To 'Big 3' or Not? - Vehicle./System Ino Inside

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

I am focused more on a whole. Not just from the stereo point of view. If it is going to benefit the charging system regardless of the stereo as well more power to starter it sounds worth it, no? I'm addressing the factory run of 4 gauge wiring here too. I'm not an engineer here but seems small for that run from beginning.

Simple solution, grab a digital multi-meter, monitor your voltages. Plug it to either your battery or your amp. If its dropping below 13Vs then do the big 3. If its not, then dont even bother it'll just be a money sink with no noticeable returns. Your charging system has worked fine for years without it.

 

[wickedwitt 10+ year member]

Upgrading your electrical is never money wasted. Do the Big 3 for every install, even if only 4ga for installs under 1000w. The easier the electrons can travel, the less voltage issues and ultimately equipment issues you'll have.

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

Upgrading your electrical is never money wasted. Do the Big 3 for every install, even if only 4ga for installs under 1000w. The easier the electrons can travel, the less voltage issues and ultimately equipment issues you'll have.

NO! Wrong! Junior Member is Wrong!!! #facepalm

jk lol yeah it helps depending on what car they have. Sometimes 600 watts will be enough to kill a car's electrical and some cars can handle 1000 watts for years just fine. Gotta do them tests!

 

[wickedwitt 10+ year member]

NO! Wrong! Junior Member is Wrong!!! #facepalm
jk lol yeah it helps depending on what car they have. Sometimes 600 watts will be enough to kill a car's electrical and some cars can handle 1000 watts for years just fine. Gotta do them tests!

Eh, how expensive is 10' of #4 and 6 4g lugs? It's worth the $20-40 and 1hr to me to just fix it and forget it.

But yeah, what would I know...I'm just a junior member //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

[n2audio 5,000+ posts]

If you do it - I'd just do 4 awg on top of what's already there.

1/0 is all out overkill.

Your amp's not putting much stress on anything.

Running at 4 ohms all around you're getting 400 maybe 500w out of it AT full volume. Drawing probably 10A or so, average at normal listening levels.

The stock wiring isn't going to be sized for peak alternator output -- that level of current demand would kill the alt in a matter of hours, at best.

The wiring's sized for average current demand of the car's electrical system so 6-8 awg is perfectly adequate.

What you've added really isn't enough to change that, but as others have said, improving the stock wiring certainly won't hurt.

Say you have 15' of 6 awg and the alt's trying to deliver 100A...

Voltage drop is about 0.6v

If you add a 4 awg wire making a total of approximately 2 awg your voltage drop is about 0.25.

Might give you a little more amp power, but nothing much would change between the alt/batt.

 

[LosIsATool 5,000+ posts]

If he sees more than 250 watts I'll be surprised.

 

[wickedwitt 10+ year member]

400/10=10? News to me.

 

[n2audio 5,000+ posts]

400/10=10? News to me.

Was that directed at me?

Max measured power output of an amplifier is nowhere near average output in the car.

I'm just looking at it realistically.

 

[cas0586]

The max output of the amp is '2700W' max and 1200W RMS.

Going to do it anyways. May upgrade some time, who knows. Grabbed some 1/0 Royal Excelene welding cable. Already have the crimper. Just need to decide on the lugs. Is it common practice to put two 1/0 wires in a 2/0 lug? I would rather not stack four lugs on top each other at the underhood junction. Main cable, underhood fuse block, alternator and starter.

 

[LongThrow]

Tell ya what would be worth while. A new amp.

 

[n2audio 5,000+ posts]

The max output of the amp is '2700W' max and 1200W RMS.

Those are numbers boss' marketing personnel (whoever that may be) picked seemingly at random.

Peak power ratings are totally meaningless for all but the elite brands that actually specify how they came up with it.

And RMS ratings from the budget brands are nearly as meaningless.

Bogus ratings from brands like this are the only way they can stay in business.

With cheap amps like that we're left approximating actual power by the size of the fuses that are included.

At 90A one would assume something in the 900w rms range -- roughly 100x4 and 400x1

But as NoLoud (I think?) pointed out, it seems over-fusing is becoming commonplace for the low-end brands in order to appear capable of more power.

Regardless -- that 90A/900w approximation would occur at minimum impedance on all channels. You're not running at min on any channel. So that could be knocked down to 75x4/300x1, or 600 total. But it's a boss, which is why I guesstimated 400-500.

FWIW - There's a pretty good test of a Boss amp Mobile Edge Tests The Real World Output of 2 Amplifiers It's 2000w peak, 1000w rms at 2 ohms, 500w rms at 4 ohms and uses a pair of 25A fuses.

Long story short -- it produced a whopping 315w rms at 2 ohms.

 

[cas0586]

Good read! Thanks. Obviously don't have a lot of money dropped into this. How about a recommendation for a budget amp to drive the front components and sub?