Get away with 8 gauge?

[adblink182 10+ year member]

My last setup was 1 d-class 1000 watt amp.....1 cerwin vega 12" sub.....1 4-ch Alpine amp and factory speakers.......

all of that was running on 8 gauge wire...

my new setup will be the same amp, but 3 12"s and no alpine amp

can I get away using the same wire for my amp? or do I have to use 4g?

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[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

You really should go up to 4ga when running 1000w

 

[Shyne151 10+ year member]

Ughh... don't run 8gauge for that.

 

[tRiGgEr 5,000+ posts]

You could get away with it. But serious how much does 4 guage cost. And how hard would it be to run it. Do it right the first time.

 

[req 5,000+ posts]

http://www.knukonceptz.com

http://www.weldingsupply.com

http://www.ebay.com

walmart ($29 for a 4awg kit)

i mean, be serious.

 

[Chevyaudio 5,000+ posts]

You really need 4 gauge wire 8 gauge is only acceptable when running a small amp as in under 500 watts

 

[monte_carlo97 10+ year member]

8 ga?

Be for real and just buy a $30 kit and do things right.

It makes me cringe when people run that much power of 8 ga. the best is when people use left over speaker wire for power wire.

 

[ANeonRider 10+ year member]

Hell, I would run 1/0 gauge, that way you have room to grow...

 

[monte_carlo97 10+ year member]

^^^ that would be the best thing to do.

 

[adblink182 10+ year member]

hmmm ok I get the point, lol.

Just wondering because the guy said I should buy some kit that was going to cost me like $50 which included rca's, 4g and whatever

but I already have 2 rca cables and really only need the 4g wire and I guess a fuse. The fuse I was using before wouldnt be good enough? i know its hard to say without knowing exactly what it is, I'll get that info later

 

[Chevyaudio 5,000+ posts]

you dont even have to buy a kit, you can go to just about any good car audio shop and they should have a roll of 4 gauge wire and fuses and fuse holders that would be cheaper

 

[monte_carlo97 10+ year member]

not usually most shops sell it for like $3 a foot, $2 at its very cheapest.

 

[jrz126 10+ year member]

When I upgraded to my 4g, I got it from a welding supply shop, 16 bucks for the crimp terminals and 25 feet of wire. I had enough for the main power run, ground, and I had about 4 feet left over.

The only shitty thing is that when I went to the sound place to buy the fuse holder and fuse, I ended up spending like 11 bucks or something, so I kinda lost any savings gained on the wire.

Dont let them sucker you into buying new rca's either.

 

[monte_carlo97 10+ year member]

well for $25 you can get everything you need from walmart. Fuse holders and everything. The extra RCa's are a plus. i personally think that it is a great kit and an excellent value.

 

[adblink182 10+ year member]

well I have the fuse holder already from my last setup....but want I need to find out is if I am going to need a bigger fuse or not

if not, then all I gotta do is go out and buy 4g wire