# Running a power wire today and i have a question....



## miniSQ (Aug 4, 2009)

I thought i would ask this in the forum where the people are really tuned into power from the battery, even though i am not doing a SPL system.

Heres the Deal:

2009 mini Cooper is the car and the batterry is tucked up under the firewall and there is a nice 4 gauge wire that runs into the vehicle on the other side.

Last year i had a professional installer tap into that 4 gauge wire inside the car with an 8guage tap.

well i now need to upgrade that 8 gauge wire to a 4 gauge wire at the suggestion of Arc Audio for installing my new KS300.4

See where i'm going with this? i would like to cut that 8ga wire inside the car and using an inline fuse run my 4 guage wire from there. 

Bottom line is this tap is about 12" from the positive terminal....so i would be in theory running 4 ga from the battery to the amp....except for about 3" of 8 gauge wire. 

This should be fine right? It would save me about 3 hours of work...and i know i would never notice the difference....right?

as long as its not unsafe or illegal or immoral...as my wife always says.


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## BKH (Jul 10, 2008)

I would run the 4 gauge all the way to the battery. It will be easier to do it now, rather than having to come back next weekend and fix it.......


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## 60ndown (Feb 8, 2007)

maybe run another 8 gauge? 

big wires are kind of overkill unless you plan to run things hard and loud all the time.

8 gauge takes a lot of juice unless its over long (20 feet) lengths.


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## miniSQ (Aug 4, 2009)

BKH said:


> I would run the 4 gauge all the way to the battery. It will be easier to do it now, rather than having to come back next weekend and fix it.......


I know what you are saying...(i'm hearing "butters" somewhere there)

I left about 5 ft of slack in the mix so that after i get everything else done i am trying to do this weekend it will be about a 2 hour project next weekend. 

i just knew that if i cracked one the battery compartment this weekend i would never get it all done in one shot.


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## miniSQ (Aug 4, 2009)

60ndown said:


> maybe run another 8 gauge?
> 
> big wires are kind of overkill unless you plan to run things hard and loud all the time.
> 
> 8 gauge takes a lot of juice unless its over long (20 feet) lengths.


I thought about that too...but i know eventually i will have time to finish the 4ga. And i only have one amp, plus a cleansweep...so i will run a small 2ft 16ga wire from the amp to the cleansweep.


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## miniSQ (Aug 4, 2009)

BKH said:


> I would run the 4 gauge all the way to the battery. It will be easier to do it now, rather than having to come back next weekend and fix it.......


Update: I finished up the 4ga to the battery and it was way easier than i thought. Some things in a Mini Cooper can be a real PIA...but going thru the firewall was not one of them

Thanks!!

Tim


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## BKH (Jul 10, 2008)

miniSQ said:


> Update: I finished up the 4ga to the battery and it was way easier than i thought. Some things in a Mini Cooper can be a real PIA...but going thru the firewall was not one of them
> 
> Thanks!!
> 
> Tim



Good deal! Glad it worked out.


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