# How should I run 1/0 gauge wire to trunk?



## Caddylac

I recently purchased the best wire money can buy, just trying to figure out how to run it, Thanks :biggrin:


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## JUICEDEXPL

i like to run it under the vehicle or through the frame if i can...just make sure that you shield the wire from the elements properly, using metal conduit, and/or heater hose.


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## S10laynframe

> _Originally posted by 91lacin_@Jul 16 2006, 06:18 PM~5784528
> *I recently purchased the best wire money can buy, just trying to figure out how to run it, Thanks :biggrin:
> *



The most sensible is through the firewall and along the floorboard, or there are other means...

I wouldnt reccomend the frame, it becomes too vulnerable then.


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## JUICEDEXPL

0g wire is not always easy to run along the floorboard, because it is so large...


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## Caddylac

yeah the wire is huge, going to start tearing out the old shit when the sun starts going down, the old shit was boss audio 4 gauge, do you guys think if i run that to the alternator and the grounds it will be cool, or should i run all stinger, thanks


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## Crazy T 71 Monte

Definetly run it in the car on the floor board. Did it in my cutty and didnt even notice it with the carpet down. What kind of vehicle are you workin with?


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## 1ofaknd

i've got two runs of 1/0 running down my drivers side sill panel...you shouldn't have any problems


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## *1LOWSUV*

My Partners 2/0 under his bagged Honda.


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## S10laynframe

> _Originally posted by *1LOWSUV*_@Jul 17 2006, 08:43 PM~5791526
> *My Partners 2/0 under his bagged Honda.
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Clean install but IMO it looks tacky


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## Caddylac

:thumbsup: That looks cool under the car, but maybe I will just run it inside the door sill. The type of car it is going on is a 1991 cadillac brougham. The system I got so far is an eclipse 8445, a zapco 360/4, 2 sets of jl audio xr mids, a zapco 750.2, and two jl audio w7 12's. Trying to find another zapco 750.2 so I can run each one separatly bridged. And that's about it. :biggrin:


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## draarong2004

quick q, which is larger, 0 awg or 1/0...i forgot...LOL

but when i do run that 25 foot spool of 1/0 sitting in my garage, its gonna go right where my 2 awg is, thats just how much room is really down in my door jam.....its crazy


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## Caddylac

:dunno:


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## JUICEDEXPL

What it comes down to is, how much room you have under the carpet. I mean, if you have a honda civic, it will look like you have a snake underneath your carpet. But if you have a caddy, chances are that you will be able to fit it down there fine. Either way, if you run it underneath the car, make sure you shield the wire. The install up there looks clean, but i would have definately picked up some heater hose for like 5 bucks and wrapped it around the wire before i mounted it.


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## Pitbullx

if you are going to run power wire outside of the car make sure it is fused, away from moving components, exhaust pipes, and secured to the vehicle every few inches.... electrical conduit is what I use.....


but in most cases its easy to run the wire inside the car along the door sill or transmission hump and its not noticable, just take your time and tape it down


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## ALOW1

> _Originally posted by Pitbullx_@Jul 18 2006, 08:47 AM~5794081
> *if you are going to run power wire outside of the car make sure it is fused,
> *


If your going to run any power wire at all, make sure it is fused, inside or out it must have a fuse.


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## bmcustomaudio

under the carpet is the way to go, it wont be to noticable, and you wont have to worry about the elements, my .02


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## draarong2004

> _Originally posted by bmcustomaudio_@Jul 18 2006, 03:32 PM~5796857
> *under the carpet is the way to go, it wont be to noticable, and you wont have to worry about the elements, my .02
> *


have you ever seen 1/0....its kinda thick, idk bout you people, but 1/0 will never fit under my vynil flooring.......so wtf?


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## bmcustomaudio

> _Originally posted by draarong2004_@Jul 18 2006, 05:46 PM~5797476
> *have you ever seen 1/0....its kinda thick, idk bout you people, but 1/0 will never fit under my vynil flooring.......so wtf?
> *


have i ever seen it, its what i have running in my truck, vinyl flooring, thats the problem


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## Pitbullx

> _Originally posted by S10laynframe+Jul 17 2006, 11:01 PM~5791658-->
> 
> 
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> Clean install but IMO it looks tacky
> [/b]
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> you have no idea........
> you should dream that your best install looks half as good as one of my nigg Steves worst....
> 
> <!--QuoteBegin-ALOW1_@Jul 18 2006, 02:15 PM~5795817
> *If your going to run any power wire at all, make sure it is fused, inside or out it must have a fuse.
> *


fuses eat db's :angry: :angry:


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## Caddylac

My fuse is 300 amp so i am good on db's :biggrin: Cant wait to get all my shit hooked up!


