# First amp install in my 2016 Hyundai Tucson Limited. Some questions. Want to make sure I'm on the right track.



## mschwol (Apr 9, 2019)

So my 2016 Hyundai Tucson Limited has a subwoofer in the rear. I'm looking to add my S1-1250 and Fi Xv3 to my vehicle. I've read the factory amp in my vehicle is integral to certain audible safety warnings and navigation features, so I think the plan is to install my Lc2i and amp "after" that amp and just disregard the factory sub. Is it a common thing to add a loc+amp after factory amps like this? I think the factory amp is 40w (rms or max, I don't know), but the Lc2i can accept up to 400w per channel from a source. I've attached some photos and *link* from Hyundai-Forums from a user who seems to have done just that with a different loc. Pardon if some of these are really basic questions. Trust I've been doing as much research as possible to ensure I don't go up in flames while driving. Do I just use a *ring terminal* for my 12v power for the loc onto the battery positive, above/below the 1/0ga amp power cable? Can I just use a hand crimper for this? Best way to ensure a safe connection? For the Lc2i, the preferred wire gauge for the connection is a 18 AWG, and a 1A fuse is recommended. *Does this work?* I'm sure there might be better solutions. Any suggestions for that in line fuse? Assume I'd keep a very short distance to the battery like I do for the amp cable? Is it silly to use an *"Add a Fuse"* for my remote turn-on? If I have any empty fuse spots, this seems like an easy option. Though I saw the military splice posted online and it seems easy. I know the Lc2i has a GTO function which "Once a carrier signal is detected on the ‘Left Speaker Input,’ the unit will turn on and begin sending audio signal to the designated amp." However, this does not work with many Class-D amps, so I'll ignore this and add a remote on. Do I ground my Lc2i to a different location than my amp will be grounded? I'll get the rear of my vehicle opened up and take some pics of the factory amp and subwoofer. 

Pardon if this is kind of all over the place. I'd be grateful if anyone has some assistance to offer. I think the most difficult part is going to be dealing with the factory amp and not messing that up.


----------



## humandrummachine (May 17, 2010)

You are on the right track with everything - my suggestion is to look for the remote turn on going to the factory amp and also use this for your sound qubed amp, or try the auto-turn on feature with the LC2i first. Maybe your antenna's remote turn-on is close by too. You should be fine to wire the 12 volt and ground of the LC2i right to your amps positive and negative terminals for power, but fuse it with a 1A fuse. You can find a fuse holder at NAPA or any auto store.

Crimp connection should also be fine if you just use some small butt connectors, terminal spades, etc.

I also think you could leave your factory sub hooked up and just splice into its wiring for signal.


----------



## mschwol (Apr 9, 2019)

humandrummachine said:


> You are on the right track with everything - my suggestion is to look for the remote turn on going to the factory amp and also use this for your sound qubed amp, or try the auto-turn on feature with the LC2i first. Maybe your antenna's remote turn-on is close by too. You should be fine to wire the 12 volt and ground of the LC2i right to your amps positive and negative terminals for power, but fuse it with a 1A fuse. You can find a fuse holder at NAPA or any auto store.
> 
> Crimp connection should also be fine if you just use some small butt connectors, terminal spades, etc.
> 
> I also think you could leave your factory sub hooked up and just splice into its wiring for signal.


Great, thanks for the feedback. Regarding the 12v and ground between the Lc2i and my SoundQubed amp, you're saying instead of running an 18g wire from the battery, I might be able to just run it fused from the 12v power cable going into the amp. Should I be using ferrules & heat shrink for this cable and just add the 18 Ga wire like below? Same thing for the ground?


----------



## humandrummachine (May 17, 2010)

Yes, but you can literally just sandwich it in to the amp's terminal blocks along with the large power and ground wires. It will be in parallel and is electrically the same point as the battery and amp ground. Just fuse it directly after the amp's terminal (important) with a small inline fuse that you can hide better. It'll save you money for the run of 18AWG, but if you want a cleaner install you can always run the 18AWG from the battery or use a distribution block.


----------



## humandrummachine (May 17, 2010)

Also in the picture you posted of the fuse being spliced into the larger gauge, I think the small wire going to the fuse is too long. If it broke off the fuse there is 2-3" of wire that could make contact with ground and burn up. I would only have it about 1/2"


----------



## mschwol (Apr 9, 2019)

humandrummachine said:


> Also in the picture you posted of the fuse being spliced into the larger gauge, I think the small wire going to the fuse is too long. If it broke off the fuse there is 2-3" of wire that could make contact with ground and burn up. I would only have it about 1/2"


Thanks, I've already got 20' of 18 Ga wire coming, so I'll probably just run it from the battery since I'm running the larger wire anyway.

