Electrical Upgrades on 2003 Yukon

[CJ Rodarme]

I have a 2003 Yukon with a full sound system. Currently I have a pioneer head unit, a Rockville 5 channel amp, 6.5 Kenwood 3-ways in the doors and a Sundown SA-12 in a custom box. Its safe to say I really messed up by not investing in a good amp because the system really falls flat because of the amp. I get a ton of distortion if my volume is too high with my sub, yet the amp isn't even rated to put out as much wattage as my sub can handle. Ive seen videos of people running SA's with 1000 watts rms just fine, but my amp is rated to put out a measly 700 (I don't run bass boost or any EQ). All that being said I am very skeptical about what my amp is actually putting out, being that it was only $120. I want to upgrade to audiopipe amps, a 4 channel and a class D mono. The mono amp that I want to run puts out 2000 watts rms at 1 ohm, and the 4 channel 100x4 at 4 ohm. The only electrical upgrade I have is a 145 amp Delphi alternator. I was planning on getting a 2600 amp XS battery and running all 1/0 OFC power wire. Does this seem right to run roughly 2400 watts rms or do I need to do more than that.

 

[CJ Rodarme]

Oh I forgot to add that I want to upgrade to running 2 SA-12's at 2000 watts rms, not 1 SA at 2k lol

 

[OB 04Denali]

Whats up buddy!
Well bud how much room do you have? Are you taking up the trunk? I have amps under my 2nd row seats but for 3 amps or 2 good size ones your not fitting them under there unless your spending money on good compact ones.

1. if your going that high. id definitely upgrade to 1/0 and big 3 upgrade for sure and go from there.
for amps for those subs u need a quality amp. get quality stuff so you dont have to get more of other crap ya know.
Id get 1 good amp for that sub and go from there, might be enough for you. that sub is no joke. IF you want more. get another amp for the 2nd sub. Id go for an NVX JAD1200.1. blast that sub with good juice and go from there. save up get some good stuff and call it a day man. any questiong PM me

 

[Doubeleive]

0 gauge should be fine, I would upgrade the alternator you can get a 300amp off Ebay for around $200, I run a 5000w orion and 2 12w3's I don't get any flickering lights or dimming but I also am running 2 AGM battery's.
I've had this one in for a year no problems
https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-300-Am...e-Silverado-/192607817741?hash=item2cd852100d

**that alternator is a 2 wire, but the same seller should have one for the nbs for about the same price

 

[DirtyStatus]

I have a 2003 Yukon with a full sound system. Currently I have a pioneer head unit, a Rockville 5 channel amp, 6.5 Kenwood 3-ways in the doors and a Sundown SA-12 in a custom box. Its safe to say I really messed up by not investing in a good amp because the system really falls flat because of the amp. I get a ton of distortion if my volume is too high with my sub, yet the amp isn't even rated to put out as much wattage as my sub can handle. Ive seen videos of people running SA's with 1000 watts rms just fine, but my amp is rated to put out a measly 700 (I don't run bass boost or any EQ). All that being said I am very skeptical about what my amp is actually putting out, being that it was only $120. I want to upgrade to audiopipe amps, a 4 channel and a class D mono. The mono amp that I want to run puts out 2000 watts rms at 1 ohm, and the 4 channel 100x4 at 4 ohm. The only electrical upgrade I have is a 145 amp Delphi alternator. I was planning on getting a 2600 amp XS battery and running all 1/0 OFC power wire. Does this seem right to run roughly 2400 watts rms or do I need to do more than that.

At the point of 1-2k rms that amp would do great but the electrical system in these trucks draws a lot of the power from the alternator as it is.
I had a 2k rms skar amp with multiple setups, including having it perfectly matched with a 2 15” 4 ohm skar 15 wired to 1ohm.
Right now I bought a kicker CX1200.1 so it’s 1200 rms mono class d and it is Louder with one 15 and 1200rms vs 2000rms and two 15s.
Seriously consider buying a capacitor for your system, even the boss audio one I purchased has helped a ton.

In the end, anything past 1k rms and you probably need to upgrade to a high amp alt! That’s my next step.

 

[SnowDrifter]

You'll want to do the big 3. Just do it in 0 gauge. Alt to battery, alt to ground, battery to ground.

For batteries, get a good quality AGM in the front. If your alternator is sized appropriately, you won't need a second one. If you want to get something really nice look into XS power.

Supercaps are nice, but I think the cost / benefit isn't there for the power you run. Don't waste your money on smaller ones.

For ** alts, look into DC, Mechman, Singer. Don't need to go overkill for 2000w. 180-200a will suffice. Steer clear from ebay alts or any other similar rewound ones. They'll suffer from idle output issues, thermal issues under sustained load, reliability issues. Any one or more combination of those 3

When buying wire, I prefer KnuKonceptz or welding wire. Track down OFC, or better still, tinned OFC. Stay AWAY from any "CCA" wire. Also not a fan of sky high wire, they have corrosion issues. Don't forget to fuse

When making your terminations, learn to solder open ended terminals (see youtube) or invest in a proper hydraulic crimper for closed ended copper lugs. Don't skip on heat shrink - get the adhesive lined stuff. Oh and if I see you trying to mash the terminals in a bench vice or squeeze them with pliers, I'll kick you in the ding ding!

