Big 3 Upgrade - 07 STI (Full Install)

In this video we're finally installing the Big 3 Upgrade on the Subaru! I take you through the whole project to show you how the Big 3 Upgrade is installed.
The Big 3 Upgrade kit I'm using is the NVX True Spec 1/0 gauge model number XBG3PK. I'm also using the InstallGear 1/0 gauge gold ANL fuse holder with 250A ANL fuse and two JL Audio XB-BTU universal battery post terminals.
Visit my website for more car electronics installation related content:
mobileinstallguide.com
To read the blog post on what the Big 3 Upgrade is, what the benefits are, and how to install it, check out the link below:
mobileinstallguide.com/big-3/
Big 3 Upgrade parts and specialized tools unboxing video:
• NVX Big 3 Upgrade Kit ...
*Parts and Specialty tools used for this install*
NVX 1/0 Gauge Big 3 Upgrade Kit
amzn.to/2RWHo3p
InstallGear 1/0 Gauge ANL Fuse Holder with 250A Fuse
amzn.to/2RTWG94
JL Audio Universal Battery Post Terminal
amzn.to/2DKd6xN
Klein Tools Cable Cutters
amzn.to/2qZPDQV
TMS Hydraulic Wire Terminal Crimper
amzn.to/2qRTTBV
DISCLAIMER: This video and description contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission. This helps support the channel and allows me to continue to make videos like this. Thank you for the support!
*Music Attribution*
Green Daze by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Artist: audionautix.com/

[@mikediaz6039]

Very good video, I think more helpful than other videos!!

[@tonyr6840]

Great video. Been wanting to do this for a while now.

[@omarkokh5736]

Work of art young man ,,

[@AlanShirtsink]

Nice work! Cleanest I have seen

[@hectorcastaneda3891]

Exelent big 3 bro, i salute u from san Antonio tx

[@stevemcduffie413]

Good quality video that you could understand! THANK YOU!

[@joaquinaguirre2976]

Great job! I will do mine. Thank you very much.

[@rednoize4391]

excellent video, made it really easy to follow. I am going to do mine this upcoming week tks again.

[@nonyabusiness7887]

Best video on KZbin.

[@josea.garcia3994]

Great job and great video on that Big 3 upgrade my friend!!! 👍👍👍 The only thing is that some cars are harder to do the Big 3 upgrade than others!!! Depending on the location of the alternator and the engine block ground location!!! That one on this vehicle you just did was a little hidden but you seemed to do it with no problem!!! I'm in the process of doing the Big 3 upgrade on my 2008 Ford Escape and the alternator is right between the cooling fan and the engine so I shall have my work cut out for me!!! Considering that I'm also upgrading to a high output alternator also!!! The negative post ground looks simple to get to and so does the engine block ground!!! ✌️✌️✌️

[@rickjames6948]

This is one of the better big 3 videos. What I would of done different. Use real battery cable in black and red colors. Star grounding washers. Ran a 1/0 GROUND to the rear amp area from battery - post. Copper cable connectors. Crimp battery post terminals.

[@01sidiropoulos]

Nice job man 👍👍👍👍😉

[@ernestoquesada9176]

Yes good video and straight to it.

[@bodaciuos357]

thanks for the vid.

[@mackie_p]

This man does not blink...

[@edwindiaz3932]

I just checked and my engine ground isn’t connected… nice vid and thanks for showing the process. Now I have things to do during 4th of July.

[@JDMxJunkiie]

Amazing video! Very informative. I actually did not know what the "big 3" actually was until now. Keep up the good work!

[@mobileinstallguide3252]

Thanks man, I'm glad you liked it! If you're looking for more information on the Big 3 Upgrade, I wrote a blog post that goes into more detail about why you might want to do the Big 3 and what the benefits are. Check it out here! mobileinstallguide.com/big-3/

[@basslife4evr772]

AWESOME video bro

[@mobileinstallguide3252]

Thanks!

[@dtg6760]

You guys always have so easy cars to work with.... almost straight line to battery and not even far away and another thing is the tools. In my case i had to go around whole engine to get my ground and + from alternator and to get chassis ground i had to remove my front light and to do that you need to remove your bumper etc. To Crimp connectors i was using hammer on rock 😂 and also my battery terminal was to small to put more cables to it so i extended it with copper sheet but wait how do i get copper sheet 🤔 i made it from copper pipe hahahahah bruh my life is hard

[@HomeLaptopCasiano]

NICE WORK

[@RealAmericanHero420]

Nice job dude!

