i have two amps going in my truck.

A 1200rms for my sub, and another that is 125x2rms for my front channel.

I like big wires!

 

dont worry when you hit puberty we will laught at you to .

how the hell do you spell that ^

 

Going to a bigger power wire WILL NOT help you any, UNLESS your wire diameter is too small to begin with and tif that were the case you would either be popping fuses or melting wires! The wire needs to be as big as the amount of juice being pulled through from the other end.
4 guage power wires will support up to 135amps
2 guage.....180amps
0 guage.....245amps
That is ofcourse the wire is true to size. Most off branded companies sell 6ga as 4 guage and simply beef up the insulation rather than the copper wire itself. Also, silver copper wire is better than actual copper colored wire. The finer the strands, the better power transfer and flexibility the wire will have for molding around bends.
I use Stinger Pro 1/0awg which can be wrapped around a finger. Yup 0 guage that you can wrap around your finger like a lead cord. Dunno if you can even buy it anymore.
Larger wires are needed when running long lengths of wire.
For ex; If an amplifier required 1000watts of power and was 1 ft away from the battery, you could use a 6-guage power wire. Now that same amp is in the trunk 18ft of wire routed to get to it. The amp would now need 4-guage wire because of added resistance in the longer wire. Resistance is measured in Ohms per foot.

Now, installing a 0 guage wire from your alternator to the battery will do absolutely NOTHING in a vehicle that has a stock alternator. Do you really think Chrysler or any manufacturer would put an alternator on a vehicle and not use wire big enough for the maximum power transfer from the alt. to the battery? NO. Your stock alternator will produce the same power with stock wires as does with upgraded.
Upgrading your battery ground wire is all that is needed unless you have installed a higher amp alternator than stock.
If you 4 guage power wire, I would suggest an 8g Add-on ground wire from the battery to chassis. That's it. You don't need 4guage as the battery is already grounded with a few other wires.
If you added a 1/0awg size power wire, then a 4awg neg. terminal upgrade is needed.
You must ALWAYS ground your amps using the same size wire as the power wire. AND keep the main ground under 3ft in length. Any longer and the size of the ground actually must be larger than the power wire itself.

I cannot believe that kid used that pathetic screw for the main ground mounting point.

 

Good grounds are always a good thing.

All this work and he didn't unhook the battery first. What a idiot.

 

Hoow did you guys that did this wire your alternator? The 2 pos. wires going from the battery to the alt. and starter I guess, go into a little plastic enclosure beside the fuse box. Do you just forget about that and run the wires straight to the alt. and starter or use it? Also, do you use the same engine bolt for the big wire or another? If you use another, which one?

 

Not a radical improvement. Using 0-gauge wire for most 12VDC applications is like using a fire hydrant to water your lawn. About the only really good point is scraping the paint off a surface you want to use for a ground.

 

I can't believe he chose that flimsy piece of sheet metal to be a main battery ground, and right up top where it's in the way.

I damn sure wouldn't have routed the alternator wire across the back of the firewall either. All that extra diameter was negated by the extended length of the run. Remember, the necessary wire gauge is determined by the length of the run in addition to the amperage across it. By that same logic, I'll be the engine's original short ground wire was just as good as the new longer one he ran directly to the battery. There's a reason your engine isn't grounded to the battery from the factory, mostly having to do with the ground path and what would happen if the battery's ground was loose.

Don't get me started on the tools either. A leatherman to cut 1/0 or 2/0 wire? Riiight. Notice he didn't even cover crimping a terminal that size.

I'll bet I got my MECP certification before that guy was born! (if you're wondering, it was back in 1993)

 

[QUOTE=butch1581;1893213]It all depends on the size amp that you have. The bigger the amp the bigger the wire required. Some amps get away with 6awg and some require larger 4awg or 2awg or whatever. If your wire is correctly sized already there will be no difference. Bigger is better, to a point then you are just wasting money and making it more of a PITA to route the wire. Check the fuse rating on your amp and that will tell you what size cable to use



I agree 100%, there is only so much you really need, i remember back when i was younger and all into car audio, 0 gauges was only for the hardcore systems, its expensive and not necessary