ground wire quick question

[RollinRemz05 10+ year member]

im moving my amp around and the ground wire will be longer then it was. right now its about 8 inches. it might now be about 2 feet. is this going to make a difference? thanks.

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[Prowler573 5,000+ posts]

im moving my amp around and the ground wire will be longer then it was. right now its about 8 inches. it might now be about 2 feet. is this going to make a difference? thanks.

It shouldn't but there's only one sure-fire way to find out, eh?

 

[bryce-man 10+ year member]

why not relocate it next to the new place

but it yor running more than one amp make sure theyr all grouinded at the same place

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

Doesn't need to be grounded all to one place, but it helps if you have a poor chassis ground...

 

[DDFrontier 10+ year member]

Ground wire should be AT LEAST same gauge as power wire and no more than 30" long. Period.

Deviate from those two simple rules, and you MAY encounter some problems.

 

[aaron7114 10+ year member]

Ground wire should be AT LEAST same gauge as power wire and no more than 30" long. Period.
Deviate from those two simple rules, and you MAY encounter some problems.

It can be longer than 30 inches. Some people run their ground wire from the amp to the negative on the battery under the hood.

 

[spljunkiems 10+ year member]

Ground wire should be AT LEAST same gauge as power wire and no more than 30" long. Period.
Deviate from those two simple rules, and you MAY encounter some problems.

church

 

[DDFrontier 10+ year member]

It can be longer than 30 inches.

I know it CAN be longer than 30", but you're asking for problems if it is. The owner's manual for every amp I've owned all state the same thing.

Some people run their ground wire from the amp to the negative on the battery under the hood.

Some people are idiots too!

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

Why?

As long as it's sized correctly to account for voltage drop...would work fine. Isn't done as much for daily installs because using the vehicle as a ground is more economical.

 

[aaron7114 10+ year member]

I know it CAN be longer than 30", but you're asking for problems if it is. The owner's manual for every amp I've owned all state the same thing.


Some people are idiots too!

That is what alot of the big boys do. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

Standard procedure for two-way radio installations as well...when it comes to RF frequencies, grounding through the frame is a sure way to pick up ignition noise and all sorts of nasties from the onboard computer(s).

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

Ground wire should be AT LEAST same gauge as power wire and no more than 30" long. Period.
Deviate from those two simple rules, and you MAY encounter some problems.

What if I'm using 1/0ga wire for my ground wire, and my vehicle's chassis is equivalent to 4ga in resistence ?

How exactly did you come to determine 30" is the maximum length ?

What happens at 31" ?

 

[DDFrontier 10+ year member]

What if I'm using 1/0ga wire for my ground wire, and my vehicle's chassis is equivalent to 4ga in resistence ?
How exactly did you come to determine 30" is the maximum length ?

What happens at 31" ?

The world comes to an end I guess. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

I own 4 different brands of amps and all 4 manuals state to keep the ground wire as short as possible and always under 30". It's common sense really. The shortest wire in the largest gauge possible has the least resistance to ground.

I've always lived by these rules and have never had a problem. I never even dreamed of running an amp ground all the way back to the battery.

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

Not disagreeing that in general short ground wires are desirable and the shorter the better.

But there are many factors to take into consideration before you can determine what's appropriate and what's not.....and these factors aren't found simply by quoting an owner's manual //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[phyphoestilic 5,000+ posts]

What happens at 31" ?

the 30" wire will come back and make the 31" wire beg for mercy.