Wiring Upgrade Questions

[Oldbasshead]

Hi all,

I'm new here so forgive me if I miss any prerequisite info for asking advice.

I used to run some heavy hitting systems years ago, but then I had kids, lol, and my stereos had to take a back seat so that my kiddos could sit in a backseat. Last year I installed a budget 1500W Skar system in my oldest son's car and have gotten hooked again. I guess that was inevitable.

Anyway, I initially installed a Kicker 800.1 amp and a 10" Solobaric in my 2019 Mazda 3 sedan. Kicker LOC and Kicker 4G OFC wiring kit. Worked well but just wasn't giving me the bass I really wanted, so I upgraded and I've clearly taken things too far. Now I have the same Kicker setup along with a 1500W Memphis amp and the same Skar 2x12" box that my son was using. The Skars and Kicker are running at 1 ohm, so I'm probably roughly at 1600-2000W RMS now. At full tilt, my voltage readout on my 8 farad capacitor goes from 13.6V to under 10V real quick, throwing the cap into protect mode for 10 seconds or so.

My car has a stock 300A alternator and a new battery, so I'm assuming my wiring just can't handle the power I'm asking from it now, hence the severe voltage drops. I'm planning to re-run the power and ground with 1/0 OFC. My main question is can I continue to run 4g from my capacitor to the amps and just run the 1/0 directly to the capacitor, which is also a distribution block? I assumed the voltage drop is due to trying to pull 1500+ RMS through a 4G wire. Am I on the right track with this thinking? I'm not looking to build a competition system, just looking for that big bass in my tiny little Mazda, lol.

Thanks for reading and any advice.

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[1aespinoza 10+ year member]

Last year I installed a budget 1500W Skar system in my oldest son's car and have gotten hooked again.

I love this. Share a passion to keep it going.

My main question is can I continue to run 4g from my capacitor to the amps and just run the 1/0 directly to the capacitor, which is also a distribution block?

Yes you can. Only downside I see it may be cumbersome.

Am I on the right track with this thinking

Have you done what is called the Big 3? It is a series of grounding points for better energy transfer from your alternator.

 

[Oldbasshead]

Yes you can. Only downside I see it may be cumbersome.

My amp board is already wired with 4G power and grounds, so shouldn't be too much of a chore. Just need to get a beefier power/ground to the cap. I just wasn't sure if the size difference from the main power/ground and the 4G wires on the amp board would cause problems. I'd really rather not redo the whole board with clunky 1/0 wires.

Have you done what is called the Big 3? It is a series of grounding points for better energy transfer from your alternator.

Not yet. My engine compartment is ridiculously NOT easy to work in, at least compared to the Suburbans, Tahoes, etc., I'm used to working on. I do know the process and do also plan on doing the Big 3 probably when I run the new 1/0 wiring. Though everything in my car gobbles power, hence the 300A alt, so I figured the factory grounds and alt/battery wires were probably already rather beefy also.

Thanks for the reply!

 

[SilverSquared 10+ year member]

My car has a stock 300A alternator

Should be 120A to 140A. The stockers arent 300A. If it were, Id bet you wouldnt be killing the electrical with what you have.
Big 3 will help also, if you do not have a spare, toss in another power source. Battery or bank.

 

[Oldbasshead]

Should be 120A to 140A. The stockers arent 300A. If it were, Id bet you wouldnt be killing the electrical with what you have.
Big 3 will help also, if you do not have a spare, toss in another power source. Battery or bank.

Oh, hell, I think you're right. I saw the 300E or whatever it was on my stock alt and I think it is 160A or somewhere close to that.

I am extremely limited on space, however, since I drive this car for work and tote my kids to ballgames and stuff. Fitting another battery into the mix would be a real pain. I bought the 8 farad cap hoping it would help smooth out the voltages over time and save my battery and alternator. That was also my excuse not to add a super cap or second battery. My logic is often flawed since I've been out of the car audio game for so long.

Do you think a Big 3 + running 1/0 power and ground will keep my voltage from dropping too low? All things considered, I'm not even touching 2000 RMS.

 

[spokey9]

Oh, hell, I think you're right. I saw the 300E or whatever it was on my stock alt and I think it is 160A or somewhere close to that.

I am extremely limited on space, however, since I drive this car for work and tote my kids to ballgames and stuff. Fitting another battery into the mix would be a real pain. I bought the 8 farad cap hoping it would help smooth out the voltages over time and save my battery and alternator. That was also my excuse not to add a super cap or second battery. My logic is often flawed since I've been out of the car audio game for so long.

Do you think a Big 3 + running 1/0 power and ground will keep my voltage from dropping too low? All things considered, I'm not even touching 2000 RMS.

The big 3 in 1/0 redoing power and grounds in 1/0 should be good for what you're running...I'd start there and if you still have issues I'd look to a second battery