Electrical Upgrades for 1500 watts?

[DaytonLax14 10+ year member]

Vehicle is a 2002 f150 and I will be feeding 2 SA-12 1500 watts total. What, if any, electrical upgrades do I need?

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[wew lad 5,000+ posts]

depends on the amp you get. id do a minimum of the big three. see what your voltage drop is after that and change your battery under the hood to a AGM and add a HO alternator if necessary

 

[DaytonLax14 10+ year member]

depends on the amp you get. id do a minimum of the big three. see what your voltage drop is after that and change your battery under the hood to a AGM and add a HO alternator if necessary

Thanks man. Stupid question but how do I go about checking my voltage drop?

 

[wew lad 5,000+ posts]

using a multimeter, usually called a DMM. you can buy them for less than $20.

I don't like the cheap yellow walmart innova ones, terrible accuracy. I've been pretty happy with my $18 DMM/amperage clamp from harbor freight made by centech

 

[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

Thanks man. Stupid question but how do I go about checking my voltage drop?

Youcan Google just about anything these days and or You Tube to get tutorils to get started.Here is a basic introduction on using a DMM..

 

[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

You will want to be checking your voltage drop/min as you are testing/playing your system at full tilt/max that you will be constantly.I myself do not like going below 13 for my system.depending on your amps chosen and the electrical system of the vehicle,I like to stay hovering no lower that 14v on my lowest notes..I like to stay as consistent as much as possible.Most deff get the Big 3 done,and get rid of that stock battery,and look into an AGM battery will be best(But thats an expense in itself,that most do not have atm) But if needing the power, its the expense you may need to consider the AGM battery for the upgrade.But do the Big 3 and see where you are at first.

 

[DaytonLax14 10+ year member]

using a multimeter, usually called a DMM. you can buy them for less than $20.
I don't like the cheap yellow walmart innova ones, terrible accuracy. I've been pretty happy with my $18 DMM/amperage clamp from harbor freight made by centech

Where exactly do I connect the positive and negative from the DMM? sorry this is a dumb as hell question lol.

I'll look into an AGM battery and doing the big 3. I heard SAMs club has good prices on AGM batteries. Will 4 gauge power and ground be sufficient for 1500 watts?

 

[tez4life Premium Member]

Depends on the amp, if thats required by it then yes, if not you will need some 0/1 gauge....your 2002 F150 has either a 4.6 or a 5.4l motor and a pretty strong alt from the factory so depending on the amp for your subs, you might be able to just get away with the Big 3 upgrade as well as a new battery up front and be ok, depending on the condition of your current alternator.

 

[tez4life Premium Member]

Hook up the positive and negative leads of the DMM to the power and ground inputs of your amp, while its at full tilt so you can see how bad your voltage drop is.

 

[DaytonLax14 10+ year member]

Depends on the amp, if thats required by it then yes, if not you will need some 0/1 gauge....your 2002 F150 has either a 4.6 or a 5.4l motor and a pretty strong alt from the factory so depending on the amp for your subs, you might be able to just get away with the Big 3 upgrade as well as a new battery up front and be ok, depending on the condition of your current alternator.

Hook up the positive and negative leads of the DMM to the power and ground inputs of your amp, while its at full tilt so you can see how bad your voltage drop is.

Gotcha, thanks man. My f150 is actually a 4.2 liter. According to sonicelectronix, the maximum wire size for the amp is 8 gauge....lol wtf