Electrical advice

[smashedz28 110]

I need some electrical upgrades for my 98 s10. But I dont want to get carried away.

So far all i have is some cheap soundquest 4ga wire ran from front battery to amp. Amp is just a little audiopipe 1500d, but as it is right now my bass knob is a dimmer for any light in my vehicle lol. there is no way im dishing out the money for a HO alt on this thing. I have room in the back for 1 battery. Curious as to how small of a battery I can get away with. Going kinetik because its what I like. Honestly i would like to add a little HC800 or something and call it a day, but I dont know.

My first step will be to upgrade my wires along with the big 3. question there is do you guys think I can get away with just going with some 4ga knu fleks? Or should i do the 1/0 fleks? basically im looking for the cheapest route to take in getting my voltage under control. The amp i have only accepts 4 gauge wire so even though i have a distribution block which i could take the 1/0 back to a 4 for the amp, is it necessary? Im unsure of the amps on the stock alternator but im going to assume its low. just some guidance would be appreciated.

[bassahaulic 155]

I would do 1/0 for big 3 just because, then a 4awg run to rear from the battery into amp.

[Ohjay 116]

why not run welding cable? it's cheaper and just as good

[Shogen 325]

Run ALL 0 awg wiring ... get from welding supply... and get either a HC800 which is physically tiny or a HC1200.... I have the HC800 waiting to be installed in the rear... haven't decided yet...

[smashedz28 110]

im going to go with knu for my wire, it hasnt let me down yet. same with kinetik. I stick with what works well for me and those 2 brands have done well. If i do any 1/0 ill probably do it all in 1/0 (except for the small run in 4ga to the amp). As far as a battery.. I know kinetik rates there batteries on watts. as in if im running 2000 watts then i need the HC2000, so the HC800 would be way under for my application according to kinetik. how accurate is that, anyone know? Im sure there is a big math formula out there to calculate this properly but i could probably never figure it out lol. Under the hood battery is just a duralast something or another. I could possibly go for the kinetik hc1400 but i would rather not lol. any other suggestions?

edit: i have heard alot of people using deka battery's, is this because of performance or price? If you guys want to help me with finding a cheaper alternative to kinetik i would be interested in checking that out, but would also like to be able to order online.

Edited February 15, 2011 by smashedz28

[Shogen 325]

I do Kinetik so I could only keep in you in that path... And yes they name them by wattage applicable... lol

[thor02 2]

I just installed a Deka under the hood and it works very well (replaced the stock). I am drawing approximately 120 amps from it and voltage drop is less than 1.5 volts at full tilt, with no other electrical upgrades besides the big 3. I can't compare it to other company's products, but i am impressed by the performance for the price!

[edouble101 314]

How is the amplifier ground?

I would start with the big 3 in 4 gauge. I would also get the starting battery checked out and upgrade if needed. Is the 13 year old alt good? You can also add another run of 4 gauge to the amplifier if you feel that you need to. With this amount of power a auxiliary battery shouldn't be needed IMO.

[smashedz28 110]

I believe the alt is fine. voltage stays up just fine when the system isnt on, never had any trouble with it or the stock duralast. thanks for the responses. Can deka be bought online anywhere? If so do you have a link?

[S.DeYoung 967]

Yeah I would all 0 gauge wiring. Your amp has 4 gauge inputs, so just use these. No need for a distribution block or any 4 gauge wiring

[smashedz28 110]

ok. not a bad idea either. pretty sure ive decided on 1/0 everywhere. a reducer would work good. didnt even think about those for some reason. I guess Ill place an order for a bunch of 1/0 today and start with that, i dont see just upgraded wiring and the big 3 solving my problem but Ill do it and see where Im at then. If need be ill buy another battery then.

[Kanaworm$ 292]

I believe the alt is fine. voltage stays up just fine when the system isnt on, never had any trouble with it or the stock duralast. thanks for the responses. Can deka be bought online anywhere? If so do you have a link?

How much space do you have for an extra battery. The Deka is a large battery if your going with the Group 31. Similar in size to the Kinetik HC2400.

As far as buying Deka online try Tri-State Battery as they ship for free. Or CarQuest the NGT Extreme line is a rebadged Deka Intimidator. O'Reilly Auto Parts has a rebadged Deka starting battery.

Sears DieHard has a Deka built AGM too just higher priced.

[smashedz28 110]

carquest..hmm i have a cousin that is manager at that store here. gets me employee pricing on all the parts ive ever needed. Im gonna have to go see him about a battery. As far as size for a battery im unsure. im going to remove the folding seat assembly and put it in there, not 100% on dimensions just yet, but unless i can get a group31 for cheap thats probably not size batt i would go.

[Kanaworm$ 292]

carquest..hmm i have a cousin that is manager at that store here. gets me employee pricing on all the parts ive ever needed. Im gonna have to go see him about a battery. As far as size for a battery im unsure. im going to remove the folding seat assembly and put it in there, not 100% on dimensions just yet, but unless i can get a group31 for cheap thats probably not size batt i would go.

The local CarQuest here gave me a great price on the dual terminal starting battery for up front. Actually matched O'Reilly's online price. Look into there small ATV batteries that are roughly 20ah in size.