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## JUICEDEXPL

Damn 300 amp fuse, what amps you running?


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## Caddylac

2 Zapco 750.2's, 1 Zapco ag 360 :biggrin:


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## draarong2004

> _Originally posted by bmcustomaudio_@Jul 18 2006, 08:32 PM~5798963
> *have i ever seen it, its what i have running in my truck, vinyl flooring, thats the problem
> *


ok? my flooring has a 1" cushion under it, ford didn't skimp out on it like most trucks, theres at least padding under it, but still even if i notched that out the 1/0 i have would stick out.....


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## *1LOWSUV*

Some more of SteveMeade Designs



















(Yeah Thats Chicken's Escalade)


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## bmcustomaudio

> _Originally posted by draarong2004_@Jul 19 2006, 10:08 PM~5805957
> *ok? my flooring has a 1" cushion under it, ford didn't skimp out on it like most trucks, theres at least padding under it, but still even if i notched that out the 1/0 i have would stick out.....
> *


it shouldnt stick out too much if theres a 1" cushon under it but idk


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## draarong2004

> _Originally posted by bmcustomaudio_@Jul 20 2006, 02:54 PM~5810887
> *it shouldnt stick out too much if theres a 1" cushon under it but idk
> *


heh, ok so its only 1/2" but still, its not like its laying on the metal, but it'd still stick out, i'll stick with in my door jam, where i can fit 2 runs of 1/0 if i really wanted to


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## bmcustomaudio

> _Originally posted by draarong2004_@Jul 20 2006, 05:42 PM~5811729
> *heh, ok so its only 1/2" but still, its not like its laying on the metal, but it'd still stick out, i'll stick with in my door jam, where i can fit 2 runs of 1/0 if i really wanted to
> *


right on, yeah in my truck the floor is lower in certain areas so i just ran it where it was lower and it worked out allright, 1/0 is huge though


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## Caddylac

DID YOU GUYS USE 4 GAUGE WIRE TO POWER AND GROUND THE ALTERNATOR ALSO OR WHAT DID YOU USE IF NOT 4 GAUGE WIRE? THATS MY NEXT STEP. :biggrin:


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## draarong2004

i used leftover 2 awg, and i'll be using even more of it when i run the 1/0 in its place, i plan to have a couple of specific grounds....
battery to frame, battery to alternator braket, and alternator bracket to frame(already in place), plust another ground on the other side of the engine to the frame.
i plan on starting off with 1 run of 2 awg from the alt to the battery, if i upgrade to a larger alt though, i'll use up the rest of the wiring i have and run 2 or 3 runs of 2 awg to the battery if necissary......other than that, no i'm not crazy


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## 1ofaknd

> _Originally posted by draarong2004_@Jul 21 2006, 01:06 AM~5814424
> *i used leftover 2 awg, and i'll be using even more of it when i run the 1/0 in its place, i plan to have a couple of specific grounds....
> battery to frame, battery to alternator braket, and alternator bracket to frame(already in place), plust another ground on the other side of the engine to the frame.
> i plan on starting off with 1 run of 2 awg from the alt to the battery, if i upgrade to a larger alt though, i'll use up the rest of the wiring i have and run 2 or 3 runs of 2 awg to the battery if necissary......other than that, no i'm not crazy
> *


battery to alternator bracket? wtf for?

and if your doing alt to chassis...there is no point in doing engine block to chassis. IT'S THE SAME THING.


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## Scorpion

so far i have had 3 vehicles with 0 guage, and all were through the firewall and under the carpet, no problems.


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## Caddylac

Today i finnally hooked it all up it sounds bad ass, tommorrow i am going to put an extra set of mids, then start dynamatting the whole trunk :biggrin:


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## junbug27

pics??


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## draarong2004

> _Originally posted by 1ofaknd_@Jul 22 2006, 09:12 AM~5821337
> *battery to alternator bracket? wtf for?
> 
> and if your doing alt to chassis...there is no point in doing engine block to chassis. IT'S THE SAME THING.
> *


idk, better ground between the battery and alt?


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## 1ofaknd

> _Originally posted by draarong2004_@Jul 23 2006, 08:40 AM~5826046
> *idk, better ground between the battery and alt?
> *


if you say so :ugh:


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## draarong2004

> _Originally posted by 1ofaknd_@Jul 23 2006, 09:47 AM~5826363
> *if you say so  :ugh:
> *


well how do you think the battery keeps a better charge? idk the less resistance the better in any aspect that you look at it.


