Inexperienced aka Noob Questions

[chibahawk 10+ year member]

Okay I just picked up a Rockford Fosgate Punch 801s Amp and two JL 12w3's in a Powerwedge box.. Now I got my stuff used so I have no wires.. so I am not positive as to what I am looking to do right now - do I run RCA wires connected to the SubWoofer Out RCAs from my Head Unit to the amp and then do I run regular 18 gauge speaker wire from the amp to the subs?

Now at this second I'm not positive which of the two Power Wedge drivers I have so Im not sure exactly how I will wire the subs, in series or parallel, but I think I may have to adjust the gain or bridge the amp in order to get around 300W to each instead of 400+W...

Final Impedance:

CS212RG-W0-2:

2 Ohms Mono

CS212RG-W0-4:

4 Ohms Mono

Any tips at all will be appreciated.. what kind of speaker wire I need to buy, and where do I have to make connections.. thanks

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[chibahawk 10+ year member]

Alright my amp does 400Wx2 @ 2ohms and 800Wx1 @ 4 ohms bridged.. which is the better way to wire?

 

[FOSGATE JOE 10+ year member]

4 ohms bridged will give you the most out of that amp if the subs 4 ohms dvc and power wise 4 gauge will work grate p.s look up the install threads

 

[Alpineinstaller 10+ year member]

run twelve gauge speakers wire from the amp to the speakers

 

[chibahawk 10+ year member]

okay i think im going to run 18awg seeing as its all ive got.. will 12awg make any difference really?

ALSO my problem now is that I have no idea where to run the wire to the battery

..ive been looking for a hole to just run the wire to the engine compartment but cant find one.. and its tough looking for a place to drill my own hole..

 

[cjjackson85 5,000+ posts]

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[PhatTonyDeMarco 5,000+ posts]

ALSO my problem now is that I have no idea where to run the wire to the battery

..ive been looking for a hole to just run the wire to the engine compartment but cant find one.. and its tough looking for a place to drill my own hole..

Look at the top of your left fender (when looking from the front) with the hood open. See if there is a crack at the very top where the hood sets into the fender to close, there should be a small hole that goes through to the door. Open the door, run the wire through that small hole. The pierce the rubber grommet containing all of your door wiring, and find where they come into your car. Then just slide the power cable on through.

Very simple.

 

[FOSGATE JOE 10+ year member]

okay i think im going to run 18awg seeing as its all ive got.. will 12awg make any difference really?
ALSO my problem now is that I have no idea where to run the wire to the battery

..ive been looking for a hole to just run the wire to the engine compartment but cant find one.. and its tough looking for a place to drill my own hole..

run it under the car and use some ties too or run it through the door where the hole is the hole wheir thay run the door speakers from //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[johnecon2001 5,000+ posts]

okay i think im going to run 18awg seeing as its all ive got.. will 12awg make any difference really?
ALSO my problem now is that I have no idea where to run the wire to the battery

..ive been looking for a hole to just run the wire to the engine compartment but cant find one.. and its tough looking for a place to drill my own hole..

14-12awg is the general rule of thumb. Sometimes you use 16awg.. but 18 is much too thin. Go get something else.

 

[jsloan10 10+ year member]

Okay I just picked up a Rockford Fosgate Punch 801s Amp and two JL 12w3's in a Powerwedge box.. Now I got my stuff used so I have no wires.. so I am not positive as to what I am looking to do right now - do I run RCA wires connected to the SubWoofer Out RCAs from my Head Unit to the amp and then do I run regular 18 gauge speaker wire from the amp to the subs?

#1- bridge them in parrellel.

#2-To run the power wire look for a rubber plug up under the dash around where the steering column is, that is usually the best route. If no plug is present drill a hole through the area where the firewall meets the floorboards, by drilling lower you can easily verify if there is any fuel or brake lines on the other side, use a grommet to protect the wire from chafing on the metal edges and dab some silicone on the spot to keep moisture out and protect against rust.

#3- 18/0gauge wire will work but is easily damaged because its size, if I were you I would use at least 16/0gauge wire, 12/0 guage would be ideal.