Anyone wanna tell me if I'm missing anything for my install?

1/0 OFC amp kit
Lc2i
1/0 Ferrules w/ heat shrink
1/0 to 4Ga Amp Input
1/0 Cable cutter
1/0 crimper
heat gun
Ring & Butt connectors
Wire stripper
18Ga inline fuse holder for Lc2i power
Multimeter
Crimper
zip ties
electrical tape
RCA's and speaker wire
Wire brush for a good ground

Might be overkill with the ferrules and whatnot. Rather err on the side of it being too safe and professional.


----------



## mschwol (Apr 9, 2019)

Also, Crutchfield recommended their 1/0 wiring kit. My amp can only accept up to 4 Ga. Should I be using this? Pair 1/0 to 4ga Amp Inputs w/ Heat shrink

Is 1/0 even needed for ~1260w RMS?


----------



## humandrummachine (May 17, 2010)

How long of a power wire run do you need?


----------



## mschwol (Apr 9, 2019)

humandrummachine said:


> How long of a power wire run do you need?


Not entirely sure. It's a 2016 Hyundai Tucson. Reasonably small SUV


----------



## humandrummachine (May 17, 2010)

Are you running wiring the amp to 1 ohm, 2 ohm or 4 ohm?


----------



## mschwol (Apr 9, 2019)

humandrummachine said:


> Are you running wiring the amp to 1 ohm, 2 ohm or 4 ohm?


1ohm


----------



## humandrummachine (May 17, 2010)

I would personally use 4 gauge with the shortest run possible and great crimp connections. Heres my logic, 1260 Wrms assuming 14.4V and 85% efficiency implies a total amp draw of 103 amps. Using the following Zapco chart, blue is ideal and red is worst case. I doubt you'll ever be running your amp to the maximum 1260 Wrms often if at all.


----------



## humandrummachine (May 17, 2010)

Also a good ground will be more than important


----------



## mschwol (Apr 9, 2019)

humandrummachine said:


> Also a good ground will be more than important


Thanks for all the help. I got the rear opened up. Are there specific places I can look for the wiring diagram for this amp to determine which wires I'll tap into? Can I just positap into all 4 of the speakers wires I'll need? How about 12v+ and remote? I assume this amp has each running to it. Positap into those also?

I found the below post with some diagrams but my colors dont match those - Subwoofer & AMP


----------



## humandrummachine (May 17, 2010)

First can you unbolt the subwoofer and take a picture of the wires attaching to it? Those will be the ones you tap into for the signal going to the LC2i speaker inputs.

Do you have a multimeter? You can probe the wires to determine which one has constant 12V and which one is switched.


----------



## humandrummachine (May 17, 2010)

I'm fairly confident that the two sets of red and black wires going into the factory sub enclosure are your positive and negative wires (respectfully) going to the factory sub which must be DVC. You can tap those for the signal going into the LC2i but leave the factory sub hooked up just incase the amp likes to have a load on it.


----------



## mschwol (Apr 9, 2019)

humandrummachine said:


> I'm fairly confident that the two sets of red and black wires going into the factory sub enclosure are your positive and negative wires (respectfully) going to the factory sub which must be DVC. You can tap those for the signal going into the LC2i but leave the factory sub hooked up just incase the amp likes to have a load on it.


That makes sense. Would posi taps be the easiest way to tap into these? I'd love to "dead" that woofer so it doesn't audibly interfere with my music.

Edit, nvm. I'll probably military splice to be sure.


----------



## humandrummachine (May 17, 2010)

I've never heard of positaps. Your military splice that you mentioned earlier looked good enough to me. Also, I personally wouldn't dead the woofer, leaving the stock amp as stock as possible is probably a good idea. You won't hear it over 1000 watts


----------



## mschwol (Apr 9, 2019)

humandrummachine said:


> I've never heard of positaps. Your military splice that you mentioned earlier looked good enough to me. Also, I personally wouldn't dead the woofer, leaving the stock amp as stock as possible is probably a good idea. You won't hear it over 1000 watts


I appreciate all the help. Waiting on my box to be finished then I'll hopefully be back next weekend after the install with some money shots.


