Pioneer subs 300W RMS each...

I currently have 2 Pioneer TS-W304R (12") running with a Kenwood KAC-8405 amp. I have the subs bridged to the amp in parallel (2Ohms). I know there is no rating for this amp at 2Ohms. It's rated at 180Wx2 at 4Ohms. I also have 2 speakers that are 40W RMS at 4Ohms each wired to the amp. I'm running, I believe, 4 AWG, possibly as small as 8 AWG, wire to the amp (the packaging the wire came in didn't state the size) and I have a 1 Farad capacitor as well, which I'm most likely going to remove.

I had a single 10" kicker comp hooked up to this amp before I put the two Pioneers in.
I only upgraded to the pioneers because I was looking for more punch from the sub(s).
I know that my amp cannot push 600W RMS when it is bridged no matter what.

I believe the amp is overheating because it started to cut out when it was pushing quite a lot of bass. Tell me if I'm wrong, but I think it's because of the subs wired at 2 Ohms. I talked to a guy at car toys saying I could run a DVC sub OR 2-4 ohm subs at 2 ohms to this amp and would give me ~300W RMS. I don't believe he was completely right.

Is the amp overheating because it's trying to push more power than it can handle to the subs, or because the impedance is too low; or could it be the wiring? Is there another way I could wire my subs/amp so that I can still get the most out of it; or would I have to get a different amp completely?
Any advice for better performance of the amp and sub is appreciated!

first ditch that cap, second yes your resistance is too low, if specs say nothing about bridging to 2 ohms then its not recommended to do it, this could be damaging your amp, if your not planning on getting a bigger amp soon take care of what you have :D if your lights dim do the big three upgrade, look for the thread on it, the big three will help your system all around without needing the cap

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Originally Posted by Preston019

I currently have 2 Pioneer TS-W304R (12") running with a Kenwood KAC-8405 amp. I have the subs bridged to the amp in parallel (2Ohms). I know there is no rating for this amp at 2Ohms. It's rated at 180Wx2 at 4Ohms. I also have 2 speakers that are 40W RMS at 4Ohms each wired to the amp. I'm running, I believe, 4 AWG, possibly as small as 8 AWG, wire to the amp (the packaging the wire came in didn't state the size) and I have a 1 Farad capacitor as well, which I'm most likely going to remove.

I had a single 10" kicker comp hooked up to this amp before I put the two Pioneers in.
I only upgraded to the pioneers because I was looking for more punch from the sub(s).
I know that my amp cannot push 600W RMS when it is bridged no matter what.

I believe the amp is overheating because it started to cut out when it was pushing quite a lot of bass. Tell me if I'm wrong, but I think it's because of the subs wired at 2 Ohms. I talked to a guy at car toys saying I could run a DVC sub OR 2-4 ohm subs at 2 ohms to this amp and would give me ~300W RMS. I don't believe he was completely right.

Is the amp overheating because it's trying to push more power than it can handle to the subs, or because the impedance is too low; or could it be the wiring? Is there another way I could wire my subs/amp so that I can still get the most out of it; or would I have to get a different amp completely?
Any advice for better performance of the amp and sub is appreciated!

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You are severely under-powering your subs. You could get so much more out of them. My suggestion is to use the Kenwood amps for the speakers, and buy a new amp for the sub. You could find a decent one used on here for $100-150.

Also, is the box the subs are in premade? I'm guessing it is. But the box is SOOO important to the performance of your substage. I'd HIGHLY recommend looking into getting a custom box. You can get one from @pro-rabbit ; or @double 07 ; for around $150-200 shipped.

You'd be amazed how big of a difference more power and a proper box will make for you.

Get another amp to run the smaller speakers. You're literally killing the amp.