amp wiring help

Looking to add some component polk db-series speakers up front with a sony slim amp under the passenger seat. the speaker install should go ok, i've replaced speakers before, but i'm still a bit unsure about the amp

I know how to wire it, but where i'm stuck is how to make it look professional (no wires showing). should the wires go under the carpet? how does that work?

I installed an amp under the passenger seat. It was super easy, stealth and I did not remove the seat.

I used the seat bolt as a ground (sand it down first).

I removed door sill trim - it just pops off and fished wire from door sil under carpet to holes for legs/seat bolts. Use a ordinary straightened wire coat hanger for a fish hook.

I used one hole for power and turn on lead - which I ran with a fuse tap from the interior fuse box to get switched power ( I kept stock Navi and needed a turn on lead). FROM THE BATTERY FOR MAIN POWER: 8 guage works fine for your size amp. 4 guage is overkill and will not fit.

Another hole for speaker wire to keep things apart so as not to get alternator whine / whistle, and yet another for RCA.

Leave slack in the wire, bundle with split loom from any auto parts store or home depot is even cheaper.

I got the hook part of hook and loop tape (velcro) and stuck it to the back of the amp and just velcro it down and move the seat back. Now when I want to adjust the gain or EQ I just take out the amp, adjust and then put it back.

Any questions?

Soas i understand it you cut a hole in the carpet under the seat and fished the wire through from the door-sill panel, correct?

also, i assume that you ran the power wire to the battery and the wire to the HU on opposite sited of the truck... if that's the case did you go around or under the center console? trying to figure out where/how to run the wires to the drivers side of the Ridgeline.

thanks

If you are just running power and speaker wires to the new amp I wouldn't worry about separating them. Speaker level signals are not prone to power line interference. Run them both under the passenger side door sills, up the kick panel, behind the glove box, etc. Use the grommet above the gas pedal to get your power lead to the battery.

Franc944. You said you tapped into the interior fuse box to power your amp. Which position in the fuse box did you tap into? Did you have to increase the amperage on the fuse? Please tell me how to do this so I don't have to run a line all the way to the battery. I'd like to have switched power as well.

That's a BAD idea.

Never change the size of a fuse to a bigger value.....

Never run an amplifier off of the OEM harness. Always run a line to the battery. If you're too lazy to do it, pay someone to do it.

I used a fuse tap from the fuse box with a 5 amp fuse for the AMP TURN ON ONLY. It draws very little current.

I did run an 8 guage power line from the battery with its own 20 amp in line fuse within 6 inches of the battery.

I used a fuse tap because I did not want to pull the deck and splice in behind the radio. Normally aftermarket decks have an amp turn on lead but the stock NAVI unit does not so you need to power the turn on lead somehow to make sure the amp is on when the car is on and off when the truck is turned off.

The only alternative is to find a line level converter that senses sound to turn on the amp or some amps now have the circuit built in. Most don't so it is as simple as wiring up an accessory switched source, cigaret lighter would do the same job.

It is a very safe connection as it is used for turn on signal only and not to actually power the amp.

It does not run "off" the radio 12v but rather "with it".

The way the fuse tap works is the stock fuse for the radio stays in place and you insert another fuse for whatever you want to power

For remote turn-on, fine. For powering the amp, as the OP is asking, not fine.

Completely agree with Shovelhd, and if you are going to do it, run 4 aug. This will be enough if you ever want to add something else in the future