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Not me, but my buddy. Says he wants to run 4 guage amp power wiring under the car and zip tie to the subframes. Does this make sense? Ive been looking at him with a lot of curiosity as he plans this out. What are the dangers?
I'd feed it into some conduit from home depot, to prevent debris from chewing it up. It'll give it a longer life than if it were naked.
Thats what i did with my Tahoe. I have a power converter under my rear seat and instead of using conduit piping i used a copper pipe (same thing). But yea i like running wires under the car like that so u don't gotta rip up ur interior. But i would put some tape electrical tape around the wire where the pipe isn't protecting it.
It can be done, but it really seems like it would be easier to run it under the carpet. The seats come out of cars so easy, and then just lift up the carpet. Plus you have to run the RCA and remote wire anyways, so you're already there, really doesn't make any sense to run the power wire under the car at this point?
Under the car, there is always a chance of it coming loose. The elements could weaken the wire overtime. Would suck to hit a speed bump, and it comes lose, and you ruin your wire.
if your already in there to run the rca wires and remote on wire why not just run the wires with them and find or make a hole in the firewall and run them to the battery
Your friend is probably trying to keep the power wire away from the audio wire. That is a good practice and a needed one but I think running it under the car is overkill. Just run audio down the right and power down the left or vice versa.
I believe it's usually just the RCA cables but, it doesn't hurt to keep them all away from it just in case. I mean if you're going to spend the time to wire everything or pay someone to why not just make sure you don't need to go back. I even do that on my home audio stuff as a habbit. On a car I prefer to run the right audio along the right side, the left audio on the left side, and anything relating to power down the center. It just makes everything easier to find and track down. It can be a PITA though if you're using large wire and trying to keep everything hidden in a 3rd Gen. Most of the time you can get all of your audi stuff under the inner part of the door sill that sits on the carpet. That's with thin wire though . . .
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Hooray typing a post twice. Anyway, I believe it's usually just the RCA cables that can cause an issue. I keep it all seperated though just in case and to make it easier to find stuff and track down any issues. I usually run the right audio down theright side, the left audio down the left side, and anything power related down the middle. I mean if you're taking the time to wire it yourself or paying someone to do so why not just keep it all apart just in case? You never know when an electrical gremlin like Kremzeek will show up . . .
Last edited by racer J; 02-01-2007 at 03:36 PM.
Reason: Automerged Doublepost
i know that theres a rubber body plug in the bottom of the spare tire well.. i also like to run the power wire under the car.. to keep it away from sound wires and because the thing is just so damn thick.. if uve ever run 0 gauge u know its a pain
FOLKS FOLKS...its time to calm down! I got answers on how to run that 4 gauge INSIDE a 3rd gen. ALRighty, let sound guru begin!
The third gen battery is on the right side COrrect? Okay then. Let's work WITH the right side for 4 gauge wiring.
1.)OPEN your passenger door and remove the cover panel just below your dash.
2.) Now locate the RUBBER "Stopper" that contains the existing stock audio wires to your passenger door.
3.)Pull the rubber stopper out HALF WAY so theres enough room to slide 4ga. wire through.
4.) Open Hood.
5.)Take your 4 gauge wire and run it---> UNDER the bracket that connects to the Strut tower.
6.) Then Locate the sqaure like hole that leads to your fender well.
7.) Run your 4ga. to that hole. Put enough wire in there so you can spot it FROM THE passenger door side.
8.) Now with the passenger door poped open RUN A HANGER to pull your 4ga. though.
9. THEN take the wire by hand and force it through the "Rubber stopper"
10.) In order for the Rubber piece to fit back properly u will have to cut SOME rubber.
REALLY that wont be seen so its up to you to handle that!
NOw remove the kick panel and run wire. Replace kick panel.
remove all other panels to run wire. then replace.
Leave as much wire as nessecary to your custom setup.
NOw u got a professional install on 4ga. in the 3rd gens.
hit me back if you have questions!
post not checked for grammar or spelling!