[@spiritualcramp8000]

yeah, gret to blow the fkn car with no fuses. great!

[@Sam-rf8yh]

Nice job!

[@jacksmith3189]

Good information Thanks

[@tcaudiomute]

bro solid video man !

[@booster314]

I have the same gen wrx. This helped so much. Thank you

[@mobileinstallguide3252]

Awesome! I'm glad it helped. Let me know if you run into any issues or have any questions come up.

[@UltimatumDemon]

What did it do?

[@booster314]

@UltimatumDemon I just meant the vid helped me with the install. The big 3 upgrade didn't fix all my life problems unfortunately

[@UltimatumDemon]

@@booster314 Oh that's a bummer, hope you're feeling ok

[@booster314]

@@UltimatumDemon haha I appreciate that but I'm just playing around

[@anthonymarino4260]

Fine job well done

[@mobileinstallguide3252]

Thanks! 👍

[@julioplazaasmr175]

Very helpful

[@crazyorwhat]

NVX makes excellent wire.

[@XxTrustNoOnexX]

good job bro!

[@lenysentones6070]

Thanks you job well done

[@vasmajority45]

I didn't know Cassidy Campbell had an automotive channel.

[@TrillMurray]

That's not really him. It's a character he does for KZbin. Irl he has a bandana and 69 jersey

[@TruthSeekerAll]

A very detailed explanation every step of the way for doing a big 3 upgrade. Thanks so much for the video.

[@williamvelazquez2059]

I’m doing the big 4 💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼 engine ground , alternator ground , alternator to batterie, and batterie chassis ground, all in welding 2 awg wire the best for the big 3 big 4 also secondary and replacing all the wiring

[@princegriffith]

nice work bro im thinking about installing the big 3 to my vehicle soon #DIYer

[@c.m.cunningham1175]

Leaving the old wires makes them the weakest links, could cause shorts! Older stock wires can corrode up into the insulation. Unless you're going to run an aftermarket alternator; the cable is oversized for the alternator. Mine I believe was a 60 amp for my 07 Impreza Outback Sport, upgraded to the Forester 90 amp. ( Trailer, fog, ditch lights and maybe dual 6-8" under seat subs )

[@dioniciogamez6175]

Nice, do you plan to also upgrade the battery to an AGM or possibly a spiral cell?

[@darylpillay9251]

very nice informative video . I would just like to know why did you use a fuse between the alternator and battery

[@notverystealthy9165]

Bigger wires means more current running through wires. It’s just for safety

[@JULIANysuHOHNER]

I have my battery below the passenger seat,for the negative cable from the battery can i just bolt to the floor instead of running the cable all the way to the front chassis?

[@Pinkielover]

test the area with a multi meter .. Positive to positive on the battery and negative to the negative test the area your thinking of grounding to..Me I would run to the cars frame.. In my car I ran seperate lines of 1/0 2 + wires to trunk Where I have 3 batteries Each of the three batteries are grounded to my frame just make sure you clean it down to bare metal, Then when you're done you could spray paint right over the terminal connection to protect it.... And double up on your frame to the battery ground in your engine compartment...

[@starliteaquatics7308]

Ok what's the purpose of 0 gauge on this install what's the plan a big stereo? Did you install a bigger Alternator any more batterys planned in the install

[@georgedarryl1733]

Nice work and straight to the point! Very informative as I'm ready to have mines done on a 2017 Maxima. Thanks for the how-to-vid!! Excellent. 👍🏾

[@2460speedy]

Great video. Highlights the importance of the grounding cables. Why did you leave the "old" cables in as well as the new ones?

[@Tismo210]

Id like to know why as well

[@Pinkielover]

The Dielectric grease does not conduct electricity, so it shouldn't be applied directly to the mating surfaces just a warning.. Put it over the terminals after you tighten it .. Also I would wire loom the wires themself .. Preferably fiberglass lined loom or tesa tape

[@samsonyu1104]

great video. does fuse amp matter?

[@2869may]

I would have connected the new alt cable to the alt before the old one, because of the larger contact area.

[@TrillMurray]

Thought I was the only dummy running that gimmick turbo inlet 🤣

[@DC-ub4dz]

I want to do this in my 2000 mercedes s430, but the battery is in the trunk. There is a jump point under the passenger foot rest where the battery cables change from the 4 gauge over to a 12 or 14 gauge. Do I run a cable from the alternator all the way to the trunk, directly to the battery? Any suggestions?

[@Caluy]

could you please help, Im doing big 4 this weekend and was wondering if you can keep original grounds and plus. Im adding a 0 gauge wire (50mm2)

[@jesuscervantes143425]

Hey I had a question how did you get stainless steel hoses for your radiator ?

[@Wolfgang878]

I recently did the big 3 upgrade with a high output alternator I needs a smaller belt for the new alternator I can not find one anywhere. Do you know where to get a custom length serpentine belt?

[@danielsolomon1710]

Bro add another one from the back of the alternator to the battery for grounding that will insure your battery it's properly charge and no energy waste so your alternator runs cooler and it also will last longer

[@amakuaole]

Isn't it being grounded enough from the alternator brackets?.

[@bratboyoung]

Great video. Want to ask, is it necessary to install the fuse in line on the positive wire?

[@skylarowens8629]

been wondering the same thing

[@BrianJohnson-lh2ek]

Okay. What if the battery is in the back of the car? Like a Dodge Magnum. Do you have to run the wire all the way from the alternator to the battery in the back of the car?

[@joelrobledo9833]

Great install, but the connection at the battery is now the weak link. The set screw on the battery is bound to get loose. I would rather have used the military style battery connections which gives you a solid ring terminal on the ends of that oo gauge wire.

[@2869may]

Loctite....

[@Masomanable]

Hey I have a 2005 Impreza very similar; If I use 1-2 AWG and keep my original wires, is that better than using straight 1/0 AWG and scrapping original wires?

[@Masomanable]

Also how much was the total length of wire you used

[@andrewlinson3052]

Just tighten the ground and then paint it save the gease for the positive connection

[@josesalazar8976]

No wonder I have a alpine set in my 2003 Honda accord lx 2.4 whn I bass a Lil bit would it cause my battery logo on my dash

[@Ojadzsi]

Hy. If originally we have 120A fuse in subarus, 250A is not to big or how is going with that?

[@cshine9605]

What size screw fits in the predrilled hole on the engine block? My engine ground is not accessible but the predrilled hole is.

[@chrisnas1483]

Where did you get the drill grinder/sander medal

[@FrankSchwarzfree]

Great video. Do you suggest leaving the factory wires and just adding bigger wires during the upgrade or would you just replace all the wires?

[@mobileinstallguide3252]

Thanks Frank! I always try to leave the factory wires in place whenever possible, especially on the alternator wire. But if you use a large enough wire, there's nothing wrong with just replacing the factory wires. Just remember, if you replace the wires, the new wire will need to carry the current of all the factory electronics as well as your audio system. So if you were going to use 4 AWG wire for your big 3 upgrade to add to the existing wire, you might want to use 1/0 to replace the factory wires instead.

[@FrankSchwarzfree]

Great tips. Thanks you.

[@danegalang8376]

@SKITTL 3Z Yes, both top and side terminals are connected parallel to each other inside the battery. Makes them fit a lot more vehicles with less mfg costs that way. Enjoy!

[@JimMcDuffie]

Do you have to leave the old connections in place or can you remove them with the "Big 3 Upgrade"?

[@raiderboy105]

You don't *have* to leave the original in place, but there is no harm in leaving it, in fact it only helps to leave the existing in place for the electrical benefits, as well as making routing of your upgrade easier.

[@kiran-wh9wg]

In some cars where you cannot access the stock engine to frame. Wire .can you just add the new wore at a new location while leaving the stock wire in place. Which means there's going to be 2 engine to frame ground cables.

[@standhd]

I had to do the same thing. My stock engine ground is in the back of the motor; very hard to get to in a V6 engine. I looked all over the place for an alternate location and finally found one at the bottom. The bracket that holds my transmission cooler lines is a solid connection to my engine. I got it done, and it was “fun” doing it….UGH….

[@in_10z]

Great vid. Why do you keep the factory leads connected and paralleled? The 1/O at 12.5 VDC and 20 feet (total loop) can carry 150 Amps all day. NEC limit is 170 Amps at 90°C but also consult ANSI/CTA-2015 for actual calculations based on your specific power cable. But there is no need to keep the factory cable unless you're just retaining it if you ever remove the Big 3 setup when selling the car; however, it is also a potential lead to fail or short. I'd just remove it. I notice this in many of the Big 3 videos that they keep the factory wiring. I'm new to this but are they just looking for the added ampacity of the parallel conductor?

[@christophermurnahan4966]

I have a 2006 jