So I want to add a little something to my sound. I have found a set of 12's with amplifier and a converter. I like to do things on my own and right now...
Can you please tell me, is this really that hard? I have some electrical background, but not on cars. is there anything special I need to know?


Thank you for all our feedback!




Lynda (Reno, NV)

 

A good place to start is how many watts is your alt putting out and how big is that amp?

 

I have a dual 12" 800 watt bandpass with a BOSS R1100M 1100W Mono Amplifier. I have seen 2 different ways to install and so I am a little confused. 1 guy tapped right into the rear speakers and 1 guy went through the front speakers under the steering wheel. I would like to know the best way and do i really need a converter? I bought one but not know the stock head, I am not too sure.

 

My initial question is moreso based upon, does your alternator actually have enough power to run your amps (since it sounds like you are trying to run two amps at once as well). As a side note, even if you're running one amp at a time, you should still check to make sure you have enough power coming out. Take a rough estimate that a 1100W amp will need around 110 amps to run. So first confirm that your alt puts out 110 amps at idle (always safe IMO to make sure at idle you are still charging).

As for the install itself, are these speakers supposed to be used as subs? If so, your head unit might have a sub hookup itself. Otherwise i see no difference between wiring off the rear and wiring off the front speakers. I would imagine that part comes with ease of access for where you are going to place these new speakers.

As for the converter I am not sure what you exactly mean. A link to the kit might help me understand that part.

 

Im not a stereo guy, but i know that when i installed my subs and amp in my stratus with the help of a friend who knew what he was doing, we DID have to use a convertor between the head unit and the rear amp, ahead of the stock amp.