I agree with keeping them inside

 

there is nothing wrong with running it under the vehicle, nothing at all...so tell me, how are you gonna fit 4/0 under the carpet and not be able to see it? let alone 4 runs of it, you dont have to zip tie it down, get some plumbers tape and self drilling screws...its easy and 100% secured, wrap it in the plastic ridges wire protector if your that worried...there are lots of people that do it this way... i will take my info from the professionals (who are my friends) before yours (ment in nicest way)

 

If you run it under the truck how do you get it back in? Drill a hole through the floor? Run it under the door stop.

 

Actually you can hide a 4/0 cable well... under the door sills and behind dash and interor panels all the way back. Well your right I'm not a "professional" like your "friends" who can prove your direct grounding theory.. John Smith, Tom Ford, Max Power.... Actually I'm an electrical engineering major, who cant wait to try it out. Maybe I will learn something new! But seriously man, I've seen the undercar wiring your talking about flexible conduit or not it makes no difference. You can do whatever you want but I dont recomend it, and neigther does any wiring kit I've ever seen.

 

the ford has a stock hole under the passenger rear seat...you cant hide 4 runs of 4/0 wire under the carpet, and type in steve meade on yahoo or google, hes a very good friend of mine and is the one who showed me the easiest way to run my wire.

 

Probably going to regret throwing my two cents in, but the masochistic side of me won't let me move on without it.

As long as you have a solid ground, it doesn't matter how it gets there. The body is set up to ground all the electronics in your vehicle. If you get signal problems back at the amp because of dirty power, all you have to do is put in a line filter on the power side. Yes, bad grounds can make noise. Shared grounds can make noise. But so can long cable runs. With a cable or without, the power is still exposed to many of the same noise sources regardless of how the ground is run.

From the Kenwood Amp KAC-959 install instructions:
SRC: http://inform3.kenwoodusa.com/manuals/KAC959.pdf

If you're a person who can hear the difference between a 128kbps MP3 and a 192kbps MP3, then by all means run the second wire, your ears would be able to tell the difference. Otherwise don't worry about it. Copper is expensive.

 

If the body and frame are such good grounds then why dont they groung the starter to the frame. The starter is only about a foot away from the frame most of the time. The car manufacturer is going to save as much money as he possibly can so why doesnt he save the money on those 2-3 extra feet of wire. It may not seem like much but over hundreds of thousends of cars and trucks thats alot.

"Do not turn the power on if the ground wire is not connected" Not true. Read even the basics of electricity and you will find that that does nothing.

 

I don't want to revive a dead topic, but for safety's sake I have to do it.

Actually, a lot of manufacturers will make the device chassis a common ground. If you have a ground cable connected you'll never notice, because you've got much much higher impedance than the wire, and the current will continue to flow as intended. However, if you decide to hook up the power wire, turn the power on, and ignore the ground, you set yourself for a possible shock. Touch the chassis and the body of the vehicle, and you become the ground cable. Yes 12V isn't that much, but go back to your "basics of electricity" and you'll find it's the current, not the voltage, that'll do you in. How much current? 6mA (or .006A). That means that if you have a 30A fuse protecting the circuit, you can get 8000 times the lethal current.

In short, many of us fall into the trap of "I know how this works" and "I can do it a faster way", but following the book is the safe way, and the smart way. They write cautions for a reason, and the designers know a heck of a lot more than any of us about how the insides are wired, and how to protect the equipment and the installer.

 

I will say again.

It is okay to run the wires beneath the truck. Heritage you debate this with all sorts of points all of which would be applicable to anyone who does not do it properly. My wires (1/0 ga.) are outside the cab on the underside. They are in liquid tight (exterior grade) conduit with bushings at each end. I am willing to bet in ten years the sheathing of the wire will be shiny and new even under the truck! Meaning...it is NOT exposed. It is NOT simply wrapped in some shoddy tape or zip tied to the damned muffler.

Give "some" people credit. There are proper ways to do just about anything if you are willing to take the steps, do the research, etc.

I would be willing to bet I could drag the belly of my truck on the asphalt, or go mudding in the truck...and not even a whisp of dirt, debris would enter my conduit nor a severe cut (resulting in a breach) would occur.

I really did not want to see 1/0 ga. wire running under my carpet....adn I believe the method I have chosen and metodically performed and installed is 100% safe.

If I had a better route to run inside the truck, would I have then done so...absolutely. But I have zero fear of any safety issues as it stands.