 

[SnowDrifter]

I see you're in washington. Are you on the NWSPL facebook page?

 

[CJ Rodarme]

I see you're in washington. Are you on the NWSPL facebook page?

No I don’t really use Facebook though I probably should so I can have access to pages like that

 

[CJ Rodarme]

You'll want to do the big 3. Just do it in 0 gauge. Alt to battery, alt to ground, battery to ground.

For batteries, get a good quality AGM in the front. If your alternator is sized appropriately, you won't need a second one. If you want to get something really nice look into XS power.

Supercaps are nice, but I think the cost / benefit isn't there for the power you run. Don't waste your money on smaller ones.

For ** alts, look into DC, Mechman, Singer. Don't need to go overkill for 2000w. 180-200a will suffice. Steer clear from ebay alts or any other similar rewound ones. They'll suffer from idle output issues, thermal issues under sustained load, reliability issues. Any one or more combination of those 3

When buying wire, I prefer KnuKonceptz or welding wire. Track down OFC, or better still, tinned OFC. Stay AWAY from any "CCA" wire. Also not a fan of sky high wire, they have corrosion issues. Don't forget to fuse

When making your terminations, learn to solder open ended terminals (see youtube) or invest in a proper hydraulic crimper for closed ended copper lugs. Don't skip on heat shrink - get the adhesive lined stuff. Oh and if I see you trying to mash the terminals in a bench vice or squeeze them with pliers, I'll kick you in the ding ding!

Uh oh I’m seeing some of my mistakes I did my terminals with a bench vice, but I will be investing in a good crimper. I also used CCA, But I will be getting some good 1/0 OFC for the rebuild

 

[SnowDrifter]

Let me share with you my philosophy on automotive wiring. It's a very different ball game than home wiring, where twist nuts are adequate. You'll see folks try to use similar techniques just to see them fail miserably. Automotive is a hostile environment. There are vibrations, temperature swings of over 100 degrees, moisture, dirt, salt, and chemicals. Additionally, you're only working with 12v. The current demands you're dealing with are vast. Any shortcoming in your wiring - any bit of resistance, will manifest itself with heat. And lots of it. Consider this: Your typical home is wired with a 100a master breaker. A 2000w car audio amplifier will draw in the neighborhood of 200a. Literally as much current as 2 houses. You need to plan for that and make sure your electrical system is planned and constructed with care.

Few points:
1. CCA wire is junk. It doesn't solder well as when heated, the copper layer flashes away and you're left with aluminum, which doesn't lend itself to being wetted with solder - poor connection. Additionally, copper and aluminum undergo a galvanic corrosion process due to the difference in their oxidation potential. They'll corrode each other. Whoever came up with this horrid abomination of wire needs to be hung with it. Folks will defend it due to cost, but fail to take into account both the reliability and conductivity of it. Just stay away. Stick with OFC, or better still, tinned OFC - which is marine grade corrosion resistant and solders like a dream

2. Termination; Solder or crimp it proper. Again, automotive is a hostile environment. A bench vice will not provide enough force to hold the wire in place, It's prone to falling out, working loose, and moisture ***********. A good connection should be gas tight - impermeable. In the case of soldering, the solder fuses with the wire and provides that. In a crimp, the pressure are high enough that the wire is literally cold-welded to both itself and the terminal. As a personal note, I prefer crimping over soldering - it's less prone to user error and I find the terminals used to be much higher quality. Can't tell you how many botched jobs I've had to fix because someone thought pliers were an appropriate tool for making terminations. They will come loose, they will fail. If not now, then later. I promise you that.

Bonus fact: I started crimping in automotive applications before it was cool. I had a section of wire I kept around with some lugs I tossed on for the 'haters.' Challenged them to pull the ends off. They could use any tool they wanted except for cutters. That was ~7 years ago. That same piece of wire is still sitting in the tool box. No one's been able to pull it apart, including my 220lb ass hanging+bouncing from it.

Here's a cutaway from a crimped wire. One solid piece of glorious copper

This is the one I use, will crimp down to 4ga. Thinner than that I typically solder. You can find an 8 ton unit that will do smaller, but some folks have complained it doesn't provide enough force for 0 gauge or 2/0

https://www.ebay.com/itm/16-Ton-Hydraulic-Wire-Crimping-Tool-Battery-Cable-Lug-Terminal-Crimper-with-12/183237759384?rt=nc&_trkparms=aid=555018&algo=PL.SIM&ao=2&asc=52885&meid=42749ce2a74e46988246b44f2cdb4dde&pid=100005&rk=1&rkt=12&sd=232811324469&itm=183237759384&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851



