Speaker Wire Gauge?

[06YarisRS]

Does anyone know the actual gauge of the speaker wire in my '06 Yaris? I'm about to start my audio installation. I had a door panel off and the speaker wire looks quite thin. My amp is 4 x 100 watts and I rarely crank my systems up so I'm hoping I don't have to replace the wire.

Thanks in advance.

[kevinj93]

100 watts into 4 ohms is only 5 amps. The speaker wires don't need to be very heavy gauge, but it won't hurt to upgrade the wiring if you want to. Just don't expect to hear any great change in sound if you do upgrade the wiring.

Even allowing for the poor efficiency of most car speakers, 4x100 watts would be causing hearing damage if you were using the full power...

[06YarisRS]

100 watts into 4 ohms is only 5 amps. The speaker wires don't need to be very heavy gauge, but it won't hurt to upgrade the wiring if you want to. Just don't expect to hear any great change in sound if you do upgrade the wiring.

Even allowing for the poor efficiency of most car speakers, 4x100 watts would be causing hearing damage if you were using the full power...

Thanks! OK, well that's good news. I was just concerned about maybe overheating the wires as they are very thin. I really doubt I'd be pushing more than 20 - 25 watts at my normal listening level, if that. I never have my amp gains anywhere near full and I rarely turn the volume of my head units past 1/2. I know that's not an indicator of watts output but I can safely say I'd never approach the rated power of the amp. My speakers are Rockford Fosgate 6.5 3-ways - their bottom line of speaker.

According to the site linked below, I should have 18 gauge wire. I would guess that the wire in the Yaris is 20 gauge or possibly even 22 gauge. It's thinner than both my Kia vehicles and thinner than the wire was in my older Dodge minivan. I expect that they are assuming that you will be actually using the rated power of the amp - a 'safety margin' of sorts.

http://www.bcae1.com/wire.htm

[IllusionX]

Unless you are installing your amp in stock location, you probably want to fish new wires to the door anyways. Run 12-10AWG

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk

[06YarisRS]

Unless you are installing your amp in stock location, you probably want to fish new wires to the door anyways. Run 12-10AWG

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk

I am hoping to install the amp behind the head unit or somewhere close to it, under the dash. I would do a short run of heavier wire from the amp to the stock speaker wire harness where it would tie in to the stock wiring. Although I've done all my earlier installs, I'm actually considering paying to have this one done. My neighbour wants me to do a paint correction and sealant on his '14 Wrangler as well as refinish his door sills as the paint is worn off. What he pays me will offset the cost of the stereo installation.

Thanks for the input. 12 gauge would certainly be more than adequate, I expect. I'll consult with the stereo install guy too.