Your car is almost done being pimped out. You have the fuzzy dice, four TV monitors, and an Xbox hooked up. You've already purchased the best car speakers money can afford, along with a subwoofer that will make the houses on your block shake. There's just one thing you're forgetting, speaker wire. Without speaker wire, all that equipment is useless and you won't be able to blast your music down the street at 4 a.m.
Choosing the Right Wire
Here are a few helpful tips about how to choose speaker wire for your car:
* Wire is made out of copper, gold, or silver. Copper wire is most commonly used and is the cheapest one. Silver and gold are more expensive but will transmit better sound.
** If you are truly serious about your sound, the investment in gold plated wiring will give you optimal sound quality.
* When shopping around, you'll notice the mention of "gauge." The gauge, or AWG, refers to the thickness of the wire. The lower the number, the thicker the wire. Thicker wire will produce better sound quality.
** Gauge sizes for speaker wire should be between 12 and 18.
** 14 gauge will power a 100 watt amp and a 12 gauge will power a 150 watt amp.
* The longer the wire, the less power you will have. Therefore, if you need a long wire, it is best to buy a thicker gauge to make up for this power loss.
* Poor quality wires ''will'' make a difference in the overall sound quality.
* If you have more than one amplifier, choose an oxygen-free copper wire to ensure the best possible sound.
Helpful Tips
* If you're installing your speakers yourself, some other helpful tools you will need are pliers, wire cutters, screwdrivers, and wire strippers.
* A car stereo wiring harness is needed to connect your old unit to your new one.
* Make sure to connect the negative wire to the negative terminal on the speaker and the positive wire to the positive terminal.
** If you're unsure which wire is which, take a 9 volt battery and touch the wire to the battery. If the wire moves forward, it is the positive wire.
* Your amp will connect to your main unit using RCA cables, not speaker wires. You can purchase an amplifier wiring kit to get all the proper tools.
* '''Always''' disconnect the ground cable from your battery before doing any electrical work.
