stick

Is there really that much voltage drop in the HHR with the battery in the back? Can't really need that much wire

quest51210

the long and "thin" power wire going to the alternator is gonna be the biggest source for voltage drop...the path of least resistance

stick

Call me stupid here, but why is there a wire running all the way up to the alternator? I've ran systems in my last four vehicles and never hooked to the alt.

captain howdy

I just looked over JBL's site and if you want the amp to be JBL also the GTO601.1 II looks like a good match.

betterof2evils4

This is probably the best advice given yet... I am not a professional at this stuff, and do not claim to be. I did my own system, and it turned out well, but it was by no means awe-inspiring.

But, as Stick said, go to a reputable audio-installer, not a Circuit City/Best Buy type of place. A specialized audio person will be more capable of getting you the best sound for your dollar. Just tell them what you want, and what you're expecting from your system.

Money in the Bank

To be honest it i dont care if the amp is jbl or not, as long as it is from a reputable company. But if that jbl looks good, i'll consider it. Power wise it will work?

quest51210

the alternator keeps the battery charged or else you cannot start your vehicle...its a factory component and is the weakest link in our charging system

SIRESMERPH

if your a first timer in getting a system put in, you also wanna take into consideration how much "money in the bank" you got and willing to spend. what's the spending limit? yea best buy and circuit city, i wouldn't recomend going to one of them shops for install. what you may wanna check out is some local audio video shops and see what "packages" they may be offering at the time. a couple of years ago i got an Alphasonic amp, 2 10s and the box for only $350. i already had the radio w/7 in flip out screen. mind you, you still need an amp wiring kit. as far as hooking everything up...post questions when you are ready...as i have been reading on here for a couple of months and everyone is very knoledgable (spell check) in alot of areas, and others, like me, do our own work and installs. check out my thread in here in the audio video postings. as far as power and how loud you wanna go...again it's preference and money. the more power/reliability, the more money. from what i understand 12s for more bass/air, and 10s for clarity...although you can still get very good clarity our of some 12s...it's all how you wire and tune everything up. if you don't wanna go too extreme, and still want some space in your car, maybe some 10s with about 5-600 watts max and a amp with i'd say about 600 watts max. that should give your speakers about 250-300 watts rms and the amp 3-400 wats rms...give or take and someone correct me if im wrong....please! the rms is the watts what you will be bumpin to...and if you are looking into big bumpin check out what's his name with the big ol box and 8 10in speakers....WOW. that should give you somewhere to start...hope it helps...also remember don't let shops hype you into spending more money cus "well sir these speakers got 1000 watts and this amp's got 2000 watts"...cus speakers and amps are like Lambos and Ferraris....when and where are you gonna have that much space to use up all that power

stick

I'm guessing here you are talking about a factory wire not a wire from an amp.

Money in the Bank

i dont have a set price in mind, but i'm guessing around $1500.