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  • MTXMAN
    MTXMAN Posts: 682
    edited July 2003
    Actually it's 125x4 and 2250x2 (2 amps at 1 ohm each and that's peak... can't find the 1ohm rms for the amp :( it's 1500 rms at 2 ohm though...)
    so i was thinking a 4ga from my origional bat location with bat upgraded to gel cel run to my 4ch and 0 run from alt (or bat depending on wether or not i can get an adapter for the power wire) to a 2nd bat in the trunk(also gel) and split 2 from that bat to 2 caps (thinking about trying to find a 3farad for each amp) and from each cap to it's respective amp... whatcha think?

    ps, i think the amp draw from the 4ch is 95a and the mono's have a peak of 175 at 1ohm so brobably just shy of 100...
    Hemi: (HEM -e) adj. Mopar in type, V8, hot tempered, native to the United States, carnivorous, eats primarily Mustangs, Camaros, and Corvettes. Also enjoys smoking a good import now and then to relax.
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  • PoweredByDodge
    PoweredByDodge Posts: 4,185
    edited July 2003
    what you said, while not what i'd do cuz i'm just different, is perfectly fine.

    if you cant find three farad caps look at the old stinger white caps -- they're like 30 bucks at sounddomain for 1 farad on closeout.. dunno if they're still there tho.. but 30 bones/farad cant be beat.

    oughta work out fine for u dude :)
    The Artist formerly known as PoweredByDodge
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  • MTXMAN
    MTXMAN Posts: 682
    edited July 2003
    for curiosity's sake humor me pbd what would you do to run it??
    Hemi: (HEM -e) adj. Mopar in type, V8, hot tempered, native to the United States, carnivorous, eats primarily Mustangs, Camaros, and Corvettes. Also enjoys smoking a good import now and then to relax.
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  • PoweredByDodge
    PoweredByDodge Posts: 4,185
    edited July 2003
    well... take this with a grain of salt, cuz its just a flavor of wiring that i like... its not better than anything else... no worse either... its like pizza toppings... anywho...

    if you only run those amps at 2 ohms so you get 1500 + 1500 + (125 x 4) = 3500 watts, then you can run it all off a single 0 gauge line.

    if you intend to run them at 1 ohm and pull 2250 outa each one then you're gonna need something bigger.

    but u seem to be just runnin the 3500-ish (enough power for ya there huh? lol) so here goes...

    under hood...

    - remove factory ALT to FUSE BOX 4 gauge power line.
    - remove factory BATT (neg) to ENGINE BOLT 4 or 8 gauge ground.
    - remove factory BATT (neg) to BODY BOLT (10, or even as small as 12 gauge) ground.
    - remove factory FUSE BOX to BATT (pos) 4 or 8 gauge wire. [note- leave any other wires that may have been hooked to this same post in place... you dont need to screw with anything else... i know my ECM has a power line that jumps from this post out... dont bother changing that]

    ... now you've got a "fresh" engine compartment to work with. What follows is quite easy.


    - buy two decent grade battery terminals (one pos / one neg) that have TWO SCREW DOWN TERMINALS ON EACH... not allen screws, but the ones where the screw comes out and you put up to 3 ring terminal things PER screw... you can fit much more **** per battery clamp this way. The allen screw ones are only good if you have exact fit wiring... and who's got that?

    - run 0 awg from the alternator (just use a ring terminal -- they have screw posts on back) to the pos BATT terminal.
    -run high grade (basically your normal audio cable instead of **** factory stock grade wiring) 4 gaue from the pos BATT terminal to the INPUT of the fuse box (recall a wire used to run from the output of the fuse box to the batt ... now we want to instead run this wire to the input of the fuse box -- the same place that the alternator power line used to run to...)
    -run a 0 gauge line from neg BATT terminal to the BODY GROUND SCREW (it'll be short like the factory one was... maybe around a foot... but now it'll be 0 gauge).
    -run a 0 gauge line from the BATT neg terminal to the screw at the base of the alternator. The absolute best place to ground the alternator (and for that matter the rest of the motor and even the body of the car since its all attached) is the base screw of the alternator which goes through it and bolts it to the engine block. This may end up being a ground line twice as long as before, but its still better.
    -fuse w/ in 18 in of the battery and run a 0 awg line down through the firewall, under the car or under the carpet (whichever is possible for you)... back to your second battery.
    -for 2nd batt get two similar batt terminals to what was gotten for the front, except these only need one screw terminal each.
    -2nd BATT neg terminal jumps to ground at the floor 0 gauge line.
    -2nd BATT pos to bank of capacitors pos.
    -2nd BATT neg to bank of caps neg.
    [note- plop the bank of caps right next to the battery -- u can build a little mdf mounting shelf or some **** for them and then carpet it and it'll look snazzy, like u have a little power plant in your car].
    -parallel like 4 caps together using "bus-bars" ( one like this will hold 4 capacitors together... http://www.sounddomain.com/sku/STISGBB4C -- they also sell them for 2, 3, i've seen them up to six).
    -run a single 0 gauge line out from the CAPBANK pos to a 3 way distribution block... (this one is perfect ... http://www.sounddomain.com/sku/LITLSGD2 -- it has a single 0/1 input and two 2 gauge outs as well as a two 4 gauge outs...)
    -run 2 gauge from distro block to each sub amp (which is perfect cuz u're doin like 1500 watts = roughly 110 amps with a class D.
    -run 4 gauge from distro block to 4 channel amp.
    -run ground to another distro block and ground at chassis with same gauge (2 and 4) as above.

    ... and as long as the battery didn't have to be in the same compartment as me I'd use two Energizers / Die Hard's / or something of the like that was 900 CCA or better... if they have to be, then obviously get a yellow top... but dont buy stupid buy on sale! -- yes there is a yellow top wholesaler who sells "scratch and dent" yellow tops for about 50-80 bucks a battery.... these are ones that the name "Optima" was printed on crooked or there is some funny paint mark somewhere else on the battery. I'll look and see if I can find the place again... all brand new not used.

    anywho -- that's what I'd do.
    The Artist formerly known as PoweredByDodge
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  • MTXMAN
    MTXMAN Posts: 682
    edited July 2003
    sweet that will be a big help... don't know if i'm gonna go exactly the same way you did but it's a lot of usefull info to think about thanks a ton PBD you are truly an audio king :D
    Hemi: (HEM -e) adj. Mopar in type, V8, hot tempered, native to the United States, carnivorous, eats primarily Mustangs, Camaros, and Corvettes. Also enjoys smoking a good import now and then to relax.
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  • PoweredByDodge
    PoweredByDodge Posts: 4,185
    edited July 2003
    my pleasure :)
    The Artist formerly known as PoweredByDodge
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