----------
no more wiring unda the car!
Last edited by 1991ON20's; 02-06-2007 at 10:42 PM.
Reason: Automerged Doublepost
Put a "sleeve" over the wire, i.e. not just convulated tubing, but run the wire inside metal pipes. That's how I plan on running power wires when I eventually move the battery to the trunk.
Theres info for everyone on here. Its a message board. No job is to big or too small to share. Thanks for your input.
Its not so much on HOW to wire it up. Its just the simplicity of knowing where to find the "opening" to get your wires through.
When I got my RS from Tennesee. The person who had it DRILLed a fat hole in the fire wall!! SO not EVERY person is capable of doing a PROFESSIONAL INSTALL.
FOLKS FOLKS...its time to calm down! I got answers on how to run that 4 gauge INSIDE a 3rd gen. ALRighty, let sound guru begin!
The third gen battery is on the right side COrrect? Okay then. Let's work WITH the right side for 4 gauge wiring.
1.)OPEN your passenger door and remove the cover panel just below your dash.
2.) Now locate the RUBBER "Stopper" that contains the existing stock audio wires to your passenger door.
3.)Pull the rubber stopper out HALF WAY so theres enough room to slide 4ga. wire through.
4.) Open Hood.
5.)Take your 4 gauge wire and run it---> UNDER the bracket that connects to the Strut tower.
6.) Then Locate the sqaure like hole that leads to your fender well.
7.) Run your 4ga. to that hole. Put enough wire in there so you can spot it FROM THE passenger door side.
8.) Now with the passenger door poped open RUN A HANGER to pull your 4ga. though.
9. THEN take the wire by hand and force it through the "Rubber stopper"
10.) In order for the Rubber piece to fit back properly u will have to cut SOME rubber.
REALLY that wont be seen so its up to you to handle that!
NOw remove the kick panel and run wire. Replace kick panel.
remove all other panels to run wire. then replace.
Leave as much wire as nessecary to your custom setup.
NOw u got a professional install on 4ga. in the 3rd gens.
hit me back if you have questions!
post not checked for grammar or spelling!
----------
no more wiring unda the car!
check out the ego on this hoser
so how far should your 4ga. power wire be from your RCA wires? a few inches or a few feet, and what happens if they are running the same path side by side?
i was told the same thing.not to run the power wire next to the rca's apparently the power wire can cause interference with the rcas cuz the current runnig through both of them can cause some sort of static interference so i just ran my rcas on the drivers side
WOW. JUST WOW. I CAN NOT BELIEVE YOU ARE ALL CONTIPLATING THIS. Its wrong, dangerous, stupid, wrong, and dangerous. And Amatuer.Start at the battery, run it up to the front of the firewall, cut across the engine bay, and go in the grommet on the driver side. You can fit 0-ga thru that thing and you can also HIDE 0 ga under the carpet. I haven't looked under the hood of a 3rd gen camaro in over a year, but I KNOW I found places to ziptie the wire up when going across the engine bay. There is NO NEED to go UNDER THE CAR. Or THRU THE FENDER WELL FOR THAT MATTER. Thats just as wrong, dangerous, stupid, wrong, and dangerous. and Amatuer. I can't believe someone hasn't already stepped in and said "uh NO."
Originally Posted by 1991ON20's
FOLKS FOLKS...its time to calm down! I got answers on how to run that 4 gauge INSIDE a 3rd gen. ALRighty, let sound guru begin!
The third gen battery is on the right side COrrect? Okay then. Let's work WITH the right side for 4 gauge wiring.
1.)OPEN your passenger door and remove the cover panel just below your dash.
2.) Now locate the RUBBER "Stopper" that contains the existing stock audio wires to your passenger door.
3.)Pull the rubber stopper out HALF WAY so theres enough room to slide 4ga. wire through.
4.) Open Hood.
