Ok so right now I'm running 2 Amps

-An Mtx thunder 282 45x2 rms Stereo output at 4 ohms
-A Concept cc-452 150 rms Bridged output at 4 ohms

I recently got a Clarion Apx640.2 (160x2 rms) which I will be running bridged at 4 ohms to get me 640 Rms. Now I have a few questions about adding a 3rd amp.

1./ The total wattage in my system will be around 880 rms.. I don't want to get into a capacitor debate so simple yes or no.. would you recommend one?

2./ Will this be too much of a draw on my stock 92 civic alternator? I have a new battery so no problems there..

3./When I wire the new amp I will now have 3 runs of power wire going directly from the battery to the amps (all fused of course). However I don't care to use a distribution block.. and since the wiring for the new amp will all be 4 awg so it will be drawing the majority of the power I should be ok doing this right?

4./ And lastly I have the remote wire from my deck to the concept amp, and I have the mtx remote piggybacking off the concept's one.. can I safely just piggyback the remote from the new amp to the mtx? or would a relay be reccommended?

sorry for the length..

1./2. Power caps are only a band-aid to 'fix' a voltage problem... they are not a solution, over a H.O Alt. or an upgraded battery. That being said, you should be fine with your stock setup, but upgrading some wiring under the hood, (if you haven't already) wouldn't be a bad idea.

3. why so many runs? do you have 1 run for each amp??? Id run a single power wire, 4 AWg would suffice for the kind of power you are running, but bigger would be better for future upgrades. But you would be ok doing it that way.

4. you might be fine running the 3rd amp straight off the remote wire, it can depend on the deck, and amp's as to how stable it is. I have had problems in the past where in some setups the amps done reliably turn on, so thats why I have always used a relay for anything more than 2 amps. Not a bad way to spend 2 bucks anyways.

by the way "and since the wiring for the new amp will all be 4 awg so it will be drawing the majority of the power" that statement confuses me... an amp connected to the battery with a 10 AWG power wire, is going to draw the same ammount of current that, that same amp would draw if it was connected to the battery with a 0 AWG power wire; given the amp wasn't trying to draw more current than the 10 AWG power wire could deliver.

regards, Mark

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sorry what I meant by that was that I will have 4 guage wire for the amp which draws the most power.. as opposed to my 8 guage to each other lower wattage amps.. so I should technically be good without a distrib block right?

If you have each amp running of it's own power wire, of course you'd be fine without a distro block... by I hope you realize that the single 4 AWG power wire would be just fone for all 3 amps... I realize that with a single power wire you'd need some sort of distro block, but non fused blocks are in the 5-15 dollar range, and it would eliminate all the extra power wire... But that's just me, your way works fine as well.

regards, Mark

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what exactly is a relay and how would I go about installing / obtaining one?

What you are looking for is a Automotive SPDT (Single Pole Double Throw) 15-30amp relay. it will have 5 pins on it.

86- connect the remote turn on lead
87- connect 12V source
30- connect amps, and any other 12v electronics that you want the HU to enable.
85- Connect to Ground
87a- not used

Canadian tire, napa, princess auto etc... all will have relays for a few bucks.

Mark

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cheers man

no problem.

regards , Mark

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Run a distro block if you are not already running 3 sets of 4 guage directly from the battery. You shouldn't need a capacitor for that setup (stock battery should be fine, especially for daily driving).

Invest in a relay - it's cheap and is less likely to fail than the deck (you probably don't need it but for the price it is definately worth it).

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I'm going to make a different suggestion than the others who've replied so far and hope i don't step on any toes.
I agree with the relay for remote, i did that when i got up to 4 amps, you don't want to draw to much current from your HU. And i also used to have separate power cables for each amp from the battery.
But, when you get up to that much power, I think you need a 1 f cap.
I was running close to 1000w rms and lights would dim at high volume and bass would sound muddy. I added the cap, only on the amps for the subs, and it made a big difference. The problem isn't not enough current, but not enough current fast enough! I was really impressed with how much difference the cap made. Since i wasn't pulling down the voltage with the sub amps, even the amps for mid & highs sounded better.
Then i got carried away and bought more speakers and more amps. Then i had to break down and run a fused 1/0 cable and distribution blocks. And of course a new 2f cap. You can really get carried away with all this stuff...
I just ripped the whole system out of my old car and it's sitting in my bedroom waiting to be installed in my new car. I'm suffering audio withdrawls, waiting for new subs to be delivered.