Power and Ground for Multiple Amps

[Skooter 10+ year member]

Alllllllrightynow.

I have a 2005 Buick Rainier, which has a stock 150A alternator, and unfortunately, due to lack of cashflow, it will remain that way, however, I am looking to upgrade wire, with the prospect of adding another amp, as well as stray away from the slight dimming (voltage drop) I am experiencing at idle. When sitting at a red light, I can watch the voltmeter in the gauge cluster dip and rise with a slight, slight flicker of the lights.

I am running:

MB Quart ONX1.1000D - D-Class Monoblock - Runs 2 Sundown E8V3's

PPI BK800.4 - A/B Class 4 Channel - Currently Runs 2 CDT TW-25's and 2 6.5" Sundown NeoPro V2's

No Big 3 yet, 2 poor quality 4g cca power runs for the amps with decent grounds to frame, and DEKA Battery under the hood.

I PLAN to run:

The MB Quart, still on the E8V3's

PPI BK800.4 on my CDT TW-25's, and plan to add CDT HD-3's into the dash

Alpine MRV-F505 Expert Series 4 Channel to power the NeoPro V2's, Bridged Stereo at 4ohms.

I have all 3 amps already.

I want to get rid of the crappy 4g wire I have, not because it's CCA, but because it is not nearly to spec. More like 6g-8g... //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crying.gif.ec0ebefe590df0251476573bc49e46d8.gif To remain in stock class for SQ, I do not want to relocate my battery or add another or any of that junk.

I've been looking at Sky High Car Audio 1/0 and 2/0 CCA... because CCA is cheaper, and I'm a baller on a budget. At full tilt, the amps together put out 2200 Watts, but I will be most likely using only 1400-1600 of those watts daily, since I like my music reasonably loud, but obviously SQ is more important to me.

I've been told that in order to eliminate ground loops, as well as have a more direct flow of current, that I should run a negative wire of the same length and gauge as the power. I like this idea, as I can understand that isolation from the interference of other electrical networks through the car, as well as a more direct path, would both be beneficial, both to the noise aspect and the drop in voltage as well, so I'm likely taking this path.

Now that you know what I'm dealing with here, it's time to unveil the real motive behind this post:

How much wire is enough? How shall I distribute power?

As I said, dealing with Sky High Car Audio, which I know many of you are familiar with. I came up with a few quick ideas of what I COULD do, but cost and effectiveness are my two biggest hurdles. I have listed below, the scenarios I have come up with, starting from the lowest, and increasing in cost. Any other options are absolutely welcomed.

Length of runs from battery to amps will be about 14-16 feet, since I have a large vehicle.

Scenario 1:

1 run of 2/0 power

1 run of 2/0 ground

Distribution of power and ground to 4g to each amp.

Scenario 2:

2 runs of 1/0 power

2 runs of 1/0 ground

1 run of power and ground goes directly to the sub amp (MB Quart)

1 run of power and ground distributed between the 4 channels

Scenario 3:

2 runs of 1/0 power

2 runs of 1/0 ground

Power and grounds meet and then are distributed, just like with the 2/0 cable.

I tried to be as informative as I could with my situation, but if you need any more info, please ask!

Thanks for the help, everyone.

Click to read more...

 

[mylows10 5,000+ posts]

It's not gonna really matter how you do this. 1 run of 0 gauge power and ground will be enough. Then to a distro block and short runs of ofc to the amps

 

[Skooter 10+ year member]

It's not gonna really matter how you do this. 1 run of 0 gauge power and ground will be enough. Then to a distro block and short runs of ofc to the amps

Thank you for your reply.

Will there be a significant difference between 1 run of 1/0 and 1 run of 2/0? (1 run, meaning power and ground)

 

[mylows10 5,000+ posts]

Thank you for your reply.
Will there be a significant difference between 1 run of 1/0 and 1 run of 2/0? (1 run, meaning power and ground)

With the minimal power your running prolly not Just get that big 3 in there to The 2/0 only has a 50-75 amp extra draw than the regular 1/0 gauge. Which is 250 amps at 17'. So I think you'll be fine

 

[Skooter 10+ year member]

With the minimal power your running prolly not Just get that big 3 in there to The 2/0 only has a 50-75 amp extra draw than the regular 1/0 gauge. Which is 250 amps at 17'. So I think you'll be fine

Ok. Thank you very much.

Their 2/0 CCA is rated to 500 amps thermally, but being stock electrical, I was not sure if the exchange would be enough to keep the voltage drop over the wire itself at a level which would not affect the amps. I'm less worried about thermal capacity than voltage drop.

Let's say my electrical is resting at 14.6v flat with the engine on, and spikes down to ~13.5v, just for shits and giggles, I wanted to make sure my amplifiers weren't seeing too much less than that voltage.

Thanks again. I'll likely be doing 1 run of 2/0 for each power and ground.

 

[mylows10 5,000+ posts]

Ok. Thank you very much.Their 2/0 CCA is rated to 500 amps thermally, but being stock electrical, I was not sure if the exchange would be enough to keep the voltage drop over the wire itself at a level which would not affect the amps. I'm less worried about thermal capacity than voltage drop.

Let's say my electrical is resting at 14.6v flat with the engine on, and spikes down to ~13.5v, just for shits and giggles, I wanted to make sure my amplifiers weren't seeing too much less than that voltage.

Thanks again. I'll likely be doing 1 run of 2/0 for each power and ground.

Cool