5.)Take your 4 gauge wire and run it---> UNDER the bracket that connects to the Strut tower.
6.) Then Locate the sqaure like hole that leads to your fender well.
7.) Run your 4ga. to that hole. Put enough wire in there so you can spot it FROM THE passenger door side.
8.) Now with the passenger door poped open RUN A HANGER to pull your 4ga. though.
9. THEN take the wire by hand and force it through the "Rubber stopper"
10.) In order for the Rubber piece to fit back properly u will have to cut SOME rubber.
REALLY that wont be seen so its up to you to handle that!
NOw remove the kick panel and run wire. Replace kick panel.
remove all other panels to run wire. then replace.
Leave as much wire as nessecary to your custom setup. NOw u got a professional install on 4ga. in the 3rd gens.
hit me back if you have questions!
post not checked for grammar or spelling!
----------
no more wiring unda the car!
If this is considered a Proffesional install, I don't know what the hell you would call my work..godly maybe? Because I'm pretty sure I haven't met a car YET that you can't fit 4 ga thru the firewall.
As far as RCA's go....if you are just running subs its about as worthless as a velvet paintin of a whale and a dolphin gettin it on to take the time to separate the power wire from the RCA's. Power wire induces noise in RCA's that is a higher frequency than what your subs should be playing at. And if you have a good set of RCA's (AKA NOT WAL MART) you shouldn't have any problems. Also make sure your grounds are good too...they can induce noise as well if they aren't good. Glad I could clear things up for everyone and I hope to NEVER see a post with power wire under the car or thru the door jam.
YES, use 4 gauge welding cable, it works perfect..I had 8 Kicker 15's in my van, and I had a battery isolator in the back..Powered everything using double 00 cable to the back, and 4 gauge elsewhere...Never had a problem...It is heat proof, and abrasion resistant..Welding cable when not seen is great...Low loss also....Not sure what is considered dangerous about this...Have never thought about it for a third gen, but as far as the setup I had it was pretty pro...Did several little shows with it under the van, and never had any prob's...Used all nice stuff inside the vehicle...Matter of fact we even had a nice little wire channel setup made....Tom
Last edited by Gallileo60; 02-16-2007 at 08:41 PM.
Gramps - High current running through a wire setups up a magnet field, which will give interference. Not one of those "maybe you can hear it with a very well trained eye sorta thing", it's more like, "after 5 minutes you'll be using an exacto to remove your carpet so you can fix it, it's so bad".
Keep the power wire 6" or more away from the RCA's, if they have to cross, cross them at a 90* angle. Part of the right hand rule of magnetism, etc...
Nothing wrong with doing the wiring under your car, if you protect the wire. Loom, plastic, or preferably the steel kind. Naked, I wouldn't do.
I ran 1 gauge through my car though, no big deal. I think I drilled a hole in the ECM wiring block, since those wires are just a stopper for wind now
And yea, welding cable for the win there. It's cheap, and very well made, since it's used in the demanding line of work of.....WELDING! Nice and bendable, good sheath on it, etc. I can't imagine paying 4-6x the price for a brand name audio type of "pure copper", or "oxygen free copper" or other BS like that.
I'll use a high quality cable for signal, but the power and ground don't need gold plating, 0% oxygen or anything like that. Just keep the corrosion away with dielectric grease or otherwise and you're golden.
As a professional installer, If your putting in a sub amp it wont matter if your running the rca's right next to the power wires. if your running a amp for the rest of the inside speakers, I would recomend it running them on the opposite sides. If you can (which it has already been stated that you can) its always best to run the power wire through the fire wall on what ever side the battery is on. Its looks much better that way. Running it across the engine bay in imo looks tacky. I do this for a living, where I work if your work is crap you dont have a job.
If you're going to go through all the trouble of running your power and RCA wires, it's best to just do it right the first time.
Keep them apart, you may only be putting in a sub amp now, but later on you might want to amp your other speakers. If you did it right the first time you won't have to worry about any engine noise.