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## 1ofaknd

> _Originally posted by draarong2004_@Jul 23 2006, 12:28 PM~5826715
> *well how do you think the battery keeps a better charge? idk the less resistance the better in any aspect that you look at it.
> *


upgrading the battery ground and the alt ground is fine. no need to put two grounds on the alternator and only one on the battery.


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## Caddylac

:biggrin: So you just ground on the bar on the back of the alternator that goes to the exhaust manifold? That looks like the easiest place to on my car, I am thinking of putting it there then buying a Jl ground lug and drilling that to the frame


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## draarong2004

> _Originally posted by 1ofaknd_@Jul 23 2006, 01:12 PM~5827142
> *upgrading the battery ground and the alt ground is fine. no need to put two grounds on the alternator and only one on the battery.
> *


well no, because essentially, the ground from the battery to alt is just to keep a better charge, alt to frame is for more power hungry devices and puts less strain on the battery(i.e. the engine itself, air/heat, and headlights) things that the alt will barely run at idle as is with a stock system while supplying a "trickle" charge to the battery.


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## Caddylac

:biggrin: This is the car my system is currently being installed in, its in the stereo shop right now getting the kick panels fabricated for some 6.5's jl Audio Xrs :biggrin: Will post up pics of the whole system after I get it back


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## 1ofaknd

> _Originally posted by draarong2004_@Jul 23 2006, 09:13 PM~5829140
> *well no, because essentially, the ground from the battery to alt is just to keep a better charge, alt to frame is for more power hungry devices and puts less strain on the battery(i.e. the engine itself, air/heat, and headlights) things that the alt will barely run at idle as is with a stock system while supplying a "trickle" charge to the battery.
> *


electrically..it's pretty much the same. but you might gain a few db's by imagining it's not, lol


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## draarong2004

> _Originally posted by 1ofaknd_@Jul 29 2006, 08:03 PM~5866127
> *electrically..it's pretty much the same. but you might gain a few db's by imagining it's not, lol
> *


i guess? forgive me for wanting to get rid of some extra wire and possibly put it to good use?


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## 1ofaknd

> _Originally posted by draarong2004_@Jul 29 2006, 09:34 PM~5866237
> *i guess? forgive me for wanting to get rid of some extra wire and possibly put it to good use?
> *


you are forgiven. don't do it again though


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## draarong2004

> _Originally posted by 1ofaknd_@Jul 29 2006, 08:53 PM~5866324
> *you are forgiven. don't do it again though
> *


...ok.....

maybe i'll re run the 2 awg back through my truck, and use that as a direct run to the ground on my amp to my battery?


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## KERRBSS

i ran mine thru the frame of my 96 impala, back in the day.....


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## Sporty

i figure if your gonna run it under the car, what's wrong with atleast using some wire loom to protect it, or some PVC pipe... that doesnt mess with the traveling of the electrons or anything...and its cheap...


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## draarong2004

> _Originally posted by Sporty_@Aug 3 2006, 09:27 PM~5899768
> *i figure if your gonna run it under the car, what's wrong with atleast using some wire loom to protect it, or some PVC pipe... that doesnt mess with the traveling of the electrons or anything...and its cheap...
> *


the recomended method for a daily driver is in conduit for maximum protection......


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## JUICEDEXPL

ahh conduit if there isnt a lip in the frame rails maybe, but heater hose is cheaper, easier to work with and will do the same.


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## draarong2004

> _Originally posted by JUICEDEXPL_@Aug 4 2006, 03:23 PM~5903856
> *ahh conduit if there isnt a lip in the frame rails maybe, but heater hose is cheaper, easier to work with and will do the same.
> *


very true, but i'll stick with something solid and have my fun fishing the wire through the pipe, although i'd rather have something stiff that doesn't move than something i have to double fight


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## Sporty

your not talking about a metal conduit right? running a power wire longer then 5ft or so in a metal conduit is a no-no... i learned why that was in physics but of course, i forgot, i just remember "metal tunnel + power wire = wont work"

something about reversing the direction of electrons, or slowing them down or something like that...


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## draarong2004

um.....yea, if you have more than a 5 foot run, you did something wrong, its really just to get past the front seats and come out under the rear seats, but thats a new one on wire "electrons" being messed with.

ESPECIALLY SINCE ITS CODE IN MOST NEIGHBORHOODS TO HAVE ELECTRIC LINES IN METAL CONDUIT

so either you weren't paying attention, or trying to start a meaningless arguement


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## 1ofaknd

> _Originally posted by draarong2004_@Aug 5 2006, 12:23 AM~5906150
> *um.....yea, if you have more than a 5 foot run, you did something wrong, its really just to get past the front seats and come out under the rear seats, but thats a new one on wire "electrons" being messed with.
> 
> ESPECIALLY SINCE ITS CODE IN MOST NEIGHBORHOODS TO HAVE ELECTRIC LINES IN METAL CONDUIT
> 
> so either you weren't paying attention, or trying to start a meaningless arguement
> *


there you go again, comparing 110AC houses to a 12vDC car environment. what works in a house...isn't gonna apply to a car.


