I'm installing an Alpine 5-ch amp, MRV-F450, to be mounted in the trunk.

@14.4v it tested:
4 x 57 watts
1 x 230 watts

The amp will push 6.5 components in the front, 6.5 coax in rear and 12" sub in trunk. I'm not looking to set off car alarms, just want a clean sound.

I'm looking at the Rockford amp kits. I particularly like the amount of copper used in their wires. (Am I falling for a marketing ploy? This seems like legit point of differentiation.) Also, this comes pre-installed with fuse case and terminal connector on the power wire for easier install. My amp has two 30 amp fuses and the 8 AWG amp kit comes with 60 amp fuse, seems like a perfect match. I'm never going to add more amps or subs so I suppose 8 AWG should work well.

Thoughts? Thanks.

 

I would go 4 AWG. The thicker the better! If you are just going to run that single amp with nothing else ever, I would figure out the thickest wire the amp accepts at the power input and go with that.

As for the comment about the amount of copper, that seems like a marketing ploy to me. I'm not sure if anyone uses something like 80% copper 20% tin or something like that, but I think almost every wiring kit uses pure copper wires. 100% oxygen free copper (to prevent corrosion in the future) is a good thing that not everyone uses. The only way to increase the actual amount of copper in the wire is to get a bigger (thicker) wire If you like the rockford kits and can find them for a decent price, then go for it, but I wouldn't base it on how much copper they use.

 

I tried the Mrv-f357 / an older model 5 chanel, basically with the same setup and it would overheat and shut off for a few minutes if I crank it up, so I had to get a separate amp for the woofer. So, I would go with a 4 gauge, just incase you might want to add another amp down the line. (especially if you got a JL woofer)

 

I've got 2 alpine amps, an 1800 monoblock and a 600watt 4 channel, I run 0 gauge all the way bck to capacitor then split into 2 4 gauge. SO you should be good with 4 gauge, nothing less.

 

you'd be fine with 8 gauge. 4 gauge would be complete overkill, but couldn't hurt as long as the amp's terminals are big enough for 4 gauge

 

I like Streetwires www.streetwires.com

 

Here is a link to more information than you ever wanted to know about which type and size wire to use in your install:
The page isn't much to look at, but if you scroll down a ways you'll find excellent calculators to determine wire size and power loss, as well as information on oxygen free copper versus tinned copper wire.

 

I went with knuconceptz and was very happy with the pricing and quality.

 

You could go with 4 ga and 8 ga off the distribute block.