I am going to put an old clarion 4 X 50 watt in my car.

 

1. What guage wire to use for the battery and ground wires.?

 

2. Do you hook the battery wire up directly to the battery, or do you find an existing hot wire?

 

3. What guage speaker wire is adequate?

i usually use 8 gauge wire for the power and the ground for lower watt systems and i run the power directly to the battery . put a inline fuse on the power wire within a foot or so of the battery. if you wondering what sized wire to run the speakers of off im pretty sure you wont find a huge difference no matter what size. i always use 12 gauge speaker wire but since thats not that power full of a amp it wont matter much. make sure when you run the wires inside the car to run the power down one side and th RCA cables and remote wire down the other.

i usually use 8 gauge wire for the power and the ground for lower watt systems and i run the power directly to the battery . put a inline fuse on the power wire within a foot or so of the battery. if you wondering what sized wire to run the speakers of off im pretty sure you wont find a huge difference no matter what size. i always use 12 gauge speaker wire but since thats not that power full of a amp it wont matter much. make sure when you run the wires inside the car to run the power down one side and th RCA cables and remote wire down the other.

 

 

Thanks for the response. Do you run the wires down opposite sides to avoid getting a buzz?

How many amps will your amp draw?   Then we can size the proper wire and fuse.  Fuse is important.  

I remember putting a 30 amp fuse in my big fat hot wire back in high school.   Don't remember the gauge... probably 6.

Then my little brother shorted the wire out (at the fuse junction) with an empty beer can.  Guess why?

How can i figure out Amp draw? It's a clarion A2000, also may go by EE-1009-AA, It was made in 1993 and I don't have a manual and can not find it on-line.

one thing to consider, is how much power our stock alternators make..not alot. you can power it but your head lights light dim with the beat.

For a 1,000 watt sony xplod amp I installed I used 2 gauge wire for the hot and the ground. I used 10 gauge speaker wire. Run the power on the opposite side of the car than any other wires. 60 amp fuse at the battery.

For the alternator, look up the Maxima alternator upgrade... 90amp unit over the 50/55 amp one that comes stock in these cars

Two people have said run the power down opposite sides of the car. Is this so there is no buzz? Also does anybody know how I can determine amperage draw? Assuming I can't determine this, I will get the thickest wire i can find (2 gage?) for the ground and power, And what should I put in for a fuse? Again it is a 4 X 50 watt amp. Thanks.

Not for that small of an amp.. Honestly for a 200 watt RMS amp I would be surprised if it drew more than 30 amps at full throttle using 10 awg.  If you are going to run more or bigger amps in the future I suggest using a 4 awg amp kit.. Bigger wire = less amp draw on the electrical system.  Something else you might consider is the " big 3 " wiring upgrade it will help minimize your light dimming which would be almost non existent with your amp anyway.  I have done all this in my brat pushing somewhere around 600 watts continuous at one point and never had dimming issues.

 

  Anyway back on topic  I do try to use the bigger is better method with car stereo wiring.. Not overkill by any means so maybe 8 awg would work if you are not going to upgrade later.  As for speaker wire I never use less than 12 AWG but beware the 12 gauge stuff at many stores is more like 14 .. Shop around a bit amazon, partsexpress or a car audio shop local to you.

 

 Running your power wires I run them down the same side as the battery under the carpet and down the trim.  RCAs and speaker wire down the opposite side.  The important thing for humm or alt whine is to make sure your grounds are good.. From the deck and also with the amp.. That is where 75% of noise is introduced.  Fusing your amp as long as your using appropriate power wire 200 watts divided by 13 volts ( car running) = 15.4 amps if my equation is right so you should be able to run a 25 amp fuse.  

 

 For more info try this http://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp~TID~73496~PN~1

Suckerking, do you still have the parts for sale that we were talkin about?