RowdyMoody Posted March 22, 2014 Report Share Posted March 22, 2014 Hello, I have a 12" UFO BTL. I just bought a new amp for it (Alpine MRX-M240) My BTL is 2ohm DVC. So I can wire it to 1 or 4 ohms, The amp will do 1,500 RMS at a 4ohm load (which is what I want). question 1.) will 4 gauge wire be sufficient? (I am currently using 8 gauge for my MRP-M500) question 2.) will my 130 amp alternator be enough for this setup? I know there are a lot of variables when it comes to question 2, such as my engine size, how much electrical components I run, etc. But in general would a 130 amp alternator be enough? I am hoping to do the swap of wire and amp tomorrow. I also plan on doing my big 3 upgrade with 0 gauge wire while I am at it. Any input is appreciated, thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sutliff Posted March 22, 2014 Report Share Posted March 22, 2014 Not from my experience. If you ready through my build log, ... below, you will see issues I had/have running just a 900RMS system - which is actually extremely underrated - & see that I have to upgrade from a top manufacturer 170A ALT, & that I just got it back from an upgrade to a 240A. Everybody I have asked says I will be just fine now ... especially with the upgraded BATT - XS Power D3400 - up front ... If you do not read anything of mine, ... I run 2awg OFC welding cable of POS & NEG from front to back. Zeke '14 2003 Chevy Monte Carlo SS Vehicle Details & Mod List: http://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/garage/vehicle/1703-chevrolet-monte-carlo-ss/ Audio Build Log: http://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/topic/143276-2003-chevy-monte-carlo-ss-audio-build-ib-build Pioneer FH-P8000BT Infinity Kappa Perfect 6.1 Fi IB3 (Two 12", 2-ohm SVC) RF T400-2 & T500-1bdCP MechMan S Series 240A XS Power D3400 & D975 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RowdyMoody Posted March 22, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2014 Dang, Nice build you have man. I guess it wont hurt to just hook it all up and see what happens, if I get dimming (or a dead engine) then I will go ahead and get a new alternater with higher amperage. How does welding cable compare in cost to regular wire? Is it much more expensive? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoomZoom808 Posted March 22, 2014 Report Share Posted March 22, 2014 Every vehicle and install is different. I am running 4 GA ofc and and about 1400rms worth of amps + EQ on a 90 amp alt and I do just fine. You dont know till you install it and get a volt meter to see whats going on. 2010 Mazda 3s 2.5L Pioneer DEH-X9600BHS Knu OFC 1/0 SS Platinum AGM / XS Power XP750 Alpine PDX F-4 / Morel Maximo 5 + Coax 5 IA 10.1 / SSA XCON 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockFord_Expedition Posted March 22, 2014 Report Share Posted March 22, 2014 1) How long is the run? 4ga would be fine as a short run from a block to your amp but not front to rear of vehicle. 2) Watts = V*A so at 14.4V to make 1500W your amp will need over 100A just for it's self. Pretty sure you will not maintain 14.4 volts so as voltage drops, the demand for current goes up. You will have dimming/rpm drop/voltage drop pretty bad to be honest. Old School/New School RF Build March 2015 SOTM Winner How to crimp large wire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoomZoom808 Posted March 22, 2014 Report Share Posted March 22, 2014 Also you would want 1/0 if you do add another sub and decide to run that amp at 2 ohm for full power 2010 Mazda 3s 2.5L Pioneer DEH-X9600BHS Knu OFC 1/0 SS Platinum AGM / XS Power XP750 Alpine PDX F-4 / Morel Maximo 5 + Coax 5 IA 10.1 / SSA XCON 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swampy Posted March 22, 2014 Report Share Posted March 22, 2014 the way that i did mine was to buy enough dry cell batteries to handle all the voltage drop and an alt that was big enough to efficiently charge the batteries. For my 900W system in my explorer, i have the stock 120A alt and a XS D6500 up front and a shuriken bt80 in the back and my voltage never drops below 14.0V full tilt. once i upgrade to my new 2k amp (havent decided the amp yet) i might have to add another battery. with three dry cells, theres no way that alt will handle charging all three of them under full load. the three batts together would pull more amps then what the alt could put out. I don't claim to know how to solve anything, I just practice the basics. There is nothing worse than wasting hours over a problem that should have taken 5 mins. Anything I post and claim to know, I know simply because of a lesson learned from a mistake on my part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swampy Posted March 22, 2014 Report Share Posted March 22, 2014 the way that i did mine was to buy enough dry cell batteries to handle all the voltage drop and an alt that was big enough to efficiently charge the batteries. For my 900W system in my explorer, i have the stock 120A alt and a XS D6500 up front and a shuriken bt80 in the back and my voltage never drops below 14.0V full tilt. once i upgrade to my new 2k amp (havent decided the amp yet) i might have to add another battery. with three dry cells, theres no way that alt will handle charging all three of them under full load. the three batts together would pull more amps then what the alt could put out. i used the same math as rockFord_Expedition above me is explaining to you to figure out how many total amps id be pulling under full load conditions and tailored my choices based on that, which is what i recommend you do. The math never lies. I don't claim to know how to solve anything, I just practice the basics. There is nothing worse than wasting hours over a problem that should have taken 5 mins. Anything I post and claim to know, I know simply because of a lesson learned from a mistake on my part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ahmed Johnson Posted March 22, 2014 Report Share Posted March 22, 2014 I got a sq 2200 on a 145 alternator with a little voltage drop but not a huge amount. If you do the big 3 and get an agm battery you will be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sutliff Posted March 22, 2014 Report Share Posted March 22, 2014 Dang, Nice build you have man. I guess it wont hurt to just hook it all up and see what happens, if I get dimming (or a dead engine) then I will go ahead and get a new alternater with higher amperage. How does welding cable compare in cost to regular wire? Is it much more expensive? On par with MOST OFC "car audio" wire, welding cable is generally quite cheaper ... I have got a mixture of 2 & 1/0 in my build ... which it sounded like you saw a bit of. But folks here are absolutely are right, ... for short runs you can get away with smaller awg, but then again, if you plan to run wire down to a low ohm load, then you will likely need to pop that size back up, & take a look if you are using the right fusing too. For the fusing vs. the cable you are using vs. the length of it, ... have a peek at an Ampacity Chart, & see what cross-references the best for you ... knowing I was never going to upgrade my sub amp & subs (one I build a system, I am done with it), the 2awg was/is just fine for me, & I fused (circuit breaker'd) accordingly. ... & thank you for the kind words, Sir. Zeke '14 2003 Chevy Monte Carlo SS Vehicle Details & Mod List: http://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/garage/vehicle/1703-chevrolet-monte-carlo-ss/ Audio Build Log: http://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/topic/143276-2003-chevy-monte-carlo-ss-audio-build-ib-build Pioneer FH-P8000BT Infinity Kappa Perfect 6.1 Fi IB3 (Two 12", 2-ohm SVC) RF T400-2 & T500-1bdCP MechMan S Series 240A XS Power D3400 & D975 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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