Official CarAudio.com Big 3 Thread

[audiobahnuser18 5,000+ posts]

I got a 2 pioneer 12's running 800 to each sub with a mono block digital audio amp running 4 awg to with a anl fuse and fuse holder upfront and running street wires 16awg speaker wire to the sub's. would it be a good idea for me to run the big 3 in my car?

 

[Torgus 10+ year member]

i still wonder how well this really works...

my father is an EE and when i mentioned it he thought is was pointless. unless there is a bad connection somewhere of course that would help.

my alt to batt wire is rated for my alt. having it bigger doesn't make it send any more power nor faster nor more consistantly. Also it being a REALLY short run makes using a huge cable like 1/0 a bit overkill. there is no noticable voltage drop accross a short run such as alt to batt.

redoing the grounds can definitly be worth it imo. assuming they arn't good in the 1st place.

also if i put a batt in my trunk i don't see why i would need to run 0 to it...maybe 4 because of the voltage drop for a run that far but even then...it isn't going to charge any better it is limited by what my alt is putting out. it's not going to charge faster because i use bigger wire.

any comments with actual logic. not it works shut up?

EDIT:Always fuse to the size of wire you have. never to what your alt puts out.

 

[SplChoice- 10+ year member]

im doing the big 3 friday. and was wondering a couple things. would it hurt instead of doing - to chassis do - to body then body to engine block?

 

[TreyE 10+ year member]

how about you guys update the pictures please so we know how to do it...

 

[Tiborsio 10+ year member]

Hi! Is it ok to connect the engine to chassis and batt - to chassis on the same spot?

 

[phenryiv1 10+ year member]

Hi! Is it ok to connect the engine to chassis and batt - to chassis on the same spot?

Yes. If it is a good grounding spot, that is the preferred option.

 

[soul05 10+ year member]

can someone reup the pics so i can finally do this to my car?

 

[hypnotiq 10+ year member]

just read it dude.. its explains everything..

 

[na_rsx 10+ year member]

pictures will be awesome, at high volumes my light dims. i have a 2005 Acura RSX-S, and the stock battery. people always tell me to get a cap, but believe it or not, the people with caps still have dimming issues. i know the big 3 is the best thing to do, over a cap. i am ready to take on this project, but pics will help a whole lot.

 

[Peaks 10+ year member]

It a ***** to get to the alt in a RSX I just had to do the big 2 in mine for now,but it will not help much till you do the alt + to battary +

 

[sdmtnbiker420 10+ year member]

Alright, I have an arguement that I need you guys to help me settle.
After reading ALL 13 pages, it says in here numerous times to fuse to the wire, not to the alternator. Fair enough- I did that. I posted my pics and my writeup on a forum specific to my vehicle. In one of the pics, you can see my 200A fuse for the batt--->alternator wire. That sent people into a tizzy. Their argument:

I responded that I had read on here and on sounddomain to fuse to the wire and not to the alternator. His response:

Then, a second guy chimed in:

So it got me thinking- WHY do we fuse to the wire and not to a rating just above the rated output capacity of the alternator? Since in theory, anything ABOVE the rated output from the Alt SHOULD blow your factory fuse, you have effectively sidestepped that safety device (the factory fuse) and now we have exposed the OEM electrical components to a spike or surge that it is not designed to take.

I want to think that the advice that I get on a car audio forum is more accurate than that on a general automotive forums, as it applies to 12V matters, but I wanted to see if anyone here could give me some supporting info on WHY we fuse to the wire, regardless of the factory wiring and electronics capacities.

HAHA!! These people are crazy, this mod will void whatever full coverage insurance you might have had, when they find that monkey boy wiring job under the hood!

 

[Pennybags]

i still wonder how well this really works...
my father is an EE and when i mentioned it he thought is was pointless. unless there is a bad connection somewhere of course that would help.

my alt to batt wire is rated for my alt. having it bigger doesn't make it send any more power nor faster nor more consistantly. Also it being a REALLY short run makes using a huge cable like 1/0 a bit overkill. there is no noticable voltage drop accross a short run such as alt to batt.

redoing the grounds can definitly be worth it imo. assuming they arn't good in the 1st place.

also if i put a batt in my trunk i don't see why i would need to run 0 to it...maybe 4 because of the voltage drop for a run that far but even then...it isn't going to charge any better it is limited by what my alt is putting out. it's not going to charge faster because i use bigger wire.

any comments with actual logic. not it works shut up?

EDIT:Always fuse to the size of wire you have. never to what your alt puts out.

This is very true. If you are using the stock alternator, the wiring used was based on what the alt can put out. Installing a bigger wire on that end is not going to improve much due to the same amount of current being drawn through.

If you have the same generating plant making the same amount of energy, a bigger wire is not going to produce more energy. It may make it easier to flow but will not make it produce any more or any less. I can see it helping on vehicles that have a bad electrical system design where it was not intended to be using a large portion of current from your alternator all the time. If that's the case, your alternator wasn't designed for that consistent amount of high amp use either. You might as well replace that with something higher while your at it.

The ground wiring is something different. If your running a 4/2/0 gauge to your amp and your grounding it to a metal surface in the rear, your stock ground wire will be bottlenecked with the wire from the main and from the other 4/2/0 power wire you ran to the back. I can see where the ground wire being larger, or a larger one added as some have said, will improve in that aspect.

 

[blackslick]

The car im riding in is scion TC and i got optima D34/78 yellow top with tusami topper block on it.

i understand how to do the ground wirings cus i know where to go but i got few question about the battery to alt postive.

i talked to the guy at elemental design and he said its ok to make another wire from battery to the alt.

** should i go for extra wire to the alt and leave the stock battery to alt, or cut the stock wire and wire the big wire to the alt from the battery?

** can i use the D34/78 side port for battery postive to alt?

 

[phenryiv1 10+ year member]

should i go for extra wire to the alt and leave the stock battery to alt, or cut the stock wire and wire the big wire to the alt from the battery?

Leave the stock wire in place and augment it with an additional wire. Be sure to fuse the new wire and keep it away from moving parts.

 

[blackslick]

Leave the stock wire in place and augment it with an additional wire. Be sure to fuse the new wire and keep it away from moving parts.

so will it be fine by just adding new wire to the alt?

can i use the sideport to add new postive wire from battery to alt?