If you got lazy and ran all your wires together, you most likely will and you'll have to now go back and redo everything.
Are cars are so easy to run wire through I can't see any reason why not to do it right the first time.
WOW. JUST WOW. I CAN NOT BELIEVE YOU ARE ALL CONTIPLATING THIS. Its wrong, dangerous, stupid, wrong, and dangerous. And Amatuer.Start at the battery, run it up to the front of the firewall, cut across the engine bay, and go in the grommet on the driver side. You can fit 0-ga thru that thing and you can also HIDE 0 ga under the carpet. I haven't looked under the hood of a 3rd gen camaro in over a year, but I KNOW I found places to ziptie the wire up when going across the engine bay. There is NO NEED to go UNDER THE CAR. Or THRU THE FENDER WELL FOR THAT MATTER. Thats just as wrong, dangerous, stupid, wrong, and dangerous. and Amatuer. I can't believe someone hasn't already stepped in and said "uh NO."
If this is considered a Proffesional install, I don't know what the hell you would call my work..godly maybe? Because I'm pretty sure I haven't met a car YET that you can't fit 4 ga thru the firewall.
As far as RCA's go....if you are just running subs its about as worthless as a velvet paintin of a whale and a dolphin gettin it on to take the time to separate the power wire from the RCA's. Power wire induces noise in RCA's that is a higher frequency than what your subs should be playing at. And if you have a good set of RCA's (AKA NOT WAL MART) you shouldn't have any problems. Also make sure your grounds are good too...they can induce noise as well if they aren't good. Glad I could clear things up for everyone and I hope to NEVER see a post with power wire under the car or thru the door jam.
Well mine is drilled, and grommeted, and ran thru the door post....I did installs for a number of years, whatever floats your boat...I like mine the way it is....Actually runs inside the body of the car...RCA's on one side, and Power on the other side..Works pretty well...Very little if any noise, and very stealth...Just my 2 cents..Tom
I forget sometimes that not everyone has to drive over roads that have things sticking out of them that can snag that wire wether its protected or not and rip it out or cut it or anything. I personally wouldnt ever run it thru the door post, and I have and still do installs for the past 5 years. As long as you like it thats cool. I would tell you it needs to be redone if you brought it into my shop. As far as RCA's go, I stand by my previous statement....Sub RCA's dont really matter if they are by power wire or not, highs RCA's do.
Now I never realized that so many people run power wire under cars. but every case has been at least 0 ga. there is no reason to take 4ga under the car, especially these kind.
As far as the question of if your wire is fused why would it matter....That is true, and it really wouldnt matter, but do you really want to have to deal with the possibility of it being cut or pulled or ripped while you are driving? I wouldn't. I would rather have it in the car and not have to worry about it.
Mine was as well protected as the fuel lines...Well wait more so, my fuel lines are out in the open...We made a nice protective channel, and the ground clearance on the van was pretty good...I said it wrong about the door part, I guess it is called a door sill.Sorry my mistake.Tom
these cars have great channels to run cable down on each side that are almost begging for big cable runs. firebirds can go down the driver sill, camaros the passenger side for power; the opposite for your rcas (or even down the middle, but thats a bit more of a pain). outside the car should be reserved for the 0 ga runs or bigger, no need for 4ga.
to do it right, you'd have to do more drilling and rigging to make an exterior run than an interior.
Wow. I'm not going to read through all the ego, just add my .
It's the Half A.. way to do it, but it you must use PVC as conduit held tight against sub-frame/frame/or what ever may help protect it from getting crushed.
All you out there with metal conduit, I'd change it to PVC. If something happens that would crush it you could have problems.
