type of ground wire

[shaun1982]

hey guys, i have a 800watt Boss 4 channel amp, 800watt sub, 270watt JBL rears and 200watt Sony Fronts and i need to know, the fuse i am using in the engine bay near the battery is a 25amp fuse. is that alright for my system. im not sure how many RMS is the amp and sub. only the wattage. i bought a pack of 40amp fuse. will it be better to use them.

cause there is already some clicking noise at around the alternator side of the engine bay. will a 40 amp fuse be better .

thanks

[94hondaacc]

Yeah It Would Be Better. What Kind Of Fuse Do You Have. I Think The Glass Ones Are Better.

[94PreludeJDM]

You might want to go higher than 40 amp. Fuses aren't all that expensive, so I know when I wired my system, I just wired a 100 amp fuse in right away. It's way more than I need right now, but I figured if I ever want to upgrade, I know my setup can handle it. Just my two cents.

[GScivic7]

25 amp fuse is waaaaaay too small. Whats the total wattage of all the amps your using? Usually RMS is half of the advertised peak rating.

[ponchonutty]

Rule of thumb, you will need at least the same size fuse as what the total amperage of the amp(s) are. Also, you'll need to adjust the size of wire for the same reason.

[shaun1982]

ok, i installed a 4 gauge ground fromthe amp to the chassis, and with the power cable. it looks half as thick.
will i be able to use the 40 amp fuse on that power cable. i'll check to make sure what gauge it is.

i am using the normal fuse, the one with the 2 metal teeths.

lwith teh wattage of the amps. i am only running one amp which is 800watt and when i look at the box, it doesnt say how many rms but like GSCivic7 said its usually half the amount, then 400rms i think. the sub shoukd be 400rms and then theres the speakers.

i dont want to change the power wire, cause it will b too much work.

[shaun1982]

why, what would happen if i use a 40amp fuse with the size of power cable im using,

[GScivic7]

yah if it's just a 400 watt amp you should be fine with a 40 amp fuse.

I used to run a 840 watt RMS audiobahn amp and was fine with a 50 amp glass fuse. Never had problems with it.

[shaun1982]

so is there really any difference between the glass fuse u said and the other one with the 2 teeths.

im gonna also put an extra ground on the battery. u know the ground holder (clamp) where it clamps to the negative on the battery, u know how its a screw with a bolt at the end to tighten it, will be alright it i get a thick enough circle terminal so i can just add on one end of the new ground then tighten it.
then find a extra hole on the chassis to screw the other end of the ground on. will i have to also scrape off the paint on the chassis

thanks

[west nile]

ugh...I would not use a fuse smaller than 60 amps. You see amperage equals total power divided by voltage from alternator....so you are putting out 800 watts peak right? Divide that by common voltage on cars 13.8v and you arrive at the amperage you are currently passing through your 4 ga power wire which is 57.97 amps. So always use a fuse rated for the max amps you are putting out, to answer your question why? It is because your car can catch fire by damaging the power wire like say in a crash or something if you do not have that power wire properly fused, it is better to be safe than sorry.

The only difference between a glass fuse and a 2 prong fuse covered in the black casing is that the glass/plastic fuse holder is water proof and you can use a larger fuse in those style of holders.

as for grounding your battery, wonderful idea, actually this is done to create less resistance for your audio system, just remember to use the same gauge wire you are using for your power wire for your amp. And don't forget the other two wires that should be upgraded doing the big 3, chasis ground and power wire from alternator to battery which needs to be fused. Probably not as neccessary in your set up but it does not hurt.