So after asking many questions and buying everything that I need according to people on this forum I have an issue. I have 1 15"bl in my truck with a fosgate 1000bd. Everyone on here has told me I need another cell 0 guage wire, and to do the big 3. Every stereo shop that I went to here says that 0 guage is over doing it. They also say I will be fine with 1 yellowtop and that running 0 guage from the battery is pointless cause the current wire on it is way better than 0 guage is. They say 4 guage is plenty and all I need to do is run the 0 guage from the battery to the amp. Nothing else. They actually said that my 4 guage is fine. So what do I do??? Is it really necessary to do the nig 3 and have 0 guage???

I am dropping to 12 volts when knocking.... If that helps?? Please help

Stop listening to those shops...

Well they do it for a living so I would think that they know what they are talking about... Not saying your wrong I just have no clue and I wanna do it right. I already have everything just need to put it in. Just got my fuse holders today

Wow, that is weird. I agree with Jim J, I would do it anyway....also kinda weird they are turning away some business with some work that wouldnt even be all that difficult to do in the first place.....

In doing that its just gonna charge the system better not make the sub bang more right??

You left out a crucial part to this story. How long is your main power wire ?

I'd say 14-18ft not exactly sure

Technically they are correct if you are running just the bd1000. The big three sometimes will help steady your voltage. But overkill is good sometimes

Technically they are correct if you are running just the bd1000. The big three sometimes will help steady your voltage. But overkill is good sometimes

I'm a big fan of over-kill...

however in your case 4 gauge is fine... even from the extra batt to the amp, the run of wire will be so short it won't really make a difference with the amperage you'll be pulling.

Still do the "big 3"..... it does make a difference in your voltage... i normally see a .2 or .3 volt change in the rear of the vehicle. you can never have too much power

Normally I do the big 3 in 4 gauge... easier to work with, cheaper and does the job...

Yea but I dont wanna do an extra battery... Can't I just run a yellowtop??

And I already bought the 0 guage which sucks

well I'm anti-yellow top..... for my own reasons

With that size of an amp I have to reccomend you run atleast another small battery in the back... even something like a kinetik 800c...

otherwise you can count on replacing your alt in the near future..

Still do the "big 3"..... it does make a difference in your voltage... i normally see a .2 or .3 volt change in the rear of the vehicle. you can never have too much power

Normally I do the big 3 in 4 gauge... easier to work with, cheaper and does the job...

I have to leave the disclaimer of "sometimes" in for the big three. In my personal vehicle it didn't do squat. Yet others I have done it for it has helped.

If you already bought the 1/0awg, you may as well use it. I'm sure you'll want to upgrade in the future.

Moving to the electrical forum.

if you want to know for sure do you own calculations using ohms law.

volts x amps = watts

so say you are running 1000watts and your voltage is at 12.6 volts, your going to have about 79 1/2 amps running through that wire. 15 feet of 2 gauge wire can only handle anywhere from 65-85 amps before becomming dangerous (so already you know that shop is full of crap). no lets say somehow your voltage dropped to 11.4 volts, that means about 88 amps will be running through that wire. so basically it's better to spend an extra 20$ on wire than risk your car catching on fire or blowing your soundsystem.

ps:i'm very tired so my calculations may be way off, but you get the point.

if you want to know for sure do you own calculations using ohms law.

volts x amps = watts

so say you are running 1000watts and your voltage is at 12.6 volts, your going to have about 79 1/2 amps running through that wire. 15 feet of 2 gauge wire can only handle anywhere from 65-85 amps before becomming dangerous (so already you know that shop is full of crap). no lets say somehow your voltage dropped to 11.4 volts, that means about 88 amps will be running through that wire. so basically it's better to spend an extra 20$ on wire than risk your car catching on fire or blowing your soundsystem.

ps:i'm very tired so my calculations may be way off, but you get the point.

I wouldn't quite be that conservative, a 15 foot run of 2awg will pass more than 100A without any issues

The most important factor is fusing the wire based on the wire's ampere rating. If you use wire that is rated at 100A and you fuse it with a 200A fuse and have a 180A draw, you will surely burn your ride. If you have that same setup with a 100A fuse, the fuse blows before the wire catches fire and your ride is fine.

Running 1/0 wire is fine. If you already have it in there, by all means use it. Sounds like they were trying to get you to SPEND money, not save it. If anything, I would suggest another 1/0 run for the ground as well. I know some ppl would argue this suggestion, but all the welds in a car today slow your ground. DC is a big loop and if one side (+ vs -) has more resistance, you will have issues.

I also agree with rushnrun that a single yellow top will not be enough here. You will see voltage drops for sure. It may hold up for a quick burp, but it is not designed to handle music play for extended times. You need a higher AH battery in back to help it out. The Kinetik HC1200 would be the best fit for this install. It can handle 1200W RMS and will keep your voltages up, no question.