I am currently in the process of re-running my power wire. What I did was run from the battery into the fender and into the car from where the intenna wire goes threw behind the kick panel. You can fit 0ga wire in there with intenna too. Then I jsut sealed off the hole with putty (putty for refridgerators and washermachines and that stuff sand it is also water proof. Also used this putty when I ran my underbody wires through the floor board. It hardens up and makes a great water tight seal.) since I now have 2 wires and a grommet wouldnt work too well. There is nothing that can pinch or crush or hit my wire from the outside. I found it one of the best ways to run the wire in our cars. Thats my on the matter of running the power wire.
Well, the whole wiring RCA's next to your power wire question is somewhat off base. Its stated as if running any RCA cable with the power wire is a bad thing.
All I got to say is... It depends on what kind of wires you buy!
Buy shielded wires, or a good Quality Set and you should have no problems running those suckers together.
There are way too many Sound snobs on this board. I don't post here much because of those people. They know everything, and they have math to back it up.
I just say stuff that I know. Stuff that i've tried on my car and how it worked (or did not work for that reason).
I'll be the first one to tell you that Scoche amp wiring kits are some of the more solid, good quality kits that I saw and used. However, the self proclaimed sound gurus will tell you otherwise.
Try not to have the wires outside of the car. To much unknown stuff on the road. Interior is much softer and more friendly to the wires. If you really have to wire than protect those suckers from every single possible nick that might be in the way.
WOW. JUST WOW. I CAN NOT BELIEVE YOU ARE ALL CONTIPLATING THIS. Its wrong, dangerous, stupid, wrong, and dangerous. And Amatuer.Start at the battery, run it up to the front of the firewall, cut across the engine bay, and go in the grommet on the driver side. You can fit 0-ga thru that thing and you can also HIDE 0 ga under the carpet. I haven't looked under the hood of a 3rd gen camaro in over a year, but I KNOW I found places to ziptie the wire up when going across the engine bay. There is NO NEED to go UNDER THE CAR. Or THRU THE FENDER WELL FOR THAT MATTER. Thats just as wrong, dangerous, stupid, wrong, and dangerous. and Amatuer. I can't believe someone hasn't already stepped in and said "uh NO."
Nobody has stepped in because your incorrect and over the top (be careful not to discredit yourself by getting into wild rants).
Almost anything is possible is done properly and safely. I've seen examples from numerous installers who have both run the wires externally through the frame of the vehicle (if vehicle design allows) or through a conduit. If conduit is used, it is recommended to use a ABS (or PVC) type. Preferably not metal. Through the use of many of the available straight lengths, different degrees of elbows, etc and by glueing & sealing the connections, they can provide a way of routing the wires that's just as safe or safer than even the factory wiring has under the harsh environment under the hood. Be sure also not to run it near any heat sources (exhaust, etc) or by any moving parts (suspension, etc). Also secure very properly.
Last edited by Iroctopless; 02-24-2007 at 01:02 PM.
RCAs are low-level unbalanced connectors. They are always prone to some noise/interference etc, even if they are well shielded. While it may not make a noticeable difference (especially over the rumble of your 350 and the air passing over your 3rd gen at 100+ mph) it is good practice to separate power and signal wires, in any application.
If you think its too difficult to hide several different wire runs, just do it anyway, and you will discover that it actually isn't hard at all.
and a quick comment on rear well sub boxes...The dimensions of the box is so dependent on the specific subwoofer that no single box design should be used as a one-fits-all solution. The box needs to be designed for the specific application, every time...this is professional.
I ran my 0-ga. on the passenger side, but i drilled a hole just a lil bit bigger than the wire with a speed bit. Then i bought a grommet from autozone, stuck it over the wire and was done wit it. No Worries!!
Not me, but my buddy. Says he wants to run 4 guage amp power wiring under the car and zip tie to the subframes. Does this make sense? Ive been looking at him with a lot of curiosity as he plans this out. What are the dangers?
