Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Audio Time to shop for wires...

I'm going to be running two amps: JBL BP300.1 for the sub and P180.2 for the front speakers. I'm going to move the battery to the trunk. I'm also going to order a capacitor. Now, question is-each of the amps take either 4ga or 8ga power wire. I know +/- have to be the same gauge. Should I run 4ga or 8ga to each amp?

I'm running 0ga with an inline ANL fuse from the engine bay to the trunk.
Then 0ga or 4ga to the cap
Then 0ga or 4ga to the power blocks (one fused)
If I use 0ga to the cap, then I'll use 4ga to the amps;
If I use 4ga to the cap, then I'll use 8ga to the amps.


Still, the question is should I stick with the thicker power cable, i.e.; the biggest cable I can cram into the amp?



And where in the world will I get this stuff? Anybody? Bill? Knu? Anybody?

Have you allready run the 0 gauge, or is this what your planning to use? If not, I would say just use 4 gauge as you really don't need 0 gauge with the total power of these 2 amps. From there you can run 8 gauge to your amps. Either way will be fine but I just don't think you need 0 gauge.

I haven't run it yet, but since I'm planning on moving the battery back there, I figured 0ga would be fine. Since I hate both of my jobs so much, I had plenty of time to consider different layouts and set ups using different wires and connectors. I think I'll go with the thicker cable.


But, I did come up with a really good idea; our chassis could act as the conductor! Ok, hear me out-the driver's side frame rail is + and the passenger side is -, all you need to do is isolate the rails and you're all set! I think that'd be about -20ga!

r u planning to upgrade later on. i'm doing 0 gauge to the trunk then 4 gauge to my 600.1 and 80.4. if u can afford it, go for it. it wont hurt. and the wire will be laid down if u want to change to more powerful amps.

I'm running 0 AWG from the battery to the trunk's distribution block and 4 AWG to each amplifier.

My theory is if the amplifiers can handle 4 AWG coming in, then use 4 AWG. If you starve your amplifiers, they'll get hotter quicker.

I'm not saying your amps wouldn't perform with 8 AWG just fine, but since you have the option go with 4 AWG to the amps. You won't regret it!

My Soundstream amps give me the option to run 8 AWG or 4 AWG through the use of a sleeve that downsizes the terminal diameter. However, since my Soundstream Class A 10.0 is pushing a 1000 watt load at 1 ohm, I made sure to run 4 AWG to it. Then I thought I might as well run 4 AWG to the rest of the amps as well. Works great! If your running the amplifier into a 2 or 1 ohm load, I would definitely go 4 AWG.

Having an adequate electrical system is crucial as well. Make sure all of your connections are secure and well planned out. Make sure your battery is in good condition since this adds strain to your electrical as well. Remember, your battery is a load on the vehicle while the car is running. Upgrade your factory wiring under the hood. This will make a tremendous difference!

I've decided to run 0ga, but I just got my car back so I haven't even started to write up an order yet. I'll be sure to whore a bunch of pics when it's done.