Wire gauge car audio wiring chart. To avoid problems and get the best sound determine the fuse ratings of your amplifiers and their distance from the battery and refer to the following chart to determine the proper power wire gauge. Thick wire 12 or 14 gauge is recommended for long wire runs high power applications and low impedance speakers 4 or 6 ohms. To avoid problems and get the best sound determine the fuse ratings of your amplifiers and their distance from the battery and refer to the following chart to determine the proper power wire gauge. Car audio power wire.
The 14 gauge wiring works for 50 amps at 5 feet 40 amps at 7 feet 30 amps at 10 feet 15 to 18 amps at 15 to 20 feet and 11 to 12 amps at 25 feet. For subwoofers and speakers you will find dual conductor carries and positive and negative polarity in the following sizes 10 12 14 16 18 and 22 gauges. For example if your amplifier is. Its cost effective and easy to work with.
Power wire is one of the most important parts of an amplifier installation. The smaller 16 gauge wire is very versatile working for 50 amps at 3 feet 30 to 40 amps at 5 feet 18 to 30 amps at 7 to 10 feet 8 to 12 amps at 15 to 20 feet and 8 to 10 amps at 25 feet. Wire gauge chart for car audio systems. Car audio wiring.
When wiring your car audio system using the proper gauge wire for an amplifier is critical. Although wire gauge sizes smaller than 10 gauge may be acceptable for the amount of current draw we recommend using 10 gauge as the smallest wire size for any amplifier of 100 watts or more. Car audio speaker and amplifier power wiring duration. The common sizes of wire found in car audio for amplifiers are 30 10 2 4 and 8 gauge these are considered power wire and are single conductor either positive or negative but not both.
For relatively short runs less than 50 feet to 8 ohm speakers 16 gauge wire will usually do just fine. Ahmed crutchfield recommends using 16 14 or 12 gauge speaker wires in all car audio applications so yes 12 gauge wire will be safe to use. The proper gauge should be used so that the amplifier is not choked off by the size limitations of the wire. Remember in the american wire gauge awg system the smaller the gauge the larger the wire.
The proper gauge is the second most important consideration next to fusing. The goal is to provide as much current to the amplifier as it could possibly need for optimal performance. Power ground and speaker wires what wire gauge should you use.