Help with Installing Car Audio

[d16racer88]

ummm no sorry. BUT i have some pics of what i did along the way to get it fittin right

start with base (all straight sides)

then work on sides (measure with trunk closed to make sure it fits good) i didnt test at first and had to shave a section out of the middle so that the trunk could close properly

then id prob not mess with the plexiglass cause its tricky to get it to fit right. find out what volume box your sub works with best and then calculate the volume. dont forget about the actual box when planning on the size because the volume accounts for just the inside of the box, not the outside so remember to add 3/4 to each side as needed.

 

[B16Ferio]

www.crutchfield.com

Enough said.

Good luck!

 

[d16racer88]

meh doin your own research instead of relyin on crutchfield is better. use forums and just friends for knowledge and you learn more. onlinecarstereo.com is better btw. more choices and better prices imo

 

[justinfetalvero]

anyone got suggestions on car audio forum sites. i searched and theres a bunch.

 

[d16racer88]

http://www.diyaudio.com/
looks pretty legit. its setup like cc so id use it. lol

 

[d16racer88]

never mind try
http://forums.caraudiomag.com/index.html

 

[justinfetalvero]

ok thanks. ill check out both of em.

 

[rey rey]

head unit

http://www.installdr.com/

amp

http://www.caraudiohelp.com/how_to_install_a_car_amp/how_to_install_a_car_amp.htm

Sorry that's all i got..

 

[d16racer88]

head unit

http://www.installdr.com/

amp

http://www.caraudiohelp.com/how_to_install_a_car_amp/how_to_install_a_car_amp.htm

Sorry that's all i got..

them good. i think i tried using that amp one too but did somethin diff. idk but them r gud

 

[rey rey]

take your time. if you have any doubts stop what your doing and get conformation from someone that knows.

 

[justinfetalvero]

thanks for the links!

and like rey rey said thats what my plans are.

My girlfriends stepsisters husband installs car audio for a shop over here. I wanted to do it myself though. since im using all random parts i need some sentimental value to her present you know.

but if i really get stuck ill ask him. Hes more of a do it himself instead of teach.

 

[rey rey]

good luck.. keep us posted.

 

[lethal6]

great start with a budget system! 8ga is plenty for any system i think. im usin it for my 1000 watt chrunch amp at nothin wrong with it. 8" sub sound kinda puny since civic rear speakers are like 6x9. but since it free i guess that makes up for it. lol post some pics when done btw

He should be fine. You however are not. Your amp is drawing around 166 amps. If an amp pulls over 125 you need to be at 4 gauge wire, unless you are longer than 10 feet. In that case you should be at 2 gauge.

He is only pulling around 80 amps so as long as the wire is under 10-13 feet, he is fine with 8 gauge.

For the record, just because you are running it now with no problems doesn't make it correct. If you are using the wrong gauge wire for the amperage draw that your amp pulls, you are actually starving the amp (or choking) of the power that it needs. It may also cut out because of the voltage drops. In worse cases you could actually blow your amp from to many voltage drops and spikes.

It is a lot more technical than that, but I hope you get the idea. I also guessed low on the numbers as I don't know either of your max watts or how many channels.

 

[NFR_AP2]

for the speakers...they make speaker harnesses so you dont have to cut the plugs off....easier imo

 

[d16racer88]

He should be fine. You however are not. Your amp is drawing around 166 amps. If an amp pulls over 125 you need to be at 4 gauge wire, unless you are longer than 10 feet. In that case you should be at 2 gauge.

He is only pulling around 80 amps so as long as the wire is under 10-13 feet, he is fine with 8 gauge.

For the record, just because you are running it now with no problems doesn't make it correct. If you are using the wrong gauge wire for the amperage draw that your amp pulls, you are actually starving the amp (or choking) of the power that it needs. It may also cut out because of the voltage drops. In worse cases you could actually blow your amp from to many voltage drops and spikes.

It is a lot more technical than that, but I hope you get the idea. I also guessed low on the numbers as I don't know either of your max watts or how many channels.

well yeah thats the technical stuff but im sayin whats worked for me for 2 YEARS. btw where can you get the speaker harnesses?

 

[eggyhustles]

well yeah thats the technical stuff but im sayin whats worked for me for 2 YEARS. btw where can you get the speaker harnesses?

or so u think...

 

[lethal6]

well yeah thats the technical stuff but im sayin whats worked for me for 2 YEARS. btw where can you get the speaker harnesses?

or so u think...

Eggy is right.

Like I said, just because it has worked doesn't mean that it is correct. It is your money, do what you want, but what I am saying by a scientific stand point and one that seems to have been proven you might want to do it right. It's putting unneeded stress on the amp and is a very easy fix. Back when I started installing stereos 15 years ago I used to use 10 and 8 gauge wire all the time. Didn't think anything of it. That was before it was found out to hurt amps when you use too low of wire gauge. Now it is common knowledge among installers.

Think of it like a big 3 upgrade. Say you have lights that dim when the bass hits. If you upgrade the big 3 to a bigger wire gauge, you will fix the problem and at the same time your lights may perk up. It is the same concept with the amp. It is being starved by not having the right size wire.

I have 8 gauge in mine, but I am only running 500 watts and one sub. I would have went with 4 gauge in case I ever wanted to upgrade, but the shop was out at the time and I didn't want to have the carpet torn out any longer.

 

[eggyhustles]

Reading op's post

i honestly think you should ditch the sub idea..spending the money on wiring and misc things to hook it up isn't even worth it to be honest..

instead use that money to amp the interior speakers instead of running them off hu power

 

[d16racer88]

Eggy is right.

Like I said, just because it has worked doesn't mean that it is correct. It is your money, do what you want, but what I am saying by a scientific stand point and one that seems to have been proven you might want to do it right. It's putting unneeded stress on the amp and is a very easy fix. Back when I started installing stereos 15 years ago I used to use 10 and 8 gauge wire all the time. Didn't think anything of it. That was before it was found out to hurt amps when you use too low of wire gauge. Now it is common knowledge among installers.

Think of it like a big 3 upgrade. Say you have lights that dim when the bass hits. If you upgrade the big 3 to a bigger wire gauge, you will fix the problem and at the same time your lights may perk up. It is the same concept with the amp. It is being starved by not having the right size wire.

I have 8 gauge in mine, but I am only running 500 watts and one sub. I would have went with 4 gauge in case I ever wanted to upgrade, but the shop was out at the time and I didn't want to have the carpet torn out any longer.

eh whatev. now that im runnin 1600 watts for two amps im upgrading to 0 ga and got a decent deal of $3 per foot with a splitter.

Hey OP hows the install going????

 

[eggyhustles]

http://www.cableyard.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=21&products_id=32

2.50 per foot