What Will I Need

[kfx450r]

Alright, planning on a new build once I sell some stuff and get the cash..it will consist of the following. Going in a ext cab colorado.

18" Solo X

Preferably like a rockford 3000 or sundown3000d at 1 ohm.

4x 6x9s with a 100x4 amp. (100rms to each)

Now wut im wondering is what kinda electrical do I need to support this..I already have 0 gauge wiring.

Will a 200 amp alternator and a yellow top as a main and a extra yellow top out back be enuff?

Note: I havent bought any of the above items yet, so they can all be changed. Set on the solo x tho.

Also my budget will be around 1500-2000$ for everything above..except the 6x9s and wiring.

Edited June 9, 2009 by kfx450r

[LordArcane]

Alright, planning on a new build once I sell some stuff and get the cash..it will consist of the following. Going in a ext cab colorado.

18" Solo X

Preferably like a rockford 3000 or sundown3000d at 1 ohm.

4x 6x9s with a 100x4 amp. (100rms to each)

Now wut im wondering is what kinda electrical do I need to support this..I already have 0 gauge wiring.

Will a 200 amp alternator and a yellow top as a main and a extra yellow top out back be enuff?

don't forget to do big 3 upgraded

[kfx450r]

don't forget to do big 3 upgraded

Ah yes yes. Thanks for reminding me. I do need to to that.

[thacarter546]

Big 3, 200+ amp alt. 200 really isnt enough for 3kw + you are probably going to have to charge your batteries everyday if you use this as a daily driver. Preferably a dual 200s would do nice. I Like to go by the rule 1 big battery for every 1 kw your running, although this is just me. I think you can do much better than optima for the price (Optima has a relatively high failure rate compared to its competitors DEKA, Odyssey, kinetik, Powermaster). DEKA Intimidators will kill that optima in price-performance ratio. As for wire a single run of 4/0 for power and one for ground would do or several runs of 1/0 to the rear would be nice. DO NOT SKIMP ON YOUR ELECTRICAL. It will bite you in the ass. If you skimp on your electrical it will give you all kinds of problems later on.

If you are really planning on building a 3kw+ vehicle expect to shell out quite a bt of green on your electrical. Wiring is going to be 200ish if you use welding cable. Batteries are gonna be 2-300ish a pop new and your gonna want 3-4 so 900-1200 on batteries, 5-600 on a good alt, or you could have a dual alt bracket built depending on car and do dual rebuilt alts should run you about the same and will put out more at idle. so expect to spend 1500sh on your electrical.

Another thing worth noting. If you plan on using a gel cell/agm battery with a standard lead acid battery you are going to want to use an isolator between the two, and this will drop your overall voltage down 0.7 volts. The reason being the lead acid(standard car battery) will sit at a lower voltage than the sealed battery and when you shut the car off, the standard car battery will draw from the sealed. The two batteries will also charge unevenly which can also lead to a shortened lif for your batteries. You are much better off running all sealed batteries.

Your not gonna hear those 6x9s at all if this is built properly, so I wouldnt even bother. Start looking into how to fiberglass. You are probably going to want multiple sets of components in your front doors if this is going to be used for music. But that is a whole nother thread.

This is just my advice. Others may say you can get away with less, and you MAY be able just to squeeze by, but you more than likely wont be happy. Your gonna want your electrical to sit at around 13 volts for everything to function normally. When your voltage starts dipping below 12 volts you are running off of your batteries, and your gonna want to start using a charger at night to keep them maintained, and this also limits your play time, because I am sure you would like to be able to start your car after school, or when you stop to get a burger. Trust me you look like a dumbass when you have to get jumped by a cavalier because your system drained your batts, been there done that. Never again.

[enemyofsilence]

^ wow what a mouthful. but he is right nonetheless.

[thacarter546]

I have no idea how much experience you have, but if this is your first system, I would choose a slightly more manageable amount of power. You can still run a kicker solox 18 off 1kw. Trust me you CANNOT blow a sub by underpowering it if you set the gains correctly (using an o-scope). Purchase an amp that can be strapped later on down the line when you can afford a more powerful electrical. Start sourcing where you are going to buy everything. Go to your local alternator shop(there is one in about every city) ask them how much they would charge to rewind your alternator to a 200 amp or if its possible, ask them if they can fab you up a dual alt bracket, and price that all out. I think you would be safe buying a spool of 4/0 welding cable and wire lugs for it if this is your ultimate goal. Go to a car audio shop or batteries plus type shop and start pricing batteries If you are buying multiple most shops will give you a discount.

Your talking a good chunk of change. 3kw + just getting into car audio is a recipe for disaster.

