Wire Guage question

[bbobb123 10+ year member]

Okay so I have a 12'' alpine Type R with 600 watts of rms running to it, and my battery is located in my trunk so I shouldnt need more then 5 feet of cable for anything.

What guage wire should I be using if the battery is this close to the amp? The amp says no less then 4 guage but im skeptical //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/yumyum.gif.0556df42231b304b9c995aefd13928a8.gif

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[misfit138 5,000+ posts]

Use 4 awg. You can get 5 or 6 ft of top quality wire for less than $10.

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

Use 4 awg. You can get 5 or 6 ft of top quality wire for less than $10.

Way bigger than necessary. See the duplicate thread for my math.

 

[misfit138 5,000+ posts]

Way bigger than necessary. See the duplicate thread for my math.

Okay professor. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

For a run this short, and the small amount of money it'll take, why not go ahead and use the 4 awg? It's not like I'm telling this guy to rush out and buy $100 worth of 1/0 awg when it isn't necessary.

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

Okay professor. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif
For a run this short, and the small amount of money it'll take, why not go ahead and use the 4 awg? It's not like I'm telling this guy to rush out and buy $100 worth of 1/0 awg when it isn't necessary.

I understand your point, but the OP was clearly asking if 4ga is really necessary, and its not. Not even close. 10ga would be overkill. Just trying to answer the man's question. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

 

[misfit138 5,000+ posts]

I understand your point, but the OP was clearly asking if 4ga is really necessary, and its not. Not even close. 10ga would be overkill. Just trying to answer the man's question. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

I gotcha, but if the dude's too cheap to buy a $10 piece of wire he might want to look into a new hobby. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

And for the record, I'm one of those guys that'll use 8 awg for speaker wire. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

I gotcha, but if the dude's too cheap to buy a $10 piece of wire he might want to look into a new hobby. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif
And for the record, I'm one of those guys that'll use 8 awg for speaker wire. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif

Using 8ga speaker wire is fine so long as you realize its totally for looks alone. Just remember to explain that to people if you are going to recommend they do the same thing. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

OP might be asking because he already has a piece of 8ga or 10ga wire laying around. Or it might be easier to install smaller wire in his particular vehicle/layout. Who knows. This is why its good to explain how to figure this stuff out, not just suggest a size.

At the risk of sounding like an old fuck, I'll quote an old saying: Give a man a fish, and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and feed him for a lifetime.

 

[misfit138 5,000+ posts]

Using 8ga speaker wire is fine so long as you realize its totally for looks alone. Just remember to explain that to people if you are going to recommend they do the same thing. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

I know it's pointless and don't recommend it...

 

[bbobb123 10+ year member]

Well thanks guys, the reason I was asking if 4 awg was overkill is becuase I'm just gona buy a kit, and the 4 awg kit was like twice as much as the 8 awg kit but thanks

Also what size fuse should I need coming out from the + terminal of the battery for this short setup?

I'm guessing anything bigger than 50 from your math?

 

[DarkScorpion 10+ year member]

Match the ampacity of the cable. If you use 8ga wire, ~50A would be good.

 

[misfit138 5,000+ posts]

the b, the o, the b, the b, the y, the d, the i, the g, the i, the t, the a, the l.

Digital...

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

I'm guessing anything bigger than 50 from your math?

What DarkScorpian said.