Is it bad to use an 800 watt amp with 350 watt wiring? What would happen?

Question

Just want to know if i really need to upgrade my wiring. I'm low on cash and don't really want to buy the wiring now if i don't have to. Will i hurt anything in my car if i run an 800 watt amp with 350 watt wiring? Thankyou!

I found a couple of wiring kits and now im not sure what gauge and amp fuse combination to get.

Will this kit work
https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_flow&SESSION=k6Wj5jLn6nbuFcTtkuX4pnicQ_Pt7ghNEgtbllPVB_0NI9IGzU1GtM2y9fC&dispatch=5885d80a13c0db1f702b5e20651bee68365c225e0a21574a369a6a3ed1f18284#

Ignore the other link -- This one

http://cgi.ebay.com/TSUNAMI-AMP850BL-RCA-4-GA-GAUGE-4GA-AMP-WIRE-WIRING-KIT_W0QQitemZ250093118141QQcategoryZ79815QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Answer 1

You can use small gauge wires for your large amp. Just don't turn it up as loud and you will have no problems. When you don't have the proper gauge wire, all that will happen is the wire will get hot when your amp reguires more power than what the wire will allow. The amp may go into protection mode or turn off occasionally if the power requirements aren't met. If the fuse is small rating, the fuse will blow when the amp requires more power

It is possible to run smaller wire, but do it with caution. There is a possibility of it overheating and starting a fire. Turn down the gains on the amp!!!

Answer 2

I have a 1600 Watt amp turned down to about 400 W (untill I can get bigger subs.. it sucks being poor, and having to find a place to live, and tryign to find another car, and not having a job all at the same time) and all I did was got auto wire (rated at 180W) and spun 2 wires together, (a tottal of 4 wires, spun togerther to make 2 wires) and ran it from my amp to the speaker, and Iv had it play for hours and no melting, I also got my hadns on some bigger speakers fora day, and turned the amp up a little with still no problims... dont know if Im just geting lucky or not, but its worth a try (auto wire is like 3 bucks for 40 feet at Walmart...)

Answer 3

The quality of the audio signal will be degraded if lower quality wire is used, different kind of hi-end wire suits different amp ( some may sound sweet-jazz, some sounds high bass and high treble-rock and roll).

However, if 350 watt is good enough for you to listen, it won't be a problem..
( usually, 800 watt amp doesn't really means 800 watt, since 240 watts' loud speaker is usually loud enough to be used in big hall for performance.)

Answer 4

I'm not sure where you get a wattage rating for the wiring, that depends on the length used vs's amperage flowing through it. Are you referring to the power wires, or the speaker wires ? For the power wire use 10 guage upto 12 feet, 8 guage upto 20 feet and over. For the speakers use 12 to 14 guage, or monster cable.

Answer 5

800 watts is too much power for a 350 watt wiring and is probably going to melt your wires, posably resulting in a fire. Just dont do it before you upgrade the wiring.

Answer 6

Yes that is bad. The wiring could actually melt and start a fire. I know your short on cash but try to find a heavier gauge wire.

Answer 7

Your wires could get so hot that the insulation would melt and burn...and there goes your fancy stereo. Always use wires that are rated for the power you expect to be drawn through them.

Answer 8

If your wire is fused, it shouldn't catch fire. Your o.k. as long as the wires(Positive and negative) are at least 4 gauge.

Answer 9

If your wiring is fused properly at the battery, it won't be unsafe; however you may experience blown fuses, and the amplifier may overheat or shut off when you're playing it loud.

Answer 10

shouldn't hurt anything, but you might loose a little of the signal quality. wattage is a measurement of volume, while amperage is a measurement of power therefore the wire should NOT heat up.