ski

I told my friend to get 8 Gauge wire for his amp instead of 10 Gauge....

... then he says to me some dude told him to get 2 Gauge wire for $100

what's going on? did I miss the memo? I thought 8 Gauge was awesome?

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bachviet

Who then heck needs 2 Ga. wire? 4 Ga. is the max I would use for amp.

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InfiniteNothing

I like to use 0/0 gauge wire.

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DarkFury

Depends on how big or how many amps you are running...


Basically, if you are running > 2000W of power, I'd highly recommend using 0/0 guage wire.

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ski

This is going to be 600W max RMS for a non-audiophile -

-- what would you recommend now?

DarkFury

8 guage is fine for most "low" to medium power amps (i.e. 50 - 200W), however as you get into more power and current draw off of your battery, the larger guage wires provide less resistance and overall less heat (which on a smaller wire could melt it at the terminals or fuse block).

BTW... he probably could've gotten by on 4 guage wire for around $60 if his amps were under 1000W of total power.

Bires

For 600W RMS, 8G should be fine, as long as you are only travelling about 10-12'. Most people error on the side of overkill when installing amps, in case you want to add larger amps, EQs, and caps.

Most wires connecting alternators/generators are only 4gauge...and they are 80-150amps.

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Apex

You would want pretty thick wiring for say, this amp:



http://www.jbl.com/car/products/prod...er=GTI&cat=AMP

8110 Watts RMS x 1 channel at 4 ohms,
14.4V supply and ≤ 1%THD+N

So, say you're this guy:



and have 12 of those amps in your van, along with 70 batteries. I'd say thick wiring is probably well advised.

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hapoo

You can say it all you want apex, but I don't think he's going to hear you.

SnowSurfer

the ear bleed mobile

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johnnymk

Correct me if I am wrong: 600 watts divided by 12 volts equals 50 amps. That is equivalent to 8 gauge wire.

BTW, how many amps does your alternator put out at idle? I seriously doubt 50 amps. But also I doubt that you will have the volume at max for an extended period.

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bachviet

I probably have a big headache after listening to music in that car.

DarkFury

I still say that you can't go wrong with 4 guage either way... I always err to the side of "too big" versus "too small" (not that 8 guage would be "too small" in this example).

Would your friend ever be considering installing another amp or some other power equipment in the future? If so, then consider the 4 guage an "investment".

Bires

Exactly, like I said...

Anyway...

Most alternators put out much more than 50 amps. For instance, my little 2.5L Sentra SpecV's alternator (same one found in Altimas and Maximas) is rated at 100Amps. DF's truck's prolly rated near 150Amps, to power winches, light bars, CBs, etc. If you are concerned with dropping below your needs at idle, get a 1F capacitor.
Generally, the car only needs between 1/2 to 2/3 of that rating, the rest is a reserve for accs.

catch22

Most "stock" alternators put out more than 50 amps. Mine puts out 100amps (truck) , 65amps (honda)

johnnymk

THey do NOT put the rated amperage at IDLE. They generally put out 40% to 50% at idle.

Bires

Get a cap

ski

New specs:

This is for a 2001 Nissan Pathfinder.

He's only installing this one amp, and since he's going with the Kappa Perfect which is 400W RMS I think, it's not going to be the 600W I thought it would be. So I'm definitely leaning toward recommending 8 gauge.

He's going to put in a carputer though, but will play through the head unit's tiny amp via Aux In, so he's not going to put another amp in.

hapoo

Also depends on distance.

shoeish

$6000 for that amp. Good lord.

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DarkFury

Yeah... that thing could power a small stadium.

But of course, I'll NEVER own one (unless I can get a coupon to buy it at 90% off. )

Apex

That amp is over 80lbs. Comes in a wooden crate, shipping weight is like 145lbs. Nuts.

Hate to be the delivery guy. 12 amps for mr. @#$#$@#.

ski

Hey, anyone know of a 8110W RMS subwoofer I can buy? The most I've seen is up to 2000W...

Apex

There are probably a few. There's the Kicker SoloX S18X at 5000w RMS, 10000w Peak.

http://www.kicker.com/ShowPage.cfm?f...enu=SUBWOOFERS



The Adire Parthenon will be way over this.

DarkFury

Wow... that's awesome.

I was gonna recommend the MTX RFL speaker... http://www.mtx.com/caraudio/products/subwoofers/RFL.cfm







2000 RMS/4000 Max power.

However that one has it beat hands down.

bachviet

Damn loud...