can my 8 gauge power 500rms amp?

i currently have 8gauge power running at 300rms on 4ohms on my Alpine MRP-M500 rated at 500rms at 2 ohms. im looking to upgrade my subwoofer to alpine type r, would my wires feed my amp enough power? it says 8 gauge wires is recommended on installation. but i am worried that 8 gauge is not big enough and i will have to rewire everything.. i was thinking about getting a farad capacitor.. would that be a better solution if i dont want to rewire my power cables?

8 Ga. wire will be fine. DO NOT WASTE your money on a capacitor.

so 8 gauge is perfectly fine for running 500rms? just want to confirm

Yep. Me? I'd go 1/0, but that's overkill... Wha...??? Dave? Overkill? }:>It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."

      Power & Ground Cable Specs Cable Size Wire Gauge      Current Capacity Amperage (amps) 1/0      350 2      225 4      150 8      100 10      60 12      40 14      25 16      15 Notice that the 8 Ga. wire is rated for 100 amps.

Also, what brand is the wire you are using. Many companies have Aluminum/Copper wire nowadays rather than full copper. If, in fact, it is mixed wire, I would recommend bumping it up to 4ga. Better safe than sorry. Personally, I am currently running a 500 rms mono amp and 250 rms for the interiors on EFX 4ga full copper wire.Sean McAuliffe

Sales Rep.

Installation Distributors

using SCOSCHE brand are they not good?

Why not get the cable resistance and calculate total power and GND resistance, hence calculate the maximum voltage drop and decide if that is acceptable (and doesn't exceed cable specs)?     (That's my method in reverse - I decide an acceptable voltage drop, I know my length so I can buy/use the right gauge.)

check the voltage while car is on? on the 8 gauge leads to amp? if voltage is still above 12v while bumping loud when the car is on idle then it should be fine right?i dont have a volt meter but i can borrow one from my brother. i think i can cut off extra 2 feet of power cable.. would that make a difference? and would i need the shortest ground wire as possible?

No - sorry, it has nothing to do with actual voltages (though that can influence one's voltage-drop choice). This is merely what maximum or typical voltage drop you want due to your cable size (plus fuses, distBlocks, terminations, etc; but generally they can be ignored). Apparently 3V is an acceptable drop (according to some automotive-electrics bodies). I usually install/design to 0.5V max for the cabling voltage drop (ie, its resistance times the current's RMS value; V=IR). (PS - that's for lights etc.)