Where to Mount Your Car Amps

There are several places in your car to install your car amps. You can usually be mounted with just 4 screws. The screws you use will depend on what you are screwing into, wood, metal, etc. You do want to mount your car amp at least 3 feet away from your receiver though to eliminate the chance of receiving any interference in your receiver. Making sure your stereo equipment is securely mounted can help eliminate shorts and other problems with your stereo.

So where do you want to install your car amps?

1) Under the front seat

Mounting an amplifier under the front seat can be a safe and secure for your car amplifier. Another advantage of installing your amp under the front seat is that you can run much shorter patch cables to your amp. It is also nice because it will be out of the way.

An obvious disadvantage of mounting a car amplifier under a seat is that you will have to remove the seat to install the amp. Sometimes removing the seat can deactivate the air bag SRS system in your car. As with any time you work on a cars electrical system you will want to make sure to connect the cars negative battery terminal. Another disadvantage of mounting your car amps under the front seat is that only smaller amps will fit under the seat.

2) In the trunk or hatch of your car

A common place to install your car amps is in the trunk or hatch. The advantage of mounting amplifiers in the trunk is you have much more space in the trunk for larger amps. It is also closer to your sub and rear speakers. The trunk is also can be a good place to conceal your amps so you can keep them safe from unwanted eyes.

The disadvantage of installing your amp in the trunk is that you have to run longer RCA cables and usually longer power wires. Having longer power wires usually means you need a thicker wire. Be sure to research to make sure you use the right size cable for your amps. Another disadvantage of mounting your amp is that it can get in the way when it is mounted in the trunk.

One thing you want to keep in mind is that car amps can produce lots of heat. This is one thing you will want to consider when choosing where to mount your amp. The amps cooling fins will need some space to disperse the heat. Giving the amps a couple of inches is enough space to help keep your amp cool. Never mount your amp upside down. This will make the heat radiate back up into the amplifier making it very hot. Make sure you also leave adequate room for the wires coming out of the amp as well.

If you are mounting car amps on a vehicle floor or panel you will want to make sure you know exactly what is on the other side of the panel you are screwing or drilling into. You do not want to screw into a brake or gas line, or even into your gas tank.

A lot of times you can install your car amps on the back or top of your subwoofer box. This can be very convenient if you take your car amps and subwoofers out of your trunk or hatch to make room for other items on a regular basis. Before starting your install is to make a plan before you start. Never rush your install giving yourself plenty of time to install your car amps and subwoofers.