Is it worth upgrading my wire gage?
10-19-2009, 08:29 AM
#1
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Is it worth upgrading my wire gage? I apologise now for the stupid question...
Currently I have a 4ga wire feeding my setup that incl: 1 Infinity 4-ch amp @ 144w RMS (speakers are Kapa-perfect 6.1 componets upfront, and Kapa Perfects rear componets), 1.2 FARAD Cap, and a 250w (peak?) 10" MTX sub. The 4ga wire splits into 1 8ga wire for my amp, and 1 10ga wire for my sub.
I noticed a couple things:
1 - when i first tuned my amp, i noticed it "clipped" way before the sound distorted. This kind of tells me there is still more in the amp, but maybe it isn't getting enough power from the 8ga wire?
2- My amp gets warm, and on hotter days, hot, when i play my music loud. Now i kno these amps don't have the best cooling, but i wonder if it needs more voltage and i'm "starving" it with an 8ga wire.
Everything works fine, I just see ppl with 1/0ga wire in their systems and i wonder if there is anything to gain if i were to upgrade the wire.
Currently I have a 4ga wire feeding my setup that incl: 1 Infinity 4-ch amp @ 144w RMS (speakers are Kapa-perfect 6.1 componets upfront, and Kapa Perfects rear componets), 1.2 FARAD Cap, and a 250w (peak?) 10" MTX sub. The 4ga wire splits into 1 8ga wire for my amp, and 1 10ga wire for my sub.
I noticed a couple things:
1 - when i first tuned my amp, i noticed it "clipped" way before the sound distorted. This kind of tells me there is still more in the amp, but maybe it isn't getting enough power from the 8ga wire?
2- My amp gets warm, and on hotter days, hot, when i play my music loud. Now i kno these amps don't have the best cooling, but i wonder if it needs more voltage and i'm "starving" it with an 8ga wire.
Everything works fine, I just see ppl with 1/0ga wire in their systems and i wonder if there is anything to gain if i were to upgrade the wire.
10-19-2009, 09:56 AM
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My infinity amp is being fed by an 8ga wire. the MAIN feed wire is a 4ga, so my 4ga wire is split into 2 8ga wires for the amps.
So are you saying i SHOULD upgrade my main feed to 1/0 ga and then run a 4ga to my amp?
So are you saying i SHOULD upgrade my main feed to 1/0 ga and then run a 4ga to my amp?
10-21-2009, 07:19 AM
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35 views and only 1 response?
I'm just wondering if this would be worth my time/money. It would take me a little longer then say 10 minutes to do this, so i want to make sure it is "worth it".
Any other thoughts?
I'm just wondering if this would be worth my time/money. It would take me a little longer then say 10 minutes to do this, so i want to make sure it is "worth it".
Any other thoughts?
10-21-2009, 09:48 AM
#7
Your main cable from the battery is 4ga? Then you have a distribution block of some sort feeding the one Infinity amp (8ga) and one MTX sub (10ga)? I'm assuming the MTX is a powered Thunderform?
If this is the case, how much distance do you have between the distribution block and the amps? 4ga should be sufficient if it is ran to wherever you have your amps and ten splits off for a short distance using 8ga wire. I would replace the 10ga to the MTX though and run 8ga to your MTX thunderform.
Also something to consider is what 4ga wire did you use? Not all 4ga amp kits have real 4ga wire in them and you may be really using 8ga in a 4ga sleeve. Cheaper amp kits have cheaper wire in them and claim to have a certain gauge wire but are really not.
Personally I would also ditch the cap. You really should not need it and it may be making things worse then better.
If this is the case, how much distance do you have between the distribution block and the amps? 4ga should be sufficient if it is ran to wherever you have your amps and ten splits off for a short distance using 8ga wire. I would replace the 10ga to the MTX though and run 8ga to your MTX thunderform.
Also something to consider is what 4ga wire did you use? Not all 4ga amp kits have real 4ga wire in them and you may be really using 8ga in a 4ga sleeve. Cheaper amp kits have cheaper wire in them and claim to have a certain gauge wire but are really not.
Personally I would also ditch the cap. You really should not need it and it may be making things worse then better.
