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Joined: Mar 2005
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OP
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i was just curious if 8 gauge wire would be good enough for a 1200W amp? the amp came from my friends car who was using a 4 gauge but i heard it should run fine on an 8 gauge, is this correct?
'98 Contour SE
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I would use 4 guages just to be on the safe side
1998.5 SVT contour #5979 3L 
1995 Mercury Mystique 2.5L auto, all ghetto fo sho
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I would say 4 gauge minimum. It usually depends on the run (length of wire) and RMS power of the amp. Here is a link to a good chart for recommended wire gauge sizes. 12volt
99 Contour SE Zetec 2.0 ATX
My Ride
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well would 8 gauge be ok for the time being? it's all i have at the moment that came in a wiring kit that had everything for cheap except 4gauge, but i'll probably be replacing the 8gauge soon
'98 Contour SE
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use a 4 gauge, you dont wanna fry your car. i have a 2 gauge running from my battery in the front to my optima in the back then then 4 gauge connecting my back battery to my amp. and i have had no problems atall.
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Originally posted by ChemicalWeather:
well would 8 gauge be ok for the time being?
All wiring guides I know of would say if you are over 100 amp and more than 4 feet length of WIRE, 8 gauge is a bad idea.
Will it start a fire??
I bet it will get Very Warm.
I know of persons who have started a fire and burned their hands because they used a smaller gauge wire with a similar power class A/B amp.
Its in your best interest to know the typical current draw of the amp and follow guide in 12volt link.
Anthony B. Davis
2Deep2 Silver SVT
2002 IASCA SQ Ult Ama 601+ World Champion runner up
2002 SLAP dBQ Champion 
2000 USAC SQ World Champion
2002 USACi SQ World Champion
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According to the NEC and the lowest amps per conductor size, 8 guage wire will only handle 60A or 720 watts. You risk fire after that.
4AWG says 105A or 1260W.
1/0AWG says 195A or 2340W...
Of course this is for household wiring, but I'd stick to what they say since they pretty much write the codes.
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Lets not rate wire by car audio amp wattage. Since 9/10 times this 1200W amp turns out to be a Pyramid amp. Lets ask factual questions like the amps fuse rating or current draw (in amps).
If your amp has a 40A fuse, its really a 500 watt amp unless they have created the world's first 100%+ efficient amp at 12-14V
Over 50A @20ft would require 4AWG. Length is VERY important, 50A at 2ft 10AWG could support that load.
Also with the V x A equation, that also figures the amp to be 100% efficient, which they are not. Its a good rule of thumb though.
Previous Owner of 00 SVT Contour #1077/2150 
95 Contour SE '01 3L
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