trini ef racer

ok so im thinking about installing my amp and sub into my car bymyself, what i need to know is what guage wire i need to use when installing it, Im installing it into a 94 mercedes c280 and the battery is in the trunk and i have read on other websites that distance from the battery is important in figuring out the gauge of the power and ground wires. The amp that I am using is the diesel audio ns600.
its 600 watts peak power
300 x 2 peak @ 2 ohms
130 x 2 rms @ 2 ohms
80 x 2 rms @ 4ohms
260 x 1 @ 4 ohms bridged

im thinking i will probably bridge it, i just need to know if i need to use a 4 guage kit or can i use a 8 guage
i appreciate any input givin

eng

If you run it bridged, which is 260W then 8AWG should be fine.

If you already have the wire you can look up the specs from the wire company. Take the wattage you plan on running and divide it by 12 to get current. Use that to size the wire.

Wire gauge isn't the only important thing, what insulation used has a big effect on what current the wire can carry. Most charts only use plastic insulation. So going with manufacturer specs is always best.

Fabrik8

8 gauge is fine, but you've forgot that class A/B amps are only about 60% efficient (max) though, so make that 260 divided by 12 divided by roughly .6, which is 36 amps instead of 22. This is input current, not output current.

Honestly, I would step up to 4 gauge though, just in case you want to add an amp or go to a larger one later. You're right on the edge of 8 gauge for a trunk to battery length run. And don't forget to add a bigger ground from the chassis to battery, that current has to get home somehow.. I usually don't mess with 8 gauge because more often than not I have to rerun 4 gauge later.

Insulation material only matters when high voltage will be carried, or high frequency AC, or abrasion/chemical resistance, etc. If you size the wire right, the temp rise with current doesn't matter. Don't worry about insulation type, it's not a factor for these short runs on 12VDC systems.

eng

True, I wasn't really thinking about audio applications, just the various hook-up wire I've used in the past.

I suppose it's easier not to worry about fancier insulation types in this case. I doubt he's gonna go out and buy teflon insulated wire just so he can use a smaller guage.

trini ef racer

i just ended up getting a 4 guage kit from knukustoms.com i bought it for like 24.99 plus shipping. ill let you guys know how the install goes.