Running 0 or 2 gauge wire to the trunk

[s4per]

Hi All,

Relative n00b here trying my best to learn, so please be kind ;-). I'm looking to upgrade my system (speakers, amps, eventually HU) and have been getting great info from here and other places over the last month or so and am getting closer to finalizing my shopping list. One question I have right now though and that I haven't seen much info on is: with wire as big as 2 or 0 gauge needing to run from front to back (I'd like to do it right the first time and not skimp on gauge here so i won't have to worry about it again even if i do more upgrades later), do people actually manage to fit it under the carpet? Is it a viable option to run it under the car or is that just stupid?

I have an 02 Audi S4 and am having a hard time figuring out where I could run that gauge wire back inside of the car without having my molding or carpet protruding excessively. What do you do? What do the pros do?

TIA,

Per

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[stuckinok 5,000+ posts]

runit under the rug in that car. audis have padding underneath the carpet so the rug doesnt really sit directly on the floor. If you remove the drivers seat you can run it under the carpet like that youll just have to go deep. no need to run in under the car on an audi. if you install it clean you wont be able to tell its there. 1/0ga is fine unless your a big time competitor with a ton of amps

 

[s4per]

great, thanks for that answer, and no - - not a big time competitor here ;-). just out of curiosity: it sounds like running it under the car is a viable option in cars where there isn't enough room?

 

[stuckinok 5,000+ posts]

great, thanks for that answer, and no - - not a big time competitor here ;-). just out of curiosity: it sounds like running it under the car is a viable option in cars where there isn't enough room?

there is nothing wrong with running it outside the car as long as its shielded from the elements...in most cars th carpet just sits on th floor with no padding so when you put 1/0in there it looks like you have a garden hose running to the trunk..LOL but ther is nothing wrong with running it under the car as long as its done right

 

[stuckinok 5,000+ posts]

oh and one more thing DUB/AUDI for life HAHAHA

 

[s4per]

word ;-)

 

[spin dB 10+ year member]

I currently have mine running through the car and Have had no problems with it. I am driving an Alero with no padding under the carpet and when done right you should be able to run it in the frame of the interior. As for the gage you need it depends on the length of wire. If you are going to run it more than 20ft then you need a bigger AWG than you would normally need. If you are going to run less than 3500Wrms with a wire that is not more than 20ft you can get by with 1/0 AWG. If you plan on running more power or if you plan on upgrading in the future to more power or you have to run more than 20ft I would suggest running 2/0AWG. "There is nothing wrong with running a larger wire than you need."

As for running it under the car...Yes, it is a viable answer to the problem, but I would suggest running it in some sort of conduit and make sure it is not near the exhaust and that it is secured to the vehicle properly.