Answering All Your Mobile Electronics Quesions

I have noticed a lot of questions for car electronics so I thought I would post up some rules and helpful advise I know I’m new around here and hope that I am not stepping on any ones toes by doing this if so let me know I do know how to shut up and keep my opinion to my self.

Rules of the thumb for Amps.

The shorter your wires the better.
Run the power straight of the batter most stock wire can not just be taped into for power they do not have the power handling and you will burn wires. (These are not fun to replace).
The ground wire can be attached to any metal surface and the shorter the better. (I use ring terminals and a bolt that’s already there just make sure you sand the paint off.)
If you do not clean off all the paint the amp may still ground but the amp will be getting more power in than it can send out kind of like a filling up a water balloon if it has a whole in it you can run water in and out all day but if there is no whole you can over fill it tell it pops.

Here is a reference for the gage of wire you will need for proper power handling.
The longer the cable the heavier gage is needed.

Power/Ground Wires
35W
Up to 12’ 16 Gage
Up to 18’ 14 Gage
Up to 30’ 12 Gage
50W
Up to 13’ 14 Gage
Up to 21’ 12 Gage
Up to 33’ 10 Gage
75W
Up to 14’ 12 Gage
Up to 22’ 10 Gage
Up to 35’ 8 Gage
100W
Up to 17’ 10 Gage
Up to 26’ 8 Gage
150W
Up to 17’ 8 Gage
Up to 28’ 6 Gage
200W
Up to 21’ 6 Gage
Up to 33’ 4 Gage
350W
Up to 19’ 4 Gage
Up to 30’ 2 Gage
500W
Up to 21’ 2 Gage
Up to 26’ 1/0 Gage

Now you can’t really over do wires but you can blow your budget on wires alone.

Do not mount amps on the speaker box mount them some where else solid vibrations are car electronics enemy number two number one is an uninformed installer.

Also heat is not good for electronics. So place your amps in a well ventilated area.

When it comes to speaker wires don’t go with any thing less that 14 Gage (I like 12) 14 gage is ezer to find can be picked up at like Wal-Mart.

Here is a table for Minimum Speaker Wire Gages

Up to 12’ Minimum Gage is 16.
Up to 20’ Minimum Gage is 14.
Up to 30’ Minimum Gage is 12.

I will not bore you with ohm law and go in to wiring configurations just email me if you need any help with that and I can give you the most power efficient way to wire your speakers. You can cut the load down by wiring speakers right and make your system run better.

When it comes to RCA cables RCA cables are RCA cables if you want to get the best sound go with gold or platinum plated ends any thing else they put on the box is just a sells gimmick like sound canceling intertwined wire wrapping they like to make fancy stuff up so that you will by there product over some one else’s.

And it is always best to solder on your terminals over time crimped terminals corrode and you lose some power handling the more power you have going threw the wire the faster it corrodes solder resists corrosion.


If I missed anything important let me know if I said something stupid let me know if you have any questions let me know. I have installed countless stereo systems and have built custom boxes from a carpeted box for a 1988 Delta 88 with 4 12’s to a spray on dyno matted ford ranger box with 4 12’s (spray on dyno mat is stupid waste of money). I even work with fiber glass just asks me if you have any questions.