sufficient wiring

[thomas.m.dang]

so im running a kicker cvr 12 with a mtx thunder 4252 and i was wondering if a 8 gauge wire with 80a fuse would be okay to run. or should i be running a 4 gauge wire?

[Bad_dude]

If you are running just that amp alone on the power wire then yes, 8Ga is good enough. I would lower the fuse to 40A as the amp itself has 30A. To be on the safe side I always use the rating that is closer to the components that are running off that power cable.
If you have other amps on that power wire then I would go 4Ga. I doubt that you would pull that much current continuously with that single amp.

[thomas.m.dang]

If you are running just that amp alone on the power wire then yes, 8Ga is good enough. I would lower the fuse to 40A as the amp itself has 30A. To be on the safe side I always use the rating that is closer to the components that are running off that power cable.
If you have other amps on that power wire then I would go 4Ga. I doubt that you would pull that much current continuously with that single amp.

also does my ground wire need to be the same gauge wire as my power?

[Bad_dude]

also does my ground wire need to be the same gauge wire as my power?

The ground wires needs to be the same or bigger gauge. Also the shorter the better. Make sure you ground to metal and sand down the paint until you see shiny metal. Use a star washer to make sure it does not come loose over time. Dielectric grease after the bolt for the ground is tightened. Wire loom to protect all wires if you could.

[Jimmy22]

Ground should be the same size. The ground and power will have the same ammount of current on each

[illinois_erik]

Always use a short fat ground wire. It can be 0 gauge. Current flows from - to +. At harbor freight they have welding cable lugs for really cheap. I had to redo my wiring after a few years, I guess my ground to chassis corroded and caused some problems. After redoing my ground making it shorter and soldering the lugs on and shrink wrapping, things are back to normal (loud)







and these are for the amp connections

2 Piece Welding Cable Lugs - #2AWG, 3/8" Stud


these are for cap and battery/ground connections

2 Piece Welding Cable Lugs - #2AWG, 1/2" Stud

2.99 each compared to 6-10$ at hardware stores

[abletuner]

Lucky you cought the power wire melting before it started a fire! A burning CB is NEVER a pretty sight!

[lilg4mdalbc]

I used those caps and just put dielectric grease on any part of the wires that was exposed.

[BreckAConner]

Always use a short fat ground wire. It can be 0 gauge. Current flows from - to +. At harbor freight they have welding cable lugs for really cheap. I had to redo my wiring after a few years, I guess my ground to chassis corroded and caused some problems. After redoing my ground making it shorter and soldering the lugs on and shrink wrapping, things are back to normal (loud)







and these are for the amp connections

2 Piece Welding Cable Lugs - #2AWG, 3/8" Stud


these are for cap and battery/ground connections

2 Piece Welding Cable Lugs - #2AWG, 1/2" Stud

2.99 each compared to 6-10$ at hardware stores

I used the copper connectors for my 0 gauge in my car. Made it easier for me to connect my system up.

I bought mine from this guy one ebay a while back. I got the 10 pack.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/10-Big-Bare-...item53ee435e7f

[wildBill83]

so im running a kicker cvr 12 with a mtx thunder 4252 and i was wondering if a 8 gauge wire with 80a fuse would be okay to run. or should i be running a 4 gauge wire?

They recommend anything over 1000W peak to be on 4AWG.

I have my Alpine 600W RMS 1000W Peak on 4AWG and a 1.5Farad capacitor. My subwoofer is an Infinity Kapa Perfect Reference 450W RMS 1030W Peak.

[toycar]

Anybody not knowing how to solder those ends on the easy way;


Hold the end with vice grips or in a vise and heat it with a torch with the bowl pointing up. The bowl being where you insert the cable. Once the end is hot enough to melt solder inside the bowl, melt some solder in it. Itll start to have a green hue to the color when its about perfect, but the easiest way to know its ready is to poke it periodically. It'll take 15-20 seconds to get hot enough, tops. Fill the cup to maybe one third to half full of solder. Once you have a pool in the cup, insert cable that has already been stripped.


BAM


Drives me crazy when people do it wrong and have a hard time with it. Its super easy. Using a soldering iron on those ends is stupid and the wrong way to do it. You get way more solder to copper contact doing it the way I described.


Any plumbers torch would work just fine.

[wildBill83]

Nice pro-tip toycar! I crimp after soldering just to make 200% sure it is a solid contact then heat one last time.