Ijaz

Ok to start off I admit I am a noob. But here goes, say I get an amp that uses 8 guage wiring, and use an 8 guage wire kit, and then i decide to switch later with a 4 guage amp, would i have any problems? Would i need to cahnge wires all over again, or is it no problem, and if there isnt, What is the difference between 4 guage and 8 guage wiring. Also 1 more thing say i get an amp that uses 4 guage, can i use 8 guage wiring on it???? Pls help me out, thx in advance.

Reekor

There is nothing that I hate more then running power cable. I would run 4 guage into a distro block (before your amp) and from there you can run 4 or 8 guage power cable to your amp.. This way you don't have to upgrade when you upgrade to more or bigger amps.

Ijaz

I still dont get what the difference between 4 guage and 8 guage is? Why is there 2 different types, and what would happen if i used 8 guage all around, and have a 4 guage amp connected?

Sassmaster

iTrader: (2)

4 guage is bigger than 8 guage, and is able to carry much more current (ie power) to your amps. wire that is too small can heat up and cause nasty things like fires inside your car.

pgmaniac

iTrader: (2)

4guage = higher strand count, which is thicker then 8 guage, therefore can carry more current.

*Edit*
Haha, Sass, i see you are a little quicker then i am :P

Reekor

4 guage wire is twice as thick as and 8 guage wire. The thicker the wire more power flow it can handle. Just like a 2 inch water hose vs a 4 inch water hose.
If the load (power flow) gets too high, the wire might start to melt at the battery and your amplifer might not get the amount of power it needs. If you have a bigger wire then what your amp needs there are no ill effects.

veeman

iTrader: (3)

You need to research basic electricity on some of the car audio sites or books a little more before you start installing. I am not putting you down, but from a safety point of view it does not appear that you have the information necessary at this point to actually do your own install. Maybe have a friend that knows what they're doing give you a hand. Try doing some research on "BASIC CAR AUDIO ELECTRONICS", see the link below. Lots of great information there to help you through just about any standard questions regarding car audio. I hope this helps you out.

http://www.bcae1.com/

Ijaz

Thx for the help. And yea im not doing my own install, my friend is going to do it for me and show me how.

SQ Civic

iTrader: (3)

just for the sake of learning, that's not accurate. Wire guage has nothing to do with srtand count... it refers to the size of the wire, be it 1 strand or 1 million...

it is easily possible to have an 8 AWG wire that has more strands than a 4, or 0 AWG wire... FYI

Mark

Sassmaster

iTrader: (2)

That is true, but with the pretty car audio wire, they generally use the same size of strands for everything. "car audio" wire tends to have many tiny strands so that it's easier to bend... aparently the entire car audio industry is so limp wristed that they can't bend real wire :P *puts on flame suit*