For lugs with a crimper, you'll want to use closed ended one like these. Mind you quality car audio cable is generally a bit oversize, so o gauge will generally need a 2/0 lug. I get mine with a 1/4" hole and drill it out depending on the size I need. Keeps the amount I need to have on hand at a minimum. Yes you'll want tinned.


https://www.ebay.com/itm/TEMCo-Tinned-Copper-Lug-Ring-Terminals-Battery-Wire-Welding-Cable-AWG/382056549608?var=650955616335&hash=item58f4584ce8:m:m9Ba9nJ9wjgBZdJ4u5hl-uA:sc:USPSFirstClass!99163!US!-1&_sacat=0&_nkw=tinned+copper+lugs&_from=R40&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.m570.l1313.TR1.TRC0.A0.H0.Xtinned+copper+lug.TRS0


By the same token, use the bolt style fuse holders. The wire-in ones will all come loose with time and, again, because they're open, are a pretty major risk for an automotive environment. Those are the style you always see folks wondering what happened when they melt

https://www.ebay.com/itm/High-Quality-1-0-4-8-Gauge-ANL-Fuse-Holder-2-Pack-Nickel-300-Amp-300A-Fuse/162054371528?hash=item25bb3178c8:g:kFAAAOSwCmFbNqy0&_sacat=0&_nkw=fuse+holder&_from=R40&rt=nc&LH_TitleDesc=0


Heatshrink: Use the adhesive lined stuff. Anything else is just decorative. It's heat shrink with hot melt glue on the inside, helps to create a proper weather tight seal.

 

[SnowDrifter]

Oh and if it seems like I'm being overkill or dramatic, I'm not. I did the same thing with my first build. What I would call a pretty "typical" wiring job. Worked great for a few months, then one of my connections came loose and shorted. Wasn't enough to pop the fuse, but was enough to fill the car with smoke and melt my wire. Burned my hand up pretty bad ripping shit out in the heat of the moment. It was at that point I did 2 things. 1. Figure out how to do shit properly. Lot of research and personal testing. And 2. always carry a fire extinguisher.

tl;dr my ****** wiring in my first build almost burnt my car down

 

[adriver]

Its sounds like you're using a 5 ch amp for all your speakers. I did a quick search is that the Rockville RXH-F5 3200 watt peak/1600 watt RMS amp? at 14.4 (running) that amp alone is pulling 111 amps at your 1600 watt rms... When you crank it up, double that (222 amps) , and another 20% if you are running it with the engine off at 12v..


YOU NEED TO UPGRADE YOUR ELECTRICAL SYSTEM...


You're vehicle is normally using roughly 60-80 amps depending on if you are using fan, ac, headlights, etc... and about 110-120 amps if you are running everything and charging phones, fogs, FI, brake/turn/cruise etc....


Your wiring is not big enough to allow enough current to flow. One thing I've learned about upgrading a stereo, is plan for the end game... Figure out how big you might possibly want to go, figure out your numbers: how many amps you will need to count for and what size wire you will need. Do your big three with that wire or bigger (your big 3 is running your stereo and the rest of your truck)... as long as you use the appropriate size fuses at the lead of your wire lengths, you can not go to big on your wiring... if 1/0 wire work so will 2/0 welding cable... Its going to be a kick in the B-hind to upgrade all your wire again for a second sub (money and time) when you knew you wanted to do it in the first place, but its only a few bucks more (relatively) to do it the first time.


CAPS ARE BS (for 99%). Any properly setup system is not going to need them.... A cap is just a temporary storage.. Think of taking a shower through a straw. A cap is like a cup in allowing you to store up the water when you don't need it so you can dump in when its time to rinse off/for the subs to hit... Upgrading your wiring is like upgrading to a garden hose, or even better a fire hose, and then you can run it below max..... Some systems can benefit from them, its a cheap way to band aid a cheap setup, or a way to make a large setup slightly more efficient.


You NEED a better alternator... The gen III uses 2 sizes of alternators for all its engines (4.8-8.1 & 6.6). A 105 amp small case design and a 130 amp larger case design. All alts that fit are based of one or the other. The larger case has a slightly larger pulley and uses a belt that is 3/4" longer. They bolt up the same, you can use either alternator design with the correct belt, (and there are 2 or 4 plugs on the alt).. I would stay far away from the alternators on ebay. Do your research if you plan to get one, most of those companies sell junkyard rebuilds. I bought one of those and it whined, and then I learned about "output at RPM". What they also aren't upfront about is what the output is at idle and what rpm is max output. Its best if they can show you a graph showing the output curve (they should have one). I've seen at least one alternator off ebay that didn't give its stated/max output until 3200 rpm (I swear it was 300amps and 80amps at 700rpm which is worse than a factory alt)..... Who cruises at 3200 rpm???? Do you plan on turning off your stereo when you are at a light???


I spent $5 or $600 on a mechman 300 amp alt and its great. IIRC It has 220 amps at 700rpm and max output 1200rpm. As with most all automotive aftermarket, You are going to pay twice as much for a 10% better product... Quality here is a lot better than 10% better.