Car Stereo Wiring

[CRX586]

You know the speaker wires and RCA cables they sell for car audio cost a lot more than home system wiring - can I use stuff for home stereo on my car's system?

[PaulD]

actually, the home stuff tends to more expensive in most cases, but a wire is a wire. The difference tends to be that the car stuff is designed to be more flexible, for tight installations.

[sparq]

Do not use home RCA cables in your car :o

[ShockJon]

if you are just hooking up some crap speakers for a little thump use what ever... If you want true performance the best is always the biggest for cars!!! the bigger the wire the better the sound quality!!!

[Cfmotorsports]

I would not recomend home wire in a car, It does not have sheild in it to keep out alternator wine, and it is much stiffer, You can get decent RCA cables for less then 20.00 and good power wire for the same. I would recomend a amp install kit, if you are starting from with nothing. it will come with every thing you need they range from 20.00 on up depends on how large of an amp you are going top use.

[PaulD]

Originally posted by Cfmotorsports
I would not recomend home wire in a car, It does not have sheild in it to keep out alternator wine, and it is much stiffer....

NO .... do a search on this - I have described in DETAIL why a sheilded cable not only doesn't prevent alternator noise - it actually causes it.

[ShockJon]

Originally posted by PaulD


NO .... do a search on this - I have described in DETAIL why a sheilded cable not only doesn't prevent alternator noise - it actually causes it.

AMEN!!!

if you have any noise in your system you either have crap for a system or you have not got it hooked up right or both ...

[EFsleeper]

Originally posted by PaulD
actually, the home stuff tends to more expensive in most cases, but a wire is a wire. \

Tell that to the 200 set of Monster RCAs that I just got in my shop. But youre right a wire is a wire.

[PaulD]

they sell home stereo cables that are like $1000 per foot, or some non-sense like that.

[DRCustom]

It's all about flexibility. If you find a home wire that is easy to work with, go for it.

Bigger is not better, it just has to be big enough.

Just get what you can afford, it will all get the job done.

[wagsaccordsir]

Yes bigger is better; simply because there is more power and less resistance... May wanna read Ohms Law again!!

[DRCustom]

simply put, you are correct, but...

after a certain point, the gains become ireelavant, because you cannot notice the gain. it's like saying an engine mod will give you 0.0001 HP. It won't make you go any faster, it won't even make it feel like you're going any faster, it's only a worthless pain in the ass to do the mod, and also a waste of money. thicker wire is typically less flexible, more expensive, and more dificult to install.

this site will give you a good idea of what wire size you will need:
http://www.eatel.net/~amptech/elecdisc/caraudio.htm
just goto "wire" on the column on the right side, there's lots of places where you just put in the numbers, and it figures everything out for you.

if you don't understand anything, there's an explanation for just about everything somewhere on the site.