hey guys...i was wondering if my 8ga. wire is gonna be good enough for 800 watts...and what gauge wire should i use going from the amp to my subs? im kinda confused about this
-dave-

 

That depends, are you talking about 800 RMS watts or 800 Pyramid/Legacy peak watts? In other words, what amp are you running?

 

What amp fuse does the amplifier use?

For speaker wire from the amp to the sub, I'd use 12ga.

 

the amp is mostlikely going to be a rockford 800 watt 2 channel...so were not talking pyrimid crap...i think it requires a 60 or 80 amp fuse

 

4awg should be enough then, but don't go any lower than that. If you plan on adding another amp to your system, then you should consider a higher gauge.

 

would using 8awg instead of 4 decrease sound quality to a noticeable difference? would running a capacitor change that?

 

If you're running an amplifier that requires an 80 amp fuse, I think it would be your best bet to use 4awg wire. Kinda like a "give your amp a bigger straw" issue. You don't want the wire to limit your set-up.

And why buy a capacitor when you could just install slightly larger wire at a fraction of the cost. Besides, restricting your current draw would be your major concern, and a capacitor is just a power reserve when the amp needs power quickly, like when a deep bass note hits. It shouldn't be a safety net for a restrictive wire.

 

8 gauge might work, but you might as well just use 4.. its not that much more expensive, and it allows for upgrades in the future

 

Just a side note, if you have a larger main feed to a distribution block and then the 8ga from the dist block to the amp, that would be fine. But for making a run from the front of the car to the rear, no less than 4ga.

 

Running too small of a gauge wire is unsafe and just plain stupid. In addition to being a safety hazzard, it will cause a fairly substantial voltage drop and your amp won't produce its full power. It will draw additional current and place additional strain on your car's electrical system. All because you were too cheap to do it right.

 

yea..since im spending a pretty penny for all my audio stuff i promised myself i wouldnt cheap out on anything with the system on this car....so ill go pick up some wire when im ready to install everything after i clean the interior and get the new motor in...i was just wondering what would happen if i used a smaller gauge wire...my friends started doing that and i kinda told them that they should use bigger gauge wire and they just shrugged it off..i knew i was right

 

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sweetness...that nice and cheap but i got an amp kit..but its got 8 gauge wire ::kicks self in head:: so i reall only need to get an 80 amp fuse and 20 feet of 4gauge wire

 

i'd say go with 4g. power wire, and get crazy with the speaker wire, use 8g for that , thats what I would do anyways..

 

HEY!! thanks for the idea! i can use my old 8awg power wire for speaker wire LOL ....and yes, i know, some of my friends are idiots:lala: