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1/0 AWG overkill for big three upgrade?

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Old Apr 5, 2006 | 03:14 AM
  #1  
4-RUNNIN' FREAK's Avatar
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From: NNJ
1/0 AWG overkill for big three upgrade?

As the title says.

I have 3 amps I am going to be rinning with 500 amps worth of fuses.
Or can I get away with 4 gauge.

I want to go with the 1/0, but my friend is telling me to save the money and get 4 gauge, and I said what about 2/0 to bust chops.

Will I be better off just going with the 1/0 over the 4?

Danke.
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Old Apr 5, 2006 | 09:15 AM
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From: Sarasota, FL
Originally Posted by 4-RUNNIN' FREAK
As the title says.

I have 3 amps I am going to be rinning with 500 amps worth of fuses.
Or can I get away with 4 gauge.

I want to go with the 1/0, but my friend is telling me to save the money and get 4 gauge, and I said what about 2/0 to bust chops.

Will I be better off just going with the 1/0 over the 4?

Danke.
use the biggest stuff you can afford. I used 1/0 myself in parallel with the OEM wires. I only use 1/0 cable for all my wiring needs save REM and speakers wires.

Speaker wires get 8 or 4ga awg and rem gets 16ga...lol
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Old Apr 5, 2006 | 12:12 PM
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4-RUNNIN' FREAK's Avatar
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From: NNJ
Originally Posted by Bumpin' Yota
use the biggest stuff you can afford. I used 1/0 myself in parallel with the OEM wires. I only use 1/0 cable for all my wiring needs save REM and speakers wires.

Speaker wires get 8 or 4ga awg and rem gets 16ga...lol

Thanks.

Friends seem to be really interested in making me save money lately. Not like I am wasting it on drugs or something, thought mobile audio can be addicting.
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Old Apr 7, 2006 | 11:34 AM
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From: N37 39* W122 3*
Originally Posted by 4-RUNNIN' FREAK
As the title says.

I have 3 amps I am going to be rinning with 500 amps worth of fuses.
Or can I get away with 4 gauge.

I want to go with the 1/0, but my friend is telling me to save the money and get 4 gauge, and I said what about 2/0 to bust chops.

Will I be better off just going with the 1/0 over the 4?

Danke.
have you ever seen those GAUGE vs LENGTH OF WIRE needed for the AMPERAGE charts?

http://the12volt.com/info/recwirsz.asp

btw dont get your local welding supply house for really inexpensive big gauge wires, if you're not interested in the flashy wiring audio "jewelry"...
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Old Apr 7, 2006 | 08:49 PM
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4-RUNNIN' FREAK's Avatar
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From: NNJ
Originally Posted by ldivinag
have you ever seen those GAUGE vs LENGTH OF WIRE needed for the AMPERAGE charts?

http://the12volt.com/info/recwirsz.asp

btw dont get your local welding supply house for really inexpensive big gauge wires, if you're not interested in the flashy wiring audio "jewelry"...

Yeah, saw the charts, but some people say it's overkill, and to save money and run 4 awg.
I need to run two lenghts of 4 gauge and one of 1/0 to my amps. It just seems like common sense to use at least 1/0 or even 3/0 for the upgrade.
I got a smokin' deal on some 1/0 though, so it's all good. Gotta love Canal Street in Manhattan. ( I can get "scraps" of up to 4/0 from work, but it does not flex well)


Just trying to prove to some people that sometimes too much is not enough and can't hurt. (In this case)

Last edited by 4-RUNNIN' FREAK; Apr 7, 2006 at 08:52 PM.
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Old Apr 7, 2006 | 09:19 PM
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From: Allen, Tx/Stillwater, Ok
just so you know...1/0 awg is a PITA to run all the way back to the rear (at least it was for me. save yourself some stress and try to run it under the driver's seat all the way back, cause anywhere within about 4" of the rocker panel and the scuff plates REALLY dont wanna go back on.

i need to do a big 3 upgrade, i have an elemental designs nine.1 sub amp and an orion 8004 stereo amp with just a 250 amp fuse and i'm using 1/ awg, so i think its worth it

good luck with the booming

Mark
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Old Apr 7, 2006 | 09:29 PM
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4-RUNNIN' FREAK's Avatar
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From: NNJ
Originally Posted by TX2RUNNER1997
just so you know...1/0 awg is a PITA to run all the way back to the rear (at least it was for me. save yourself some stress and try to run it under the driver's seat all the way back, cause anywhere within about 4" of the rocker panel and the scuff plates REALLY dont wanna go back on.


Mark

That is what is good about Lightning Audio's square cable. High strand (4704) count too.
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Old Apr 8, 2006 | 03:19 AM
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From: Sarasota, FL
I have 3 runs of 1/0....that's soon going to be 16 runs of it. Kicker cable for me - it's as limp as soggy spaghetti!
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Old Apr 9, 2006 | 10:47 AM
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Same here...i end up using spools of Kicker 1/0 about every 2 weeks.
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Old Apr 21, 2006 | 06:04 PM
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From: Toronto
Originally Posted by Bumpin' Yota
use the biggest stuff you can afford. I used 1/0 myself in parallel with the OEM wires. I only use 1/0 cable for all my wiring needs save REM and speakers wires.

Speaker wires get 8 or 4ga awg and rem gets 16ga...lol
Wow, what kind of speakers u running to need 4 ga wire?
My sub is powered by 4 ga wire and that ลลลล is THICK... why would you need more (or less) than 14 for regular speakers? or are you using 8 or 4 ga for 1000w+ RMS subs?
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Old Apr 21, 2006 | 06:21 PM
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From: Sarasota, FL
Well basically each of my 4 amps is operating at 0.35dcr so current flow demands that a larger gauge wire be used. 40+ amps of current going to each sub is a good reason to upgrade one's speaker leads. Otherwise I'd literally melt 16ga wire....

Ah the joys of a system that checks in with 7.2kW rms (and that's a severely underrated number btw... gotta luv Incriminator Audio!)
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