Why is it good to grind off the paint to install the ground from a car audio amplifier?

Question 1
Why is it good to grind off the paint to install the ground from a car audio amplifier?...  Does this give you a better output...or is it do nothing at all?

Answers
1)   you want metal to metal contact since metal is a MUCH better conductor than paint. - Hitchhiker

2)   It ensures that the ground makes a good connection with bare metal. Paint doesn't conduct as well as metal, so it's best that it is removed before the connection is made. - John C

3)   Because paint is a insulator, and it's always best to ground a bare wire to bare metal. - Capt Morgan

4)   You need the ground to work at all. If you don't grind the paint, the connection is bad, and you will have problems. Metal needs to touch metal, and the paint will block the current. - lb

5)   You need a good ground,

and paint can interfere with that,

just like the negative battery cable on a car needs a good ground or it wont start, - matt_cruz@sbcglobal.net

6)   You need to be down to bare metal so that you have a good ground connection.This allows the electrical current to complete the circuit. If you do not have a good ground connection your amp may work only intermittently or not at all. - Mike

7)   iujghjbjkn - purple hippos dance occasionally

8)   You will not be obtaining an optimum ground unless you remove the paint. What you should do is sand off the paint, install your ground, then paint over it. That way you have your metal to metal optimal contact, and you also have rust preventative paint. Optimally, what you would do is place a small distribution block for power and one fro ground nearthe battery and run everything to those. Of course, putting a fuse at either end for short circuit protection. - rivermikerat

9)   In a larger, higher power set up, A solid ground will make all the difference in the world. In a smaller, lower power system, you may not even draw enough current to notice a difference.



In most cases, It will just cause the amp to run a little less efficiently, limiting the power output to match the amount of current that can be supplied.



In extreme cases, It can cause equipment damage and even fire. As the current draw exceeds the capacity of the ground heat will be produced as a byproduct.



As a general rule, it is always a good idea to sand the paint from any grounding surface. Whether you are running 150 watts or 15,000 watts. - JMann

10)   Also its best if ground is kept under 3 feet long.putting a ground on a painted surface is like connecting your speaker wires without stripping off the wire.same idea. - decibaldude


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Question 2
Does playing radio in your car take up gas?...  Does it use up your gas to listen to radio in your car?

Answers
1)   no - ken k

2)   Technically Yes, some people will disagree.



With engine running, anything in your car that uses electricity will put a load into your alternator, therefore making your engine work harder.



But the radio does not use that much, so it will be negligeble



And ofcourse not, when your parked and engine not running, it will just drain your battery. - AL M

3)   only if the car is turned on and running - Erics Towing & Auto Sales Inc.

4)   Yes it does, but not enough that you would ever notice.



To operate, the radio uses electrical energy that has been stored in the battery. The energy was put there by the alternator which is turned by the engine, so some small portion of fuel burned in the engine ends up powering the radio. - PimpMyRide


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Question 3
Do I need an amplifier if I want to put a sub in my car?...  If I want to put a subwoofer in my car that doesn't already have one, do I need to purchase an amplifier too? Or is it just recommended?

Answers
1)   yes and no. it depends on the stereo unit that you have i know that pioneer make thier internal amps with a built in cross over so that you can bridge the rear speakers to make an subwoofer output. but if the head unit isn't made that way then yes you will need to buy a separate amp for the subs. - jeremy m

2)   yes you need an amp for sure,if you try without amp will burn your radio for sure,plus the bass will be so weak - peter pan romania

3)   i would buy a amp. an amp kit. you really don't want to under power a sub because it can cause damage to it. and a big plus is it will sound so much better. - Audio Fan

4)   you dont NEED one but not getting one would make getting a sub pointless cause your going to need alot more than 20 watts rms (which is what most good decks put out) to push any sub.. so if you dont get one it wont be loud at all you probably wont even notice a difference. - stumuffin8493


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Question 4
Is this the right car amp I should be getting?...  Hi, I dont know to much about car audio. I just purchased a set of subs (brand : Dual) in a box (2 subs) each with a 375w peak. What size amp should I get for it? at the moment I am thinking of getting a 600w amp and a 1 farad stinger capacitor, is that going to be enough?

Here is the link to the subs stats (I believe they are the DS10's) : http://www.dualav.com/mobileaudio/dsseries.php



Thanks.

Answers
1)   The 600 watt amp should do fine with the subs. The cap is just a waste of money and won't help your system in anyway. - Chester

2)   he's right. a 600W amp wont drain your electrical system near enough to spend money on a capacitor. that amp will work just fine though. might i suggest a banpass box too. smaller powered subs work well with these. - jake

3)   a 600 watt amp would push those duals just fine, if the peak is 375 watts, an easy rule is to cut the watts in half to find what they would run at. some subs run at less than half of there peak. as it goes for a capacitor, i wouldn't get one if your only running 600 watts. if you don't have any electrical upgrades then i would stay under 1000 watts so that your alternator will live a long life. - Audio Fan

4)   the best speaker system is your voice - c2112d


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Question 5
Normal screws to a car amplifier?...  i recently bought a car that has a 4 channel amp, speakers and sub.. but the amp is missing most screws and i would like to use the amp for the 4 speakers rather than the sub (seeing how its 4 channel)

can i use normal screws or must i use the "specific" ones?

Answers
1)   for less distortion under a heavy load output you SHOULD use gold plated terminal connection screws...brass or copper would be good too....any metal screws will work but if you use just "ANY SCREW" try to use nickel, copper, brass or gold plated terminals - Dustin

2)   you can pick up those screws individually at most radioshacks or car audio stores. make sure you get the right sizes though. - jake

3)   Just get screws that fit from the hardware store. Any difference in sound quality would be so infinitesimal- especially in a noisy environment like a car you could never even hear. - don r


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