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10-21-2009, 10:39 AM
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"Your main cable from the battery is 4ga? Then you have a distribution block of some sort feeding the one Infinity amp (8ga) and one MTX sub (10ga)? I'm assuming the MTX is a powered Thunderform?" - Yes
"If this is the case, how much distance do you have between the distribution block and the amps? 4ga should be sufficient if it is ran to wherever you have your amps and ten splits off for a short distance using 8ga wire. I would replace the 10ga to the MTX though and run 8ga to your MTX thunderform." - > 1'. Prob only 8-10"
"Also something to consider is what 4ga wire did you use? Not all 4ga amp kits have real 4ga wire in them and you may be really using 8ga in a 4ga sleeve. Cheaper amp kits have cheaper wire in them and claim to have a certain gauge wire but are really not."
No idea, i bought the wire from an audio store. I compared the 2 wires though, it is def 4ga.
"Personally I would also ditch the cap. You really should not need it and it may be making things worse then better." - this right here confuse's the **** out of me. Why should i ditch it, and how could it be making things worse? What would u suggest i do?
"If this is the case, how much distance do you have between the distribution block and the amps? 4ga should be sufficient if it is ran to wherever you have your amps and ten splits off for a short distance using 8ga wire. I would replace the 10ga to the MTX though and run 8ga to your MTX thunderform." - > 1'. Prob only 8-10"
"Also something to consider is what 4ga wire did you use? Not all 4ga amp kits have real 4ga wire in them and you may be really using 8ga in a 4ga sleeve. Cheaper amp kits have cheaper wire in them and claim to have a certain gauge wire but are really not."
No idea, i bought the wire from an audio store. I compared the 2 wires though, it is def 4ga.
"Personally I would also ditch the cap. You really should not need it and it may be making things worse then better." - this right here confuse's the **** out of me. Why should i ditch it, and how could it be making things worse? What would u suggest i do?
10-21-2009, 11:31 AM
#9
The distance sounds good. Short runs of smaller gauge wire fed by a larger gauge through a distribution block is fine. Even though you are running 8ga to your amp it is essentially being fed by 4ga since the run of 8ga is so short. You should be getting ample power through there to feed both those amps.
The reason I say a capacitor could be hurting and not helping your situation is that I generally look at a capacitor as a bandaid. Capacitors store power and this power is released when the demand for power exceeds the supply capacity of the power system of the car. So if your alternator is not pushing enough amps to power the system then the capacitor steps in and releases stored power. So it's actually a bandaid for a poorly performing electrical system in a sense or a system that exceeds the capacity for the stock electrical system. The stock alternator is 105amps. I have ran as much as 1400watts on a stock system with no cap and no drop in power output, no dimming headlights, no drop on the voltage. In your case I say it could be hurting it as it may not be needed and could be creating a bottle neck so to speak in power getting to your amps. Not neccesarily what is happening but it is a possibility.
I would replace the 10ga with 8 ga going to the Thunderform. Try running the system without the cap and see if it makes any difference. I would also upgrade the big three if you are looking to upgrade some wire. This helps your electrical system be more efficient and can improve the performance of your electrical system. The big three consists of:
1) Battery negative to chassis
2) Alternator to battery positive
3) Chassis to engine
Replacing these with larger gauge wire...4ga or better...can lower the overall resistance of your entire electrical system thus making it more efficient.
Hope this helps you!!
The reason I say a capacitor could be hurting and not helping your situation is that I generally look at a capacitor as a bandaid. Capacitors store power and this power is released when the demand for power exceeds the supply capacity of the power system of the car. So if your alternator is not pushing enough amps to power the system then the capacitor steps in and releases stored power. So it's actually a bandaid for a poorly performing electrical system in a sense or a system that exceeds the capacity for the stock electrical system. The stock alternator is 105amps. I have ran as much as 1400watts on a stock system with no cap and no drop in power output, no dimming headlights, no drop on the voltage. In your case I say it could be hurting it as it may not be needed and could be creating a bottle neck so to speak in power getting to your amps. Not neccesarily what is happening but it is a possibility.
I would replace the 10ga with 8 ga going to the Thunderform. Try running the system without the cap and see if it makes any difference. I would also upgrade the big three if you are looking to upgrade some wire. This helps your electrical system be more efficient and can improve the performance of your electrical system. The big three consists of:
1) Battery negative to chassis
2) Alternator to battery positive
3) Chassis to engine
Replacing these with larger gauge wire...4ga or better...can lower the overall resistance of your entire electrical system thus making it more efficient.
Hope this helps you!!
