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Wiring - 8-gauge wire, 8-gauge fuse holder? 20 amps.

1105 Views 4 Replies 3 Participants Last post by bbmach, Aug 9, 2021

bbmach

Discussion Starter · Jun 29, 2021

I am installing a 45 watt per channel (80 max) two-channel amp in the back of my 48-year-old car and running an 8-gauge wire for it. My question is: do I need also need an 8-gauge fuse holder (at the battery connection)?

I bought one, but quite frankly, it is huge. And since the amp only requires a 20-amp fuse, it looks like overkill. But, I don’t want to choke down the 8-gauge wire at the very beginning of the 20-ft run. A 10 or 12-gauge fuse holder would fit in the space near the battery better.

TIA.

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Mike Lang

· #2 · Jun 30, 2021

You could get away with 10 gauge battery wire if you need to but it's not that big a difference visually.

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bbmach

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jun 30, 2021

Mike Lang said:
You could get away with 10 gauge battery wire if you need to but it's not that big a difference visually.

Thanks, Mike - I ordered a 10-gauge and a 12-gauge fuse holders last night to have (and see), but I am sure you are correct. I'll figure out a way to hide the monstrosity of a fuse holder

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NealfromNZ

· #4 · Aug 6, 2021

If you haven’t installed it already have in within 9 inch’s of the battery and cable tie it so it doesn’t move. 8 gauge wire makes a hang of a heater element if shorted and very easy to end up with a car fire as the insulation melts.

tspec make smaller inline fuse and distribution blocks btw. I use one of their 2 gauge to 2 x 4 gauge blocks and they are tiny.

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bbmach

Discussion Starter · #5 · Aug 9, 2021

NealfromNZ said:
If you haven’t installed it already have in within 9 inch’s of the battery and cable tie it so it doesn’t move. 8 gauge wire makes a hang of a heater element if shorted and very easy to end up with a car fire as the insulation melts.

tspec make smaller inline fuse and distribution blocks btw. I use one of their 2 gauge to 2 x 4 gauge blocks and they are tiny.

Hey there - and thanks for taking the time to reply. I ran the 8-gauge from the trunk and added a 10 gauge fuse holder at the battery end. One fuse holder pigtail directly to the battery terminal and the other crimped and heat-shrunk to the 8-gauge.

I bookmarked the TSpec webpage for future reference.

Thanks again.

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