The Big 3 Car Audio Wiring Upgrade

The "Big 3" is a actual simple mod to your car's electrical arrangement that will advice it advance college voltages for added ability athirst amplifiers. If you've anytime abstinent your voltage bead if arena music with the aggregate to the max with your engine running, you'll see that instead of account 14.4v or 13.8 (depending on car), your voltmeter will apprehend 13v, 12v, or even lower! You can calmly acquaint if you're experiencing these voltage drops by watching your headlights. If they dim while arena your system, you a lot of absolutely accept voltage bead traveling on. This voltage bead could potentially could cause abuse to your amp if it is cogent enough. I had a Treo SSX 1500.1 draft because I was absolution my voltage bead to about 9-10v, which the amp didn't like actual much.
What causes this botheration are the stock, baby barometer affairs acclimated to affix assorted electrical components. The banal wire is usually 8 gauge, which is acceptable abundant for almost 50 amps. Ample amplifiers can cull up and over 200-300amps, so now you see the problem.
When accomplishing this mod, 3 runs of wire will charge to be installed. They are:
Array absolute (+) to alternator - From the absolute terminal on your array to the alternator absolute (+) post
Engine block to anatomy arena - From engine block to chasis. This is to strengthen the ground.
Array arena (-) to anatomy arena - From the abrogating terminal on your array to your car's chassis.
I acclaim application 1/0 barometer wire. You could use 4 barometer wire if that's all you accept laying around, but you ability as able-bodied use 1/0 the aboriginal time so you will not accept to go aback if you adjudge to advancement your arrangement after on down the road. The wire I acclimated was Knu Konceptz 1/0 Kollosus Kable You will aswell charge 1/0 ring terminals to abolish the ends of the wire.
Before you do anything, accomplish abiding to be safe. Abstract the wire from the abrogating terminal of your array afore you begin. This makes an abridged ambit and keeps you safe from comestible electrical injuries.
First, admeasurement a breadth of wire to go from your array absolute (+) terminal to your alternator. Accomplish abiding to leave a little bit of slack, about 6 inches, so you'll be able to position the cable freely. Abolish the ends of the cable with ring terminals, again affix the wire from array absolute (+) terminal to your alternator. There may be a artificial tab on the alternator post. If there is, go advanced and breach it off; it's what I had to do. If you don't abolish the artificial tab, you will not be able to abolish the nut off of the terminal post.
Adding a agglutinate to go in amid the array absolute (+) and the alternator is awful recommended, but not necessary. There is a baby adventitious that the wire will appear lose and abbreviate out, but it's a adventitious some humans do not wish to take. On the contrary, I accept had no problems in the 2 years I've had the big 3 installed while active an unfused wire.
The next footfall is to run a wire from your engine block to your car's chassis. This footfall may be difficult because you may accept a harder time award a abode on the engine block to attach your wire. Look for a non-essential bolt; do not use a bolt that holds fluids back.
From there, you again charge to attach the added end of the wire to your anatomy arena location. This arena can be anywhere on your car's chassis/frame, but accomplish abiding that you accept metal-to-metal acquaintance with the terminal and your arena location. A acceptable alpha is to chase your banal arena wire aback to its accomplishments location. If there is acrylic on the arena area you accept chosen, you accept to beach it off until it is bald metal to ensure basal electrical resistance.
Lastly, the final footfall is to run a wire from your battery's arena (-) terminal to the arena area on the chassis. Admeasurement the wire and be abiding to leave a little baggy in case you charge it. Again abolish the ends with ring terminals and attach one end to the abrogating terminal and the added to your accomplishments area on your anatomy (as apparent above).
Once you accept fabricated the new, beefier array ground, you can cut off, disconnect, do whatever you wish to the banal arena wire because it is not bare anymore. If you anticipate you're finished, go advanced and bifold analysis all of your access authoritative abiding that they are close and tight.
That's it! The "Big 3" is now finished. You should apprehension a aberration in voltage if arena your arrangement at max volume. Afore I did this upgrade, my voltage was at about 10v beneath abundant load. After accomplishing the "Big 3" upgrade, my voltage beneath abundant amount was counterbalanced at about 11v. Quite a ample aberration for how abundant you spent on the wire and terminals. That's why the "Big 3" is advised the aboriginal electrical advancement you should do to ensure constant ability to your amplifiers.