Ok, so I'm thinking I will have to upgrade the big 3, lights dimming, I've searched around for about an hour on here and can't really find the info I'm looking for. I understand the reasoning behind why this should be done.

I'm wondering why I would need 1/0 gauge as everyone always recommends, when my amp is only 300RMS@ohms and only has 4gauge power and ground. Could I not just add 4 gauge wiring on top of my existing wiring? (I have an 06 Mazda6, so I'm thinking I should probably leave my factory wiring in there just in case. The car also still isn't out of warranty.) So would 4 gauge suffice?

I'm also wondering about alternator/battery. The stock alternator is 100amps. Should this suffice with the big 3 upgraded? Should I upgrade my battery? It is stock-ish, but I probably wouldn't replace it until it dies anyways. (Being a student sucks. Money is tight )

I's sure most of you will say to upgrade the big 3 before questioning the alternator and battery topic. I can't find any high amp alternators for my car though. :/

 

you dont need 0ga. 4ga will do the trick.

 

ok thanks.

 

at 300 rms you shouldnt need big 3 at all.. if your lights are dimming the problem is elsewhere. it might solve the problem.. but nothing to do with the wire guage... u will probably fix a bad connection in the process.

 

MY truck (2 batteries stock) dimmed too, and so did my cavalier when I had them. Does that mean they all had connection problems?

It looks like all my wiring (Big 3 non-upgraded wires) is 8 gauge, and my amp wiring it 4 gauge. Not sure if that makes a difference or not.

 

The reason that most people recommend 0 gauge is because 90% of the people that install car audio systems in their vehicles will continue to upgrade as time goes on. The big 3 can be a lot of work in some vehicles and not something that you would want to do twice, thus is always better to cover any possible upgrades now rather than later.

 

Ah, I see. Well, I'm still not sure of whether or not to do it. I mean, the stock wiring is tiny.

 

most likely

well if the wiring up front is 8 gauge then that is ALL your going to get from your battery/ alternator.

The big three is not a cure all but it does maximize performance

http://www.canadiancaraudio.com/onli...erms-pics.html

http://www.canadiancaraudio.com/onli...-selector.html
^this site tells what size wire is appropriate for your power demands, it is a factor of current draw and distance from the power source (battery/ alternator) and assumes high quality connections

 

Your car also has a five year old battery so it may be about done as well.

 

The battery isn't the original.

Actually it might even be 16. the 8 might be the starter wire. I forget now. So I'm basically screwed unless I want to spend $1000 on a battery and alternator then?