I was reading these posts, and honestly, with all due respect to each, this is a question that is simply asking for information as to pro's and con's of particular method of running power cable for car audio. While it is, for most part anyway, going to result in "opinion/personal past experience" based answers, the left turn taken to evolve into the ***** measuring contest that emerged is absurd. Again, with all due respect, EVERYONES OPINION IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS OTHERS, NONE ARE BETTER, NONE ARE RIGHT, NONE ARE WRONG. why???? BECAUSE THEY ARE OPINIONS and not anything more. Stick to question asked, regardless of your past times jobs/hobbies/projects etc, because it's not relevant if you currently install, or installed 5yrs ago or just got job installing or whatever.....answer the question of pro's and con's regarding power cables run under unsteady of inside car, possibly followed with personal suggestion or 2, and have a nice day, the back n forth over who is longer or thicker or whatever is completely assanine......sorry. but felt it had to be said because to many of these forums have same type waste of time useless responses and when people are seeking answers or suggestions, yet get all that garbage instead, they are left with questions instead of answers....
FOLKS FOLKS...its time to calm down! I got answers on how to run that 4 gauge INSIDE a 3rd gen. ALRighty, let sound guru begin!
The third gen battery is on the right side COrrect? Okay then. Let's work WITH the right side for 4 gauge wiring.
1.)OPEN your passenger door and remove the cover panel just below your dash.
2.) Now locate the RUBBER "Stopper" that contains the existing stock audio wires to your passenger door.
3.)Pull the rubber stopper out HALF WAY so theres enough room to slide 4ga. wire through.
4.) Open Hood.
5.)Take your 4 gauge wire and run it---> UNDER the bracket that connects to the Strut tower.
6.) Then Locate the sqaure like hole that leads to your fender well.
7.) Run your 4ga. to that hole. Put enough wire in there so you can spot it FROM THE passenger door side.
8.) Now with the passenger door poped open RUN A HANGER to pull your 4ga. though.
9. THEN take the wire by hand and force it through the "Rubber stopper"
10.) In order for the Rubber piece to fit back properly u will have to cut SOME rubber.
REALLY that wont be seen so its up to you to handle that!
NOw remove the kick panel and run wire. Replace kick panel.
remove all other panels to run wire. then replace.
Leave as much wire as nessecary to your custom setup.
NOw u got a professional install on 4ga. in the 3rd gens.
hit me back if you have questions!
post not checked for grammar or spelling!
----------
no more wiring unda the car!
Yeah. That was what's going on my head when I checked how to wire my amp. Now that somebody said it can be done, probably, I gotta do it.
I run mine right through that gap between the battery and the strut tower, then it is run right along the bottom of the unibody (the support under the top of the fender). There is a channel right there, and then it goes in to the car through where that rectangular plastic wiring connecter is... Or used to be in my car. Then it is simply hidden under the carpet to the back of the car. That is my fuse panel on the passenger strut tower. The big wire going in on top is from the battery, the 3 smaller red wires are for my engine fuses/relays and the chassis power wires and the 4th big wire is on a 150amp fuse to my amp. The fuse block is from a MKIV VW, using the VW metal fuses. Actually works perfect for my use!
Instead of buying expensive, not that conductive, CCA wire, I used welding cable. It's cheaper, the insulation is tough, the cable is flexible and it is straight copper, not aluminum. Just better all around in my opinion.
i run mine through the cowl and up and over the roof down and back in through the hatch. Why? because its mine and i can do what i want to it.
lets dig up another over 10 year old thread for even more fun
01-31-2007, 03:48 PM
why not just run it inside? it almost seems like it would be just as easy 
if your already in there to run the rca wires and remote on wire why not just run the wires with them and find or make a hole in the firewall and run them to the battery 
![[R]ogue's Avatar](data:image/svg+xml;utf8,<svg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 50 50'><circle class='avatar-circle-default' fill='%238e5dd6' cx='25px' cy='25px' r='20px'></circle><text class='avatar-text-default' x='49%' y='53%' fill='white' text-anchor='middle' alignment-baseline='middle'>[</text></svg>)
.
Nobody has stepped in because your incorrect and over the top (be careful not to discredit yourself by getting into wild rants).
