AHHVTEC

is a 12 gauge wire big enough to run a 600 watt amp ?

salvadorrivas13

No

salvadorrivas13

i did that and the wire got hella hot i tough it was gonna burn.

Luis998

I have always personally ran a 4 gauge at the very least. If wired properly, it will also help reduce any "alternator whine" you might come across.

What is the pre-amp voltage of your head unit by the way?

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phyregod

4 gauge for 600w is silly, but so is 12

I'd go 8 gauge. Its a hair big for 600w, but a little too big is better than any size too small.

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Luis998

I agree with you. I've just always used 4 gauge since I tended to upgrade my amps once in a while. That and it was always available at a good price. This is just my own personal preference though.

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Max? There is no max. Max just means you gave up.
This is my thread: http://hondaswap.com/engine-building...g-wind-110848/

My for sale/trade thread http://hondaswap.com/parts-sale-trad...1/#post1048406

AHHVTEC

ive only had one system my whole life and it took a 1 gauge wire, but ill go with the 8 gauge thanks guys

anonymoususer

up to 500 watts rms 8 gauge is acceptable
over 500 watts rms 4 gauge is required
over 1000 watts rms 2 gauge
over 1500 watts rms 1/0 gauge

if using 4 gauge and above you it is a wise decision to upgrade the ground from the battery. run a ground the same gauge from the neg bat terminal to the frame rail below it
in DC voltage current actually flows from the negative terminal to the positive terminal. if you add a 4 gauge power wire, the current is still trying to flow through the 6 gauge wire these cars come with from the factory. what goes in must come out!

do not use factory bolts or nuts to attach the ground for the amp- ground it directly to the sheet metal with a self tapping screw and a star washer, remove all the paint at the grounding point. the ground cable should be very tightly screwed to the sheet metal- use more than one self tapper if you have to- if you can move the ring terminal its not good enough. after you have grounded the wire, hit the ground with some spray paint to prevent corrosion

always fuse power wire!! if there is a short to ground anywhere in the wire and theres no fuse, it will pretty much begin to glow like a lightbulb filament- you WILL burn your car up! the fuse should always be located within 18 inches of the battery- no more!

dont run power wire through door jambs- looks ghetto and it will get shorted out. there is always a factory grommet you can go through- take a box cutter, make a small slit in the grommet, and poke the wire through- this gives a water tight seal.
some cars have a difficult to acess grommet- no problem! use an old car antenna, and use e-tape to attach it to the antenna, and poke the antenna through. get inside and pull it though.

if you do end up drilling a hole through the firewall to run wires- ALWAYS USE A SNAP GROMMET!!!!! they usually come with the power wire kits or can be had at any car audio shop or radio shack.

look before you drill- double check and make sure you arent drilling into a big wire harness, brake booster or gas tank.
a little bit of patience and common sense will save a lot of headaches and $$$$ down the road

CRX-YEM

As far as wire is concerned the gage of the wire is not as important as the amount of strands the wire is made up of.
e.g. A 12 gauge with with 100 strands is better, than a 12 gauge wire 40 strands because electrons travel over the surface of the wire and not through the middle.So the more strands in any give gauge wire with produce more surface area.

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Dennis

Please don't PM/Email/IM me for technical support. Make a Post!!!

91 CRX DX, 03 Civic EX

"There are 10 kinds of people in the world: those who get binary and those who don't."

"Of all my imaginary friends I don't think there was one I didn't end up having to kill"

trappd-in-859

Definatly go with 4ga. when going over 500watts.

Also, upgrading your chassis to ground, +batt. terminal to +alt, and neg. batt. to chassis with at least 4 ga. wire will help with your dimming issues and help to supply the required current easier.

jmanpc

On 600w, 8 gauge would do, but 4 gauge would be idea.

I always recommend 8 gauge for 100-500w, 4 gauge for 500-1200 (Although it will do up to 1500 safely), and 0 gauge for 1200w+

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V8eater/GSR

a cap will also fix those dimming issues and you wont miss a BEAT ha ha

trappd-in-859

Capacitors do next to nothing in most cases, and sometimes even harm a weak electrical system further.

I'd reccomend a small gell cell battery, but the cost might not be worth it if you don't play loud that much.

Matts96HB

Well, in some cases a capacitor can help.

In my Volvo it certainly did. I relocated the battery to the trunk and then installed a cap within 2 ft of the battery. All 0 gauge wiring. My lights used to nearly shut off, not any more.

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1996 Civic 3dr DX - Build
1989 Volvo 760 Wagon