Thanks for the help Dave.

Quick question though. For the 6 meter lengths, that is for each wire right...i.e. I'll need two speaker wires 6 meters long (~20ft) to reach from the trunk to the components in the door, 6 meters of interconnect, and a total of 6 meters in power wire. For the ground wires I'm going to use a ground distribution block so I would need 1 meter 8awg for each amp and than 1 meter 4awg to the ground?

Also, they are out of the braided wire and only have the more expensive silver wire. I'm assuming this would be fine to use as well?

If I am using a fused dist block, do I still need to use an inline fuse near the battery? If so, should this fuse equal the amp rating of the two fuses in the dist block added together?

Finally, any idea how many terminals I'll need? I'm assuming two ring terminals (one for the battery, one for the ground) and 12 spade terminals (4 for the wires going to the crossovers, and 8 for the wires from the crossovers to the woofers).

Am I forgetting anything else?

Thanks again for all the help

 

Sounds good.......yes, you need an inline fuse no matter what.

 

So if my component amp needs a 60a fuse and whatever sub amp I get ends up requiring a 60-80a fuse I should be fine using a 150a fuse for the inline? Or does the inline fuse just have to equal the highest fuse requirement (80a)?

 

Sorry to keep bothering everyone with these questions. What gauge speaker wire should I use? The Utopias are rated at 100wrms but my amp can feed up to 150wrms. Would 16awg be fine or would I be better off with 14 or 12?

 

the rule of thumb is that you want your at battery inline fuse to be equal to or slightly less or slightly more than the total of your other individual amp fuses. (at the distro box)
use this calculator... it's not perfect, but it is definitely good enough:
http://www.bcae1.com/images/swfs/systemdes...gnassistant.swf

16 awg is good, but 14 would be better. 12 awg is a bit overkill for these distance runs imo. this calculator will help you determine which is best for your needs.
http://www.bcae1.com/images/swfs/speakerwi...orassistant.swf

here's a great page for all kinds of wiring questions... the calculators above are from this page:
http://www.bcae1.com/wire.htm


also, for grounds - i used the lower bolt on the cross member in the back...
click here for a pic. it's the black wire.... (this is an older setup that i had installed.)

 

Thanks Phil.

I was at that website looking for info and I didn't see that speaker wire calculator, thanks for the link.

I saw that pic in another of your posts and was planning on using it.

Alright, I think I am ready to order everything!

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions and help.

 

my only warning about that ground.. i didn't sand it. honestly, i don't think it is needed. the bolt has exposed metal and the threading in the hole is exposed as well, so there is a very good conductive path.
still, be prepared to sand to get good contact or move to the OEM if necessary... sometimes what works in some cases won't work in others.

for me, i go for the easy grounds (good solid easy to get to chassis points) and try them first... if they work, score! if not, i'm ready to move.

 

Phil,

Where is the OEM ground located?

How will I know if the ground is good or not (system noise, amp in protection mode, etc.)?

Thanks.

 

i'm not sure where the OEM ground is...

it's pretty obvious usually... brass bolt w/ a bundle of black wires running to it.

and a bad ground would be indicated via noise or the amp not turning on... i'd be highly shocked if it didn't work.

 

I'm in the process of putting together all the items needed to wire a 4 channel amp:.

The 4 channel amp will drive a pair of separates in the doors and a pair of coaxials in the rear panels.

I was planning on ordering this amp install kit from knukoncepts which includes the following:
*20 Feet 4 AWG Blue Kolossus Power Wire
*3 Feet 4 AWG Silver Kolossus Ground Wire
*One FH-24 with 80A Fuse size
*TWO 5 Meter Klarity Kable Blue OFC RCA Cable with Built in Turn On lead
*20 Feet BLUE Klear Kable OFC 12 Gauge Speaker Wire
*2 Gold Plated 4 AWG Ring Terminals, 2 Gold Plated 4 AWG Spade Terminals
*6 feet Split Loom and wire ties

http://www.knukonceptz.com/productDetail.c...rodID=KOL-AK44#

I was also planning on ordering these additional items:
Battery Connectors:
http://www.knukonceptz.com/productDe...prodID=BT-104N
http://www.knukonceptz.com/productDe...prodID=BT-104P

Fuse Block:
http://www.knukonceptz.com/productDetail.c...rodID=PB-K1448S

And an additional 30 feet of speaker cable. Is there anything else you guys recommend or think I'll need when installing the amp?

Thanks for the bandwidth