Earth location for under seat amp install

[madmezza]

Can anyone give me an idea of where to get the earth from for an under the seat amp install. At the momnet, I've found a nut under the dash on the passenger side, but I've only got 1m of earth cable so the amp is in the passenger foot well.

Where has anyone else taken the earth from -bearining in mind you should keep the earthing lead short. Or have you got more than 1m of earth cable...?

Cheers

 

[lewis]

I had the same problem as you my man, ended up getting another earth cable, the 1m you get with wiring kits is pretty stingy!

Could you not take the seat out and earth it there, where the seat is attached to the main body of the car?

 

[Arnold]

I dont think it matters if the earth is too long, just that there may be an increased chance of picking up more interference through it!?

Wiring is a very important part of a car's sound system and you could end up spending quite a bit on expensive cable!

 

[jonnyfatman]

Its 1m for a reason! You want the ground to be as short as possible. I was pretty lucky. I've got a 2001 K11. If you push the seat forwards, then feel underneath the seat, there is like a big hump in the metal work. Pull back a bit of the carpet or just have a feel around the existing hole. There was a nice square shaped hole in my car which was just the right size to sand down then bolt onto.
Make sure you use some shakeproof washers or similar to ensure a good contact and always sand the hole both sides to get rid of any paint.

Jonny

 

[madmezza]

Cool. Cheers guys - I've got a '98 K11 so I'll see if there are any holes there...

 

[James]

Its 1m for a reason! You want the ground to be as short as possible. I was pretty lucky. I've got a 2001 K11. If you push the seat forwards, then feel underneath the seat, there is like a big hump in the metal work. Pull back a bit of the carpet or just have a feel around the existing hole. There was a nice square shaped hole in my car which was just the right size to sand down then bolt onto.
Make sure you use some shakeproof washers or similar to ensure a good contact and always sand the hole both sides to get rid of any paint.

Jonny

Yes, this is the hole mike used for my amp under the passenger seat IIRC

 

[wilsonian]

This might sound a bit daft but why don't you just get the earth to the bolt that holds the seat to the car?

 

[James]

This might sound a bit daft but why don't you just get the earth to the bolt that holds the seat to the car?

...or maybe that was it :wasntme:

I'll leave it to mike to remember lol

 

[jonnyfatman]

This might sound a bit daft but why don't you just get the earth to the bolt that holds the seat to the car?

I was going to do that originally, but the ring that came on the end of the wire would have been too small for the bolt to go thru. I couldn't believe my luck when I found the hole under the seat. I've got a 4 channel Kenwood amp under there and you can't see it or any wires.

An important point I have been told also is to make sure your amp doesn't get too hot. Mine's got a fan, but some don't like being in enclosed spaces.

 

[Retepetsir]

Or use the seatbelt, or seat frame mounting bolts......

 

[Andy_S]

or drill a 6mm hole in the floor, sand it down a bit to get rid of the paint and put a M6 (6mm) Nut and Bolt through and washers on either side so that water cant get in.

 

[SplanK]

the "short" earth rule is a myth TBH. Over a long distance yes resistance would be great, but we are talking 2-3meters.. you could even run an earth cable from the rear of the car to the front on the battery and it would make sod all difference

 

[madmezza]

Cheers all.

To be honest, I hadn't thought of drilling a hole and putting my own bolt through - but I think I'll go this way as it gives me the most flexibility and tidyness.

I couldn't use the seat mounts for 2 reasons - (a) the bolts are too big for the ring on the end of the wire and (b), I couldn't get the flaming things undone!!

My amp doesn't get too hot - it's only a 200W 2 channel amp for the front components and even when I'm deafening myself it's only warm. My 400W sub amp in the boot gets a bit warmer, but even that's not too hot (at the moment that's screwed to the back of the sub enclosure but I should move that otherwise the bass can mechanically damage the amp!)