Is 20G speaker cable ok for Subwoofer connection driven by Mobridge?

[jabrax]

I've installed the Mobridge amp and decided to tap into the old wiring from the B&O. I've mounted a tailgate sub and removed the wiring and clip from the stock enclosure.

The stock wires are small, will this be an issue? Do I need to use 16 or 12 gauge?

Gonna be pushing a lot more than 100 watts to the sub, and the stock wire are pretty small. Has anyone with a Mobridge wired the sub directly to the amp? Or am I Overthinking it

Sponsored

 

[Squatch]

I wouldn't go smaller than 16 awg ever, but there's a lot more that goes into making a choice if you want to know.

The wheel of truth... or lies, haha

A chart for 12 volt

 

[Brian_B]

For a subwoofer - the bigger the better. Subs don't pull a lot of current on average, but when they boom they spike hard, and if you go small on the wire, while it won't catch on fire (which is all most ampacity charts are really concerned with), it will drop the voltage on the speaker and give you wimpy bass.

No, you shouldn't use 16 AWG for a subwoofer. That's barely adequate for your 4" dash speakers.

You really should be at 12AWG or larger for a subwoofer. I ran 6AWG for my subwoofer - that may be overkill, but if I want to step it up to 1000W I got the cable ready to go. If you are using an aftermarket speaker and amplifier with your sub, you really should not be using the factory harness for the subwoofer. Go straight from the amp to the speaker.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

If you are using an aftermarket speaker and amplifier with your sub, you really should not be using the factory harness for the subwoofer. Go straight from the amp to the speaker.

^^^ BOOM!!! This.
(pun intended for this sub-woofer thread)

At this level, the only thing the stock speaker wires are good for is MAYBE as a route to follow to get to the speaker at some point.

 

[jabrax]

Hence my anxiety as I sat staring at it for a couple of hours. Thanks for the confirmation. If there is a will, there's a way.

 

[iambigd]

I also installed my Mobridge DSP over the weekend. I upgraded all my speakers to JL Audio except my sub. I purchased the JL Audio Stealth box, which hasn't shipped yet. In turn, I had an 8-inch Kicker that I bought for my Pontoon, threw it in the box, covered the box with sound-dampening material in and out, and used the stock wiring, and I have to tell you, I am surprised at how good it sounds.

My only issue is that I opened a ticket with Mobridge asking a few questions, even emailed directly, and have not received a response. They were quick to answer when I bought the kit, but now I need some support, and they have gone dark. I hope they are on holiday or something.

 

[Spiderwolf]

For a subwoofer - the bigger the better. Subs don't pull a lot of current on average, but when they boom they spike hard, and if you go small on the wire, while it won't catch on fire (which is all most ampacity charts are really concerned with), it will drop the voltage on the speaker and give you wimpy bass.

No, you shouldn't use 16 AWG for a subwoofer. That's barely adequate for your 4" dash speakers.

You really should be at 12AWG or larger for a subwoofer. I ran 6AWG for my subwoofer - that may be overkill, but if I want to step it up to 1000W I got the cable ready to go. If you are using an aftermarket speaker and amplifier with your sub, you really should not be using the factory harness for the subwoofer. Go straight from the amp to the speaker.
[/QU
I’m planning on installing a MoBridge as well. I figured I would need 10 or 12 gauge wire. I’ve got the interior somewhat tore up install the speakers so I want to run the amp wire now before I put it back together. How long of a run of wire did you need from the battery to the MoBridge?

 

[Brian_B]

@Spiderwolf

I’m planning on installing a MoBridge as well. I figured I would need 10 or 12 gauge wire. I’ve got the interior somewhat tore up install the speakers so I want to run the amp wire now before I put it back together. How long of a run of wire did you need from the battery to the MoBridge?

I didn't use a Mobridge, and installation locations can vary even with the same model amp. Still - with my installation, I have my amp in the glovebox. The power line from the battery is about 10 ft (probably a bit less but it's kind of hard to tell). Then I have another about 10ft line (again, probably a bit less) from the subwoofer out to the speaker in the rear cargo area.

But your needs may be slightly different depending on where you mount the MoBridge.

 

[Spiderwolf]

I’m going to mount it in the stock location. The last thing I want is to order too short of a cable. I need someone who has done this to let me know the length from battery to stock location. Yes I can measure and get approximate length but that’s not always accurate. I’d rather order two feet too long vs 6 inches too short.

 

[Brian_B]

Just get 25-50' of it or so. Use part of it for the power run, another bit for your amp->speaker run, and then coil the leftover up for the next project. If you try to custom cut it, take the wrong bend or go around a strut the wrong way and you are suddenly too short.

I think I ordered a 30' roll and used maybe half of it. But I wouldn't take that out and say "Oh I only need 15 feet"

Copper isn't exactly cheap, but it doesn't need to be custom cut to length either. And you don't need special Monster polished copper cable. Any stranded copper (the flexible stuff - speaker cable is of this type, but you don't have to get "speaker" cable -- #8 welding cable is fantastic, for instance, as is #10 battery cable) will work just fine

 

[jabrax]

The power cable and speaker harness comes with the Mobridge. It was made specifically for the Bronco to reach the stock location at passenger rear. On their site, take a look at the install instuctions.

I installed in a 2Dr, So I used an MTI amp rack and tailgate sub. Both run down the drivers side and across the back. The lengths included are for the 4dr, as you can see how much extra there is after routing to the location in a 2dr.

For the sub, i decided to cut the wiring out of the stock enclosure and added some 12 gauge to it. I wanted to leverage the green connections from the stock setup. You can choose to trace the existing sub wiring and replace the whole thing. I do not know how much you would need for that.

Sponsored