----------



## Ge0 (Jul 23, 2007)

This looks dangerous to me:









Might want to re-think how you are joining your power wires. I hope to god they are at least soldered under that electrical tape. Think about a junction block or at the very least heavy duty heat shrink with adhesive.

Ge0


----------



## mschwol (Apr 9, 2019)

Ge0 said:


> This looks dangerous to me:
> View attachment 271876
> 
> 
> ...


Yea that does look dangerous. I'll make sure mine looks nothing like it.

I don't even know why I included that photo from that person's post.


----------



## Ge0 (Jul 23, 2007)

mschwol said:


> So my 2016 Hyundai Tucson Limited has a subwoofer in the rear. I'm looking to add my S1-1250 and Fi Xv3 to my vehicle. I've read the factory amp in my vehicle is integral to certain audible safety warnings and navigation features, so I think the plan is to install my Lc2i and amp "after" that amp and just disregard the factory sub. Is it a common thing to add a loc+amp after factory amps like this? I think the factory amp is 40w (rms or max, I don't know), but the Lc2i can accept up to 400w per channel from a source. I've attached some photos and *link* from Hyundai-Forums from a user who seems to have done just that with a different loc. Pardon if some of these are really basic questions. Trust I've been doing as much research as possible to ensure I don't go up in flames while driving. Do I just use a *ring terminal* for my 12v power for the loc onto the battery positive, above/below the 1/0ga amp power cable? Can I just use a hand crimper for this? Best way to ensure a safe connection? For the Lc2i, the preferred wire gauge for the connection is a 18 AWG, and a 1A fuse is recommended. *Does this work?* I'm sure there might be better solutions. Any suggestions for that in line fuse? Assume I'd keep a very short distance to the battery like I do for the amp cable? Is it silly to use an *"Add a Fuse"* for my remote turn-on? If I have any empty fuse spots, this seems like an easy option. Though I saw the military splice posted online and it seems easy. I know the Lc2i has a GTO function which "Once a carrier signal is detected on the ‘Left Speaker Input,’ the unit will turn on and begin sending audio signal to the designated amp." However, this does not work with many Class-D amps, so I'll ignore this and add a remote on. Do I ground my Lc2i to a different location than my amp will be grounded? I'll get the rear of my vehicle opened up and take some pics of the factory amp and subwoofer.
> 
> Pardon if this is kind of all over the place. I'd be grateful if anyone has some assistance to offer. I think the most difficult part is going to be dealing with the factory amp and not messing that up.





mschwol said:


> So my 2016 Hyundai Tucson Limited has a subwoofer in the rear. I'm looking to add my S1-1250 and Fi Xv3 to my vehicle. I've read the factory amp in my vehicle is integral to certain audible safety warnings and navigation features, so I think the plan is to install my Lc2i and amp "after" that amp and just disregard the factory sub. Is it a common thing to add a loc+amp after factory amps like this? I think the factory amp is 40w (rms or max, I don't know), but the Lc2i can accept up to 400w per channel from a source. I've attached some photos and *link* from Hyundai-Forums from a user who seems to have done just that with a different loc. Pardon if some of these are really basic questions. Trust I've been doing as much research as possible to ensure I don't go up in flames while driving. Do I just use a *ring terminal* for my 12v power for the loc onto the battery positive, above/below the 1/0ga amp power cable? Can I just use a hand crimper for this? Best way to ensure a safe connection? For the Lc2i, the preferred wire gauge for the connection is a 18 AWG, and a 1A fuse is recommended. *Does this work?* I'm sure there might be better solutions. Any suggestions for that in line fuse? Assume I'd keep a very short distance to the battery like I do for the amp cable? Is it silly to use an *"Add a Fuse"* for my remote turn-on? If I have any empty fuse spots, this seems like an easy option. Though I saw the military splice posted online and it seems easy. I know the Lc2i has a GTO function which "Once a carrier signal is detected on the ‘Left Speaker Input,’ the unit will turn on and begin sending audio signal to the designated amp." However, this does not work with many Class-D amps, so I'll ignore this and add a remote on. Do I ground my Lc2i to a different location than my amp will be grounded? I'll get the rear of my vehicle opened up and take some pics of the factory amp and subwoofer.
> 
> Pardon if this is kind of all over the place. I'd be grateful if anyone has some assistance to offer. I think the most difficult part is going to be dealing with the factory amp and not messing that up.


