Okay i've got an audiobahn a2300hct which runs at 2400 rms, plus i've got a 600w alpine 4-channel amp for my highs as well. Currently all i have to aid in power supply is a yellow top battery. I have 4-guage wire running from the batter back to the hatch. I was thinking about buying 0-guage and running that back to the distribution block in the hatch then 4 guage going from that to the amps, do you think 0-guage would be necessary and/or help me out? And how many feet would i need to buy? I cant go out and measure right now because my car's in the body shop. Any input is appreciated, tia.

lets do some math, lol:

assuming the amps are about 50% efficient, your total power draw (in watts) is around 6000 watts. 6000 watts/14 volts= 428 amps maximum draw. assuming a wire length of around 15-20 feet (and according to my trusty MECP study guide), you will need to run 4/0 guage wire.

back to reality:

0 guage is perfect for you application. theres no way you are going to draw 400+ amps at ANY point in you musical experience. the "suggested" wire guage is not recommended for safety reasons, only for an acceptable (next to no) voltage drop due to the resistance of the wire itself. just make sure you fuse the wire appropriately (that is THE most important thing, i CANNOT stress that enough!!!!!). i would fuse the 0ga. at no more than 200amps at the battery, and fuse each 4ga. at no more than 100 amps at the distrobution point.


edit: sorry, i got off on a tangent and totally forgot to answer your questions. yes, 0 guage will reduce the amount of wire resistance (causing the power to be transfered into heat over the course of the run). this will allow more voltage to tunnle to the amp,. and will increase power slightly. whether its audible or not is hard to say. you will need approximatly 18 feet if you run the wire through the grommet in the passengers side footwell and distribute it to the 4ga. right behind the backseat. side note: remember to upgrade your grounds at the same time!! the ground wire for each amp should be 2 guage (explination: when you "double up" wires, you can assume the totally wire equivilance to be minus 3 of the original connections, so for example: two 4ga. wires equivicates to a single 1ga. wire in voltage and current flow. a 0ga. wire requires two 3 guage ground wires . i rounded the number to 2ga. because you will have problems finding 3ga. wire, lol).

shit i ordered 16ft like an hour ago:rolleyes i'll have to see if i can get a little more. I might end up drilling a hole in the firewall on the drivers side though (been thinking about that for a while) because the battery is on that side and i wanna keep my power wire as short as possible. Now where am i going to find 2 gauge wire? all i ever see is 0,4, and 8 gauge. I have a 200amp circuit breaker off the battery and 2 100amp fuses in back right now so i guess i'm just good lol. thanks spl_eclipse that was a perfect answer to my question.

you *might* be OK w/ 16 feet. it will be close though. if you drill a hole through the firewall close to the battery you will have plenty of space though. upgrading the ground wires isnt REALLY necissary imediatly, but if you are pumping extra power through the amps, you may risk a problem of the the power seeking extra ground exits (namely through the signal wires). that can lead to some nasty noise. you are perfectly fine upgrading the power wire w/out upgrading the ground lines though, but if you notice any detrimental effects upgrade the grounds.