I would never run power cable outside the cabin unless it was extremely well-protected from the elements and especially road hazards.

 

i run mine parallel with the fuel lines, so if something hits my power cable, it hits the fuel lines and i've got much bigger problems. i,ve been running them under the car in every install i've ever done and have yet to have a problem, even up here with the wonderful roads and ice buildup of michigan.

 

i run mine parallel with the fuel lines.

x 2...but mine is sleeved in a liquid-tight conduit

 

wow fuel lines next to power cable mounted to the body ... all it takes is a stray rock or accident and you've got positive, negative and fuel.. very nice

 

to answer the post topic I always run mine through the firewall under the carpet, then out near the rear seats or trunk sides.. can easily run 0 ga in most cars that way

 

I run mine through a firewall grommet and under the carpet. It comes out under the opening in the carpet under the drivers seat by the ***** seat. Works nice.

 

The only thing I would run under the car is an upgraded ground wire and I only ever did this once. It was in a car that was a real PITA to run the initial run of 1/0, so I cheated a little on the second run.

I guess if you were handy with conduit, you could do it safely, though probably only suited for SPL vehicles with walls.

 

I run everything right down the driver side rocker. I push the RCA down to the floor. If I have a noise issue I move the RCA, and I've had to do that once. In old cars I always put the RCA down the passenger side or center, I don't bother anymore.

 

I usually run the power cable through the firewall with a grommet, down the rocker on the battery side and then the RCAs down the center. I have ran them together before as well and never really had an issue.

 

I don't understand running power lines near fuel lines, it's VERY dangerous! The fuses typically used with 4 and 0 ga wiring don't cut out immediately.. in an accident it would be very risky ... I've mistakenly tightened a grub screw on a dizzy block while it was live and the allen key touched the body.. the key glowed red and set fire to a rag I had covering the ground wire ... I had to quickly get a pair of pliers to pull it out but the fuse didn't trip..

 

Like i said, my 1/0 is inside a liquid-tight conduit. I'm not any bit worried. مصير بلدي يقيم مع الله

 

I think a lot of it just has to do with the technology too. I've never really been a freak about wires and just find a good mix between quality and price, but I think most of the decent stuff has better shielding now as well to keep eletrical noise from interfering.

I definitely agree with you on the older cars. I know the cars where I always got the most noise, even with simple installs, was on all the guys I knew that had classics.

 

This thread cracks me up.

As long as you have them run through conduit and secured correctly you should not have any issues running power wire underneath your car.

When is the last time you heard of a rock puncturing a fuel line on the highway? You guys act like cars are ticking time bombs on the road.

Did you know your fuel pump runs on electricity and is probably mounted IN your fuel tank? OMG!

 

You guys act like cars are ticking time bombs on the road.

Most poeple are educated through Hollywood movies

 

I don't think there's anything wrong with running power cable under the car. As long as it's fused properly there shouldnt be any issues. It's no different than any other power source. Especially for bigger wires, I could see it being easier to run that way. For me, with smaller gauge wires, it's easier to just come through the firewall. Then I don't have to worry about tying it up underneath along the car. Like mentioned above, fuel pumps are electric and are mounted in the gas tank. The chances of something happening to a power wire under the car are slim....and if something major happens, you've got bigger problems.

 

down my center console is where i run mine.

of course i later made sure those two didnt come so close to one another

 

Where you come in through the fire wall...on either side of the car? Then across behind the dash and down the center console?

 

theirs a grommit on the floor of my driver side and passenger side.

 

i run mine through the firewall near the drivers side of the car and then down under the door sills, up behind the rear seat and into the trunk

 

i run down down one side of the car, right along the door sill, and keep it as far separate from the rca cables as possible until the amp.

i dont see the point of running under the car, isnt that more work? i mean you have to take apart the interior for running rca and speaker cables anyway...why not just run power cables at the same time? its unlikely you will damage them under the car when done right but i guess i dont quite see why? maybe a truck where you can easily reach it, but if you got a low car...i just think its more trouble for less benefits?

i also dont see hte point of running cables in a way where if you need to trouble shoot or get at them, you need to remove the seats and remove the interior carpet etc...most of the best entry points into the trunk at are the sides anyway and though power cables isnt a big deal, most folks run their speaker and rca cables at the same time in a similar fashion, all you need is one nicked speaker wires and rca somewhere and then you have to rip things all out to find it

b

 

the main reason i prefer under the car is cuz i'm not lucky enough to have any pre-existing holes in my firewall that aren't busy with something else. there is, however, several empties under my back seat that make for easy access. plus it's just something i've always done.

 

Power wire on the driver side(batt located there as well),Remote turn on/ bass nob level down that side as well. Middle(trany sits) RCA down all the way to the back. The passenger side has twisted speaker cable.

 

Bad idea my friend. I would go though the cabin of the car, though the firewall of the car and than run it under the carpet. Just make sure you run your RCA on the other side or you will have nice engine whine

I would never recomand doing it under the car because what happens if you hit something and cables start melting specialy your possitve cabe!!! you be screwed, so take your time and do it right

 

I haven't experienced inducted noise since I learned how to avoid ground loops and quit using cassette decks. I literally zip tie my RCA's to the power cable when I run them to the trunk.

As far as the melting cables are concerned I use a little thing called a fuse which is designed to avoid that.

 

Looks interesting

 

i understand what everyone is saying about going through the firewall and in the vehicle however i have seen many many time wires getting cut by improper holes in the firewall or the lack of grommets. Like everything else there are multiple ways to accomplish the same thing it's all a matter of preference. Anything done right works ANY done wrong could be a disaster.

 

Vitty,

Here's a link to the conduit I used on my truck. I ran it down through the frame to the back of the cab. The kit I bought was about 25 feet and has a fitting I used to mount the tube to the cab so it's sealed.

This stuff is heavy duty. If something can get thru this stuff, you've got more problems than worrying about a wire shorting.

Hope this helps.

Carlon Coil, 100 Ft., 3/4 In., Gray, Liquidtight Flexible Nonmetallic Conduit - 15007-100 at The Home Depot

George

 

How come nobody puts their amps under the front seats? Just for convenience of adjusting? I always put my amps under my seats for theft prevention. You might get my HU, you might get 1 amp, you might get my sub, but you ain't getting it all before you get shot

 

with the compressors for my inflatable lumbar and side bolsters as well as rear seat heat ducts, it's just not feasible.

 

I'll be putting my 4 channel under the passenger seat this summer. Just dont have the time right now to do it

 

2.5 feet from battery to amps (all in trunk). :bowdown: Thanks BMW!