Just a small bit of creative criticism. Many of us with ADD have a hard time reading your 40 run-on sentence paragraph and still maintaining focus. Try to break your thoughts up by splitting the paragraph. I missed a few details because my mind wandered or just quit as I was reading on-and-on-and-on-and-on-and-on-and-on-and-on-and-on again. Hopefully you get my point. You get about 30 seconds from most of us before we move on. Make it clear. Get more responses.

Ge0


----------



## mschwol (Apr 9, 2019)

Ge0 said:


> Just a small bit of creative criticism. Many of us with ADD have a hard time reading your 40 run-on sentence paragraph and still maintaining focus. Try to break your thoughts up by splitting the paragraph. I missed a few details because my mind wandered or just quit as I was reading on-and-on-and-on-and-on-and-on-and-on-and-on-and-on again. Hopefully you get my point. You get about 30 seconds from most of us before we move on. Make it clear. Get more responses.
> 
> Ge0


All that makes sense. I don't get hits on my posts so I get it. Thanks.


----------



## Ge0 (Jul 23, 2007)

mschwol said:


> All that makes sense. I don't get hits on my posts so I get it. Thanks.


Glad you didn't take offense. Just trying to help you. I appears my message was heard .

Now, you posted a photo of a power supply electrical tape cluster ****. But when I responded you mentioned this was some other guys photo. Do you see why I became confused? You may have mentioned this somewhere but you lost me, and most everyone else in translation.

Lesson learned. Take battery connections very seriously and be careful with the integrity of your connections. 

Ge0


----------



## humandrummachine (May 17, 2010)

Ge0 said:


> Take battery connections very seriously and be careful with the integrity of your connections.


This is why I would go with 4 gauge unless you have the proper tools to crimp 1/0 gauge. 4 gauge you can crimp yourself pretty well in a vise. I insert a nail up against the terminal ring/wire in the vise and then clamp it down. The nail will push into the terminal ring and make a great crimp. I've broken a vise doing this so make sure you put the nail in the middle.

Loose connections will increase resistance by a lot.


----------



## mschwol (Apr 9, 2019)

Ge0 said:


> Glad you didn't take offense. Just trying to help you. I appears my message was heard .
> 
> Now, you posted a photo of a power supply electrical tape cluster ****. But when I responded you mentioned this was some other guys photo. Do you see why I became confused? You may have mentioned this somewhere but you lost me, and most everyone else in translation.
> 
> ...


No offense taken. I'm here for help and a big wall of text doesn't do me any favors.



humandrummachine said:


> This is why I would go with 4 gauge unless you have the proper tools to crimp 1/0 gauge. 4 gauge you can crimp yourself pretty well in a vise. I insert a nail up against the terminal ring/wire in the vise and then clamp it down. The nail will push into the terminal ring and make a great crimp. I've broken a vise doing this so make sure you put the nail in the middle.
> 
> Loose connections will increase resistance by a lot.


Dumb question, but what else needs crimping on the 4ga power/ground wire? The kit has the ends terminated and shrunk for power/ground connections. I'm using ferrules for the amp terminals. Is it just double and triple-checking the ends for good crimping?


----------



## humandrummachine (May 17, 2010)

Oh i see the 1/0 kit that you linked had pre-crimped terminal rings... i was referring to the terminal rings. 

Does anyone else think it is a good idea to use the 4 gauge to 1/0 adapter, 1/0 ferrules, to the finally the actual 1/0 wire for this amount of amperage? Seems like a lot of money vs. just buying a good quality 4 gauge wire and directly hooking it to the amp. You'd also be relying on one less screw to come loose and less connections between the wire and amp.


----------



## mschwol (Apr 9, 2019)

humandrummachine said:


> Oh i see the 1/0 kit that you linked had pre-crimped terminal rings... i was referring to the terminal rings.
> 
> Does anyone else think it is a good idea to use the 4 gauge to 1/0 adapter, 1/0 ferrules, to the finally the actual 1/0 wire for this amount of amperage? Seems like a lot of money vs. just buying a good quality 4 gauge wire and directly hooking it to the amp. You'd also be relying on one less screw to come loose and less connections between the wire and amp.


Yea Crutchfield sold me a 1/0 kit which I still have, might return. Picked up this 4ga OFC kit from Sky High


----------



## Ge0 (Jul 23, 2007)

4ga is perfectly fine for a single sub amp. I can't believe Crutchfield sold you a 1/0 kit. Way overkill. Remember, you will never draw a constant 103A unless you play sustained sine waves at 0dB. That would be a horrible musical experience.

Ge0


----------

