Instruction Manual
Power and Wire Gauge
The wire you use for the power and ground connections of your amplifier is
absolutely critical. The plain simple fact is that it takes power to deliver power. If
you do not provide the proper amount of 12V power to your amplifier, you will
never reach the full power potential of the amp. Take a look at the chart below.
If you want to have any respectable amount of power for your amp, you need a
4-gauge wire to the trunk as a bare minimum. If you are running any Zapco Z-series
amp in you trunk you need at least a 2 gauge wire. If you want enough
power to drive woofers, you’re certainly going to need at least a 2-gauge wire to
the rear and zero gauge is better.
Up to
20 A
35 A
50 A
60 A
85 A
105 A
125 A
150 A
Recommended Wire Gauge
4 Ft
14
12
10
8
4
4
4
2
7 Ft
12
10
8
8
4
4
4
2
10 Ft
12
8
8
4
4
4
4
2
13 Ft
10
8
4
4
4
2
2
2
16 Ft
10
4
4
4
2
2
2
0
19 Ft
8
4
4
4
2
2
0
0
22 Ft
8
4
4
4
2
2
0
0
28 Ft
8
4
4
2
0
0
0
0
You can certainly save money by buying cheap small gauge wire, but
remember...It will cost you in power and may even damage your car by passing
too much current and causing shorts or even fires. Protect your investment in
Zapco amplifiers by using high quality, proper gauge wire.
And remember... Current in the amplifier runs in a complete circuit from the
battery to the amp and back to the battery through the chassis and frame. The
ground wire us just as important as the power input wire. Positive and Negative
connections must always use the same gauge wire.
Installation Guidelines
Mounting your Z-Series Amplifier is easy. Keep in mind the following
guidelines:
The amplifier may be mounted in any direction, on wood, metal or carpet.
The metal case of the amplifier may be grounded or left isolated.
The amplifier requires adequate ventilation. Position the amplifier with
sufficient surrounding area for proper cooling. Keep fan and vent
endplates clear for proper internal cooling.
Keep the amplifier out of the engine compartment and other locations that
may cause excessive heat or moisture.
Make sure your ground point is at the frame or a chassis point with direct
frame contact. Note: the "quiet metal" on many new cars make body
panels very bad ground points, so always try to use the frame.
Do not mount the amplifier to a subwoofer enclosure or any other place
that may have excessive vibration!
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