Car Wiring, will I need an upgrade?

[mrmonkey 10+ year member]

Hey, I'm about to hook up my new PA Mofo 15" with a MTX Thunder 6500D. I'm concerned about the wiring in my car, I don't know if I'll need to upgrade it. I thought it was 12 gauge I'm actually 90% sure that it's 8 gauge (I had no idea how gauge and the numbers worked in reverse). The fuse on the wire coming from my battery says 80A, I don't know if that makes a difference. Am I going to need a capacitor or anything, and are my wires going to burn up or blow a fuse?

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[RJesus 10+ year member]

I would upgrade the power wire to 4g, or 0g if your concerned with efficiency/future upgrades.

8g is cutting it a little close...I'd recommend at least 4g. Your amp has x2 25a fuses, right? Well that wire should never see over 50a, so that 80a fuse should actually be a 50a fuse.

12g would defiantly not work though, so be 100% sure that its not 12g.

Never mutter the word capacitor again.

 

[mrmonkey 10+ year member]

I would upgrade the power wire to 4g, or 0g if your concerned with efficiency/future upgrades.
8g is cutting it a little close...I'd recommend at least 4g. Your amp has x2 25a fuses, right? Well that wire should never see over 50a, so that 80a fuse should actually be a 50a fuse.

12g would defiantly not work though, so be 100% sure that its not 12g.

Never mutter the word capacitor again.

The amp actually has three 25a fuses.

And by cutting it close, what do you mean? Like it might randomly explode into flames one day or do you just mean might not sound the best?

 

[Cap'n Andy 10+ year member]

Putting too much current through too small a wire causes it to overheat, melt, and eventually cause a fire.

 

[mrmonkey 10+ year member]

Putting too much current through too small a wire causes it to overheat' date=' melt, and eventually cause a fire.[/quote']So if the 8 gauge works for say, 10 minutes, will it be fine for good, or would I just have problems later on a random day?

 

[Cap'n Andy 10+ year member]

So if the 8 gauge works for say, 10 minutes, will it be fine for good, or would I just have problems later on a random day?

I wouldn't use 8 gauge for you power wiring, its far too small. Since you amp is fused for 75 amps, the smallest recommended is 4 gauge. Here's a little guide that shows how much current a wire can handle over a given distance.

https://weldingsupply.securesites.com/cgi-bin/enlarge.pl?main/Ampacity.gif:Suggested+Ampacity+Chart

 

[mrmonkey 10+ year member]

It ended up being 6 gauge (//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/confused.gif.e820e0216602db4765798ac39d28caa9.gif did not know that existed), so I kept it and it works fine. The guy who sold it to me gave me a Rockford Fosgate capacitor (I know someone said never to mention a capacitor again, but I got it free so please don't yell at me //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crazy.gif.c13912c32de98515d3142759a824dae7.gif). I'm wondering if I should use the capacitor because all the lights on my car go berserk every time I play music at a level I find reasonable.

 

[Pr1m3 10+ year member]

I'm wondering if I should use the capacitor because all the lights on my car go berserk every time I play music at a level I find reasonable.

Start with doing the Big 3 in 4ga or 0ga, and consider a battery in the trunk.

 

[Cap'n Andy 10+ year member]

A capacitor will end up putting more strain on your electrical system. Put that cap on craigslist and get a small battery for your trunk.

If you ever upgrade your amp, you WILL have to upgrade your power wire to 4ga at the very least, preferably 1/0ga.

 

[danielferguson4 10+ year member]

The Big 3 consists of: Upgrading your power wire to your Alternator, upgrading your ground wire from your battery to chasis, and upgrading your ground from your engine block to chasis. I would go ahead and upgrade everything to 1/0 gauge wire, so in the future if you want to go bigger then you already have this part complete.

The name of the game is to cut down the resistance on your wire. Less resistance means more power.

Good Luck!