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## draarong2004

> _Originally posted by 1ofaknd_@Aug 5 2006, 07:24 AM~5907243
> *there you go again, comparing 110AC houses to a 12vDC car environment. what works in a house...isn't gonna apply to a car.
> *


electrons are electrons are they not?


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## draarong2004

tell you what, either one of you find an article or a book page that specifically says running direct current wire through a metal tube will "mess" with the flow of electrons.


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## 1ofaknd

> _Originally posted by draarong2004_@Aug 5 2006, 01:12 PM~5908106
> *electrons are electrons are they not?
> *


AC and DC work differently. you can't run several hundred amps of current through a 12 awg wire in your car...like you do in your house wiring. 

damn that sure does sound familiar..haven't we discussed that one already?


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## draarong2004

> _Originally posted by 1ofaknd_@Aug 5 2006, 01:06 PM~5908280
> *AC and DC work differently. you can't run several hundred amps of current through a 12 awg wire in your car...like you do in your house wiring.
> 
> damn that sure does sound familiar..haven't we discussed that one already?
> *


were not talking about how much power you can run through a wire, were talking about an insulated wire being "messed" with just from running it through metal conduit piping.


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## 1ofaknd

> _Originally posted by draarong2004_@Aug 5 2006, 02:54 PM~5908407
> *were not talking about how much power you can run through a wire, were talking about an insulated wire being "messed" with just from running it through metal conduit piping.
> *


and *I'M *talking about you comparing a house to a car all the damn time.


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## draarong2004

> _Originally posted by 1ofaknd_@Aug 5 2006, 02:12 PM~5908461
> *and I'M talking about you comparing a house to a car all the damn time.
> *


reguardless, prove the point already on wiring being ran through a pipe, or can you?


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## Foompla

this thread makes me wish i remembered ohms laws.


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## 1ofaknd

> _Originally posted by draarong2004_@Aug 6 2006, 09:07 AM~5911568
> *reguardless, prove the point already on wiring being ran through a pipe, or can you?
> *


i wasn't the one that brought it up. run it through your ass for all i care. :uh:


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## Sporty

> _Originally posted by draarong2004_@Aug 5 2006, 01:12 PM~5908106
> *electrons are electrons are they not?
> *


electrons travel, remember protons have more mass then electrons?.... i'm sure you know that if you take a copper spool and put a charge on it, you can form a magnet (something to do with the travel), its been a while since i took physics II for engineers but i remember that depending on volt/amp, you cant run a power wire through a metal conduit given a certain footage... something about the forces acting on the traveling electrons, reverse polarity, something of the sort....

i do know that metal conduits are used in electric (reason for them to begin with), so i might be wrong aaron, but why not just go with the plastic conduit just incase im not? same job is accomplished, wire protection...


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## draarong2004

> _Originally posted by Sporty_@Aug 6 2006, 08:48 AM~5911661
> *electrons travel, remember protons have more mass then electrons?.... i'm sure you know that if you take a copper spool and put a charge on it, you can form a magnet (something to do with the travel), its been a while since i took physics II for engineers but i remember that depending on volt/amp, you cant run a power wire through a metal conduit given a certain footage... something about the forces acting on the traveling electrons, reverse polarity, something of the sort....
> 
> i do know that metal conduits are used in electric (reason for them to begin with), so i might be wrong aaron, but why not just go with the plastic conduit just incase im not? same job is accomplished, wire protection...
> *


true, but the only problem is if your running a large enough system through that wire, wouldn't the heat eventually weaken and damage the plastic? i do pay attention where i work and i know that over time, any material that is heated to a "said" temperature would become brittle and eventually crack and fall to pieces.....

on the theory with conduit though, if you ran say 1/0 through a 2" piece of conduit, i don't think there'd be a problem. now running it through a piece just large enough could cause problems, as there'd be no air flow around it. I'd also recomend drilling holes into the conduit for ventelation, its really there to protect it from rocks and debris, but the elements will NOT damage the wire....lol, as it is used normally unprotected under the hood and it is a standard pvc based covering over the wire...most wires that is.

in an instance like mine though, said i run it under the truck, my run of conduit would only be about 3-4 feet long, if that to reach the back of the cab, maybe 5 feet should i ever do a system in the bed and run the wire inside the bed from there to a second or even 3rd battery out back.....very large batteries might i add....


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