I just picked up to amps and need to know if I can run one main power wire from the battery and then split if of into both amps. I am going ot be running some welders cable for my power and ground wires. The amps I am running are Kicker KX250.2 and KX600.1. oh and one a side note, is welders cable overkill for these little amps?

 

depends on what size cable u get really. and yes u can split the wires its done all the time just dont jimmy rig it do it right and run two off a cap or a distribution block dont just try and twist them or somethin the blocks are only a couple bucks if u look around.

 

welders cable is just cable. what matters is the thickness, not just outside but the actual cable part inside. you can't go too big. i would go 1/0 or at least 2 gauge, split into 4 gauge with a fused distibution block. that way you dont have to rip your car apart again when its time to upgrade to bigger amps.

 

thanks for the tips. Is there a calculation for figuring out which size fuse(s) I will need for my setup? I am hunting down all the wires, cables, blocks, fuses and any other stuff I may have forgot. I have had the cheap high school systems in the past but this is my first good quality setup and I want to make sure I go and do it right.

 

Always match the fuse to what the wire can safely carry at a given gauge. 4 gauge is rated to 131 amps. I would personally use a 120 amp fuse to play on the safe side.

The only exception is when your amp is unfused and relies on the fuse in the power wire (JL is the only example I know of). If this is the case for you, consult your owner's manual and it will tell you what size fuse to use.

 

actually i wouldnt even go that close. i think my 4 gauge fuses are 100 amp, but id have to check. i know that my 1/0 fuse by the battery is 250 amp, and i've never had any of my fuses blow. i just like to play it safe, even if one does blow, a fuse isnt going to break my bank.

1/0 gauge is rated to 350 amps, i think.

 

When you get your amps, look and see what they have for fuses. Add them up and use that total for the fuse up by the battery. If you're only pulling 80A there is no need for a 100A+ fuse. More often then not you can even go a little under that.

 

It's very common to run 1 large gauge wire to a distribution block, then smaller gauges to the individual amps. Doing this with your grounds is also a good way to help prevent ground loop problems.

Here's a fused distribution block:
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=263-687

It's got an input for 4 gauge wire, and two fused outputs for 8 gauge wire. Your application may require one that can accept larger wire gauges, but it gives you an idea of what you're looking for.

You can get an unfused distribution block for your grounds:
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=265-800

Your fuse near the battery should have less than 18" of wire between the battery and it... and the shorter the better as long as you can mount the fuse holder in a safe location. Here's a typical AGU fuse style waterproof holder:
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=070-660

I tend to be conservative with my fuse ratings. Typically, I start with a fuse near the battery that's the same rating as the fusing on the subwoofer amplifier. If I pop that fuse during normal usage, I'll step up slowly until I find one that doesn't blow. Under no circumstances should your battery fuse exceed the combined total of all of your amplifiers.

For example, let's say that your sub amp has a 60 amp fuse, and your other amp has a 40 amp fuse.

I'd start with a 60 amp fuse near the battery, but under no circumstances should you use more than a 100 amp fuse.

In the distribution block, use a 60 amp fuse for the sub amp and a 40 amp (or even a 30 amp) fuse for the other amp. The reason that you want to fuse your power once you go through a distribution block is that it provides additional safety for the wire running from there to the amp. If all you have is a 100 amp fuse at the battery, that short section of smaller wire going from the distribution block to the amp could potentially pass enough current to cause significant damage before the 100 amp fuse blows. By sticking the lower fuse on that part, it keeps it safe.

Please keep in mind that these fuse numbers are just examples and may vary in your case.

 

Thanks for the replys guys. Jim thanks for the detailed explaination and links. I just took a peek at those links and boy there is lot of stuff on that site. I see that there is a lot of stuff for 4 and 8 gauge wire. Granded I got this 2 gauge welder cable for free but if I dont need that big a$$ wire then someone please tell me that it not needed so I can get something smaller. Would runing a 4 gauge wire and then 2 8 gauge wires work for for me? There is still a lot of other stuff I am going to need now that I am stepping up to real audio stuff. I need a way of sucuring the wire to the battery and a way of securing the power and ground wires to the amps. I see that they sell the stuff I need but there is not much for the 2 and 4 gauge. I also run 3 other power wires of my battery. one for the electric water pum, one for my MSD box and the third for my FAST ECU box. I hope that isnt going to be a problem now that I want to add a 4th wire. I have a red top Optima battery with side and top mount posts. Like I said, i am going to keep looking around that site and see what they have.

 

First of all, what amps are you using? You may have said it already, but I don't want to dig. Actually, rather than the amps, just let me know what size fuses are on them. Once that's established, we can figure out if 4 gauge is enough or if you need the 2 gauge.

Onto the battery wiring. What I do in ALL of my cars (except my Corvette because of clearance issues) is to run a dual terminal battery. This way I can use the side terminals for the stock wiring, and use the top terminals exclusively for stereo wiring. If you go this route, you can use something like this to attach your wiring:

This style clamps onto the top post and can accept up to 1/0 AWG:
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=263-523

This style is a bit more universal in that you can attach any wire with a ring terminal on it:
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=263-520

Here's a nicer (but more expensive) one:
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=263-513

If you decide to stick with the side mount battery, you can change the bolt that holds the positive side on to one of these:
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=263-530
That will allow you to attach any wire with a ring terminal.

Here are the crimp-on ring terminals that you need to attach the power wire to the battery terminals and to attach the ground wire to the chassis:
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=095-652 They come in any size from 10 AWG to 2 AWG.

To connect the power wire to your amps, you can usually just use the bare wire. The amps will have some sort of clamping mechanism that can accept the bare wire, or if you use the 8 gauge wire, you can use these:
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=095-668

I love parts express.

 

my amps just came in the mail today and I am using the Kicker KX600.1 and the KX250.2. The 600 has very big connections for + and - connections. The other amp has smaller ones. The wires are held in place with set screws.the 600 amp uses a 40A fuse while the other has 2 30A fuses. I have the Optima top and side mount battery. I use the side mounts for stock and I have a cheap top mount adapter on thebattery to power my water pump, ECU and MSD box. SO, I will need a battery clamp that will allow me to connect all them smaller wires and the one big one for the amp. I DO NOT want to use those side mount extension bolts. I have had nothing but bad luck with them.

I also had a chance to take a look at some welding wire at this welding shop today and noticed that their 2 gauge wire was thicker then the 1 gauge stuff. I thought that the lower the number the thicker the wire got. Can someone give me some insight on this?

 

shouldent be, are you measuring the wire's diameter or the entire wire & insulation?

 

Things that make you go 'WTF'. 1 gage is bigger then 2 gage (the WIRE, not the insulation).

 

you dont want to go overboard with a high fuse because that fuse might allow more current through than your amp can handle but not enough to blow your fuse. You dont want it borderline but def not overkill either.