Some more Questions

['96GAGT]

I've got a few questions I'd like to get answered.

How much power can the 4 Guage Audio power cable handle? (Like Amount of Wattage from an Amplifier)

I can get a 160 AMP alternator for my car. How many amps does my stock Alt push out? And would this 160 AMP Alt be worth considering.

Would a Red top battery be ok for my needs or should I use a Yellow top battery (Optima Batteries)

[hamiltonaudio]

you ask if these things are good for your needs, but don't tell us what equipment you plan on running. I don't worry about watts in terms of current carrying capacity on a power wire... I would safely put 100 amps of load on a 4 awg wire before I got worried about notably voltage drop. This is sufficient for most small monoblocks and a 2 channel or something....

look at the fuses on each of the amps in the system. Add them up....more than 100?? Don't use 4awg. Less than 100?? 4awg is fine. Very rough rule of thumb, and by far the easiest to explain...

I'm not sure what size ur factory alt is (the later ones are 115A) but going with more power can NEVER hurt. As for batteries, the only real difference between red and yellowtops is deep cycle ability.... the yellowtop is a deepcycle battery meaning it can be deeply discharged (cycled) many many times without being damaged.... the redtop cannot. they both offer the same sort of reserve power, and the redtop has a slight (but insignificant) edge in CCA output...

bmoney

['96GAGT]

I want to say that the amplifier I was using had two 25 AMP chips in the back of it.. and it was 500 RMS @ 4 Ohms (Which is what I was running) Next setup I'm looking at 800 to 1300 watts RMS (Depending on the amp I decided to go with). I'm pretty sure I can run it. The highest thing I think I would be using is a Hifonics Brutus 2000 watt Mono amp. which puts out 1,300 Watts RMS @ a 2 OHm setting.

[hamiltonaudio]

i've run 1400 wrms monoblocks on 4awg wire without any issues...but this was efficient US Amps power... if ur considering the Hifonics stuff (decent, very cheap to buy but THIRSTY) you'll notice the amp has 2awg inputs on it....thats the wire you should run :)

My rule of thumb for a one-amp system is to look at the amp - if it has 4 awg inputs, use it. 2 awg, use it..etc ;) For multiple amp setups you need to consider the current factor as before.

bmoney

[DFizzle]

The '96 has an 80 or 85 amp alt, can't remember which but I know it's one of the two. I had a 96 before I got my 04.

['96GAGT]

Originally posted by hamiltonaudio
i've run 1400 wrms monoblocks on 4awg wire without any issues...but this was efficient US Amps power... if ur considering the Hifonics stuff (decent, very cheap to buy but THIRSTY) you'll notice the amp has 2awg inputs on it....thats the wire you should run :)

My rule of thumb for a one-amp system is to look at the amp - if it has 4 awg inputs, use it. 2 awg, use it..etc ;) For multiple amp setups you need to consider the current factor as before.

bmoney


Well I've wired my car and put new carpet in over the top of my wires and would rather not rewire the car to a 2 or 0 Gauge wire. Would it be ok to run that hifonics amp on the 4 guage? Because that's what I would end up doing.

[car audio dave]

why even ask if youre not willing to change it?

all that might happen if your wire is too thin (in this case) is your amp might get a little hot. if the wire is WAAAAY too small then the wire shielding will burn up because the wire would get extremely hot. the insulation on 4 gauge wire is nice and thick (usually) and it should be able to handle the power.

another thing to condiser is that if your amp heats heats alot, it will first lower the life of your amplifier, increase its distortion, and lower its power output. i always over estimate on wire size, especially if the wire is not replaceable. 4 gauge and higher gauge wire costs so much its always smart to think ahead when buying it, and make sure you are getting the right stuff. on my old grand am, i used 1/0 gauge because i knew that i would be expanding and running other things off that power as well.