[kfx450r]

I have no idea how much experience you have, but if this is your first system, I would choose a slightly more manageable amount of power. You can still run a kicker solox 18 off 1kw. Trust me you CANNOT blow a sub by underpowering it if you set the gains correctly (using an o-scope). Purchase an amp that can be strapped later on down the line when you can afford a more powerful electrical. Start sourcing where you are going to buy everything. Go to your local alternator shop(there is one in about every city) ask them how much they would charge to rewind your alternator to a 200 amp or if its possible, ask them if they can fab you up a dual alt bracket, and price that all out. I think you would be safe buying a spool of 4/0 welding cable and wire lugs for it if this is your ultimate goal. Go to a car audio shop or batteries plus type shop and start pricing batteries If you are buying multiple most shops will give you a discount.

Your talking a good chunk of change. 3kw + just getting into car audio is a recipe for disaster.

Ya im not the most knowledgable but i know the basics. Just learned that theres bigger wire than 1/0 so Imma get some 4/0. I have a old hifonix bx1500d right now..If its strappable i may just hook it up to the solo-x at 1 ohm then buy another later. Not sure tho at this point. Appreciate all the posts damn helpful. I chose 3000 becuz i figured 5000 would be a hellhole for cash and a system to handle..but it seems 3000 can be up there with it. Ive been doing skimpy builds for a while just wanted to go all out for once and be done with it. Looks like i got alot of research to do. But ive got time.

And just for random note. Im not experienced by far but i can do all the wiring to the batteries, amps, speakers etc. So im not COMPLETELY retarded. I just need help with what to get..after ive got it i can take it from there. Would it be a good investment or a smart move to get say a 300 amp alt? Looking at my truck no way can i see 2 alts fitting in there. Id prefer to keep just 1 and get 2-3 batteries. Also if i was to get diff brand batteries..like say powermaster or kinetik for example..what sizes would be preferred if i was to have say..1 up front and 2 out back?

Edited June 9, 2009 by kfx450r

[thacarter546]

Haha much more reasonable response than I expected. :-) What car is this going in? You would be surprised at how you can fit a second alt in. I have seen a bagged s10 with a 4.3 running quad alts with factory ac and heat. If you are familiar with the truck you would knowho tight of a fit that is.

For batteries as big as you can fit physically. I run odyssey, and they are typically my first reccomendation as far as battery brands go. Although I would not steer you away from DEKA, powermaster, kinetik, or stinger. All of which are good.

For odyssey I would say at least three pc1700s. Preferably three 2250s or 2150s. I dont notice much of a difference between the two other than a fairly large price jump, and for that reason I tend to prefer the 2150s. I bought about 10 odysseys a while back, and got a contractors discount, so they are all I buy now, because they are what I get the best deal on.

For kinetik probably a hc1800 and two 2400s preferably three 2400s if you can fit em.

As for wire I cant think of any car audio related wire that is bigger than the RF 2/0 wire (I hate RF wire with a passion). I highly reccomend welding cable. It is flexible and very affordable for the sizes you can get it in. :pA" target="_blank">https://weldingsupply.securesites.com/cgi-b...EF:OR:terms::pA</a> Plus you can usually get a custom logo printed on it, and it has TWO layers of shielding instead of one.

EDIT: link doesnt quite work. Click on cables/lugs to your left.

You are still talking money. 4/0 Is 4.59 a foot if you order 50+ feet and you will probably want at least a 50 foot spool. Lugs for this large of a wire are 2 bucks a pop. Make sure you buy tinned or gold plated connectors. The copper ones corrode in about a month.

As for your alt. A 300 amp alt would not be a bad investment, but it more than likely will not put out more power than your stock alt at idle. So you will see big drops if you play at idle and trust me this really really sucks.

I know I talk alot, but I dunno how to condense it any better. Ive said it before and Ill say it again. Electrical is the one place you cannot skimp on.

Edited June 9, 2009 by thacarter546

[thacarter546]

Ohh one other thing, I know kicker says that solo x will handle 5kw, but it wont! 3kw is pretty much pushing its limits. Unless you wanna change spairs all the time.

[kfx450r]

Ohh one other thing, I know kicker says that solo x will handle 5kw, but it wont! 3kw is pretty much pushing its limits. Unless you wanna change spairs all the time.

If this is the case. Which i never planned on putting 5k to it anyways. I think i'll start off smaller at first..as in only putting 1000-2000 watts to it..then when i get the time/cash ill upgrade the wattage another 1000 or so. Id rather take my time and do it right than do it all in a hurry and not have it come out how it should. So ill put 1500 or so to it at first..get a bigger alt and better main battery with some 4/0 cable. Then add another 1500 or so along with possibly a second alt and 2 more batteries. That should work out good, just might take some time.

And yes i play my music loud at idle alot so id like to be able to maintain my voltage at idle.

And its going in an extended cab colorado (mini truck). Should break things once its done

Edited June 9, 2009 by kfx450r