What Parts Do I Need For An Install?

Howdy folks,

I bought a set of Kicker Key 200.4 and 500.1 amplifiers and a set of Pioneer TSA2000LD2 subwoofers.

What parts do I need to install? I'm assuming a heat gun to remold the plastic around the wider base subwoofers, some sorts of fuses (how do I figure out the specific size?), something to hold the fuses, something sort of wiring harness, and who knows what else.

I asked Crutchfield and they sent me a list of $200 in parts, and I have trouble believing that makes too much sense.

Lots of info online. Really depends on how much you want to spend/how much can you afford? I tend to do most electrical/electronic work myself and source my own pieces/parts. That said do your research, see what others have done (and what they use) and go from there.

Kicker Key Amp Integration - Crutchfield - https://www.crutchfield.com/S-xrNaW...Laf8wIVDWtvBB0_9Q7LEAAYASAAEgIQjvD_BwE#pane-D
Kicker website: https://www.kicker.com/key-2004-4-channel-smart-amplifier

I guess the question I'm trying to ask is how much of this stuff do I really need versus what can I reuse from the OEM system. Looking at the list the guy from Crutchfield gave me, I clearly don't need several of the things on it.

For example, the car comes with two amps so I figure I can reuse some of the connections, right? At minimum the wire providing power can no doubt be converted to work with the new amplifiers.

Again, depends on what you're trying to achieve. How much power are you dealing with? Watch some of the videos and do some reading.... Car manufacturers typically employ only the bare minimum for parts and materials (small Wires/basic connectors/cheap speakers/etc) when they spec a system. Anything above that will cost more however they still usually undersize the cabling (according to audiophiles).

Since you're upgrading to better amps/speakers/subwoofers I would research stereo installation kits and at the very least add larger amplifier and speaker cabling. Talk to some of the guys who actually install systems for a living to see what they have to say. As you're finding out it's another income stream for stereo manufacturers so it pays to do your own research and ask questions up front. I haven't installed a system in quite some time so others may want to chime in with additional suggestions.

Q: Do you need everything they recommend? Ans: Probably not but you'll likely want a good portion of what they're suggesting. Typically, when you're upgrading you do not reuse wiring and connectors unless you've bought a head unit and an adapter kit. Even then, most people upgrade the power and speaker cabling to something that can handle the increased power/amperage.

The system only ends up being 50w × 4 for the main speakers and 150w × 2 for the subs. My ee experience says that the wires shouldn't matter as the only issue they'd pose is a fire hazard if there was too much power going through it, but I don't think I'm pushing that much power.

Do you have any recommendations for who sells a good amp install kit?

By my estimation you just spent ~$600 - $1000 on amps/speakers, right? You can reuse stock wiring if you want but I would'nt as the stock wiring is again the lowest cost material Ford could get away with installing. However, it'll work... but you may not be satisfied with the sound quality. For a discussion on wiring vs fidelity here are a couple of articles:

https://www.qacoustics.co.uk/blog/2018/11/30/do-speaker-cables-make-difference/
https://producerhive.com/ask-the-hive/does-speaker-wire-gauge-matter/

Installation kits: There are a ton of them out there. Just type "Amp Installation Kit" or "Best Amp Installation kit" into a search term. Prices range from as little as $20 to as high as ($400 or more) though I'd probably stay away from the very lowest and highest ends of the scale. As I said it's been a long time since I've installed any systems so a little research on your end is time well spent. Others may have kits they suggest.

What I do recommend is soldering connections/cable ends or using pre-made quality cabling vice crimping. They'll conduct better and last longer. Minimally, I'd upgrade power and speaker wiring.

Good luck.

If you are going to keep the vehicle for a while, the new hard parts you bought will supply the cabin with new larger gauged wiring. the low end of the custom install will need a dedicated amp tp satisfy what I believe is your goal, satisfying the whole cabin with adequate clarity and headroom. An Active eq/ crossover will get you there, feed the signal in and run it to the sub enclosure and the cabin drivers. The factory wiring may be ok for the cabin. You will need a heavier gauge wiring and power for the amp/ subwoofer enclosure. Tune the frequencies to you ears in the cabin first remembering the sub is not completely up. oB

Does anyone know the guage wire comes stock? I ran a quick spice simulation to simulate the effects of various wire guages on an audio file, and there's not too much of a difference in sound except the extreme ends, I should be fine though, as the sound change only started being noticeable around 24 AWG, and at that point running 150w RMS through it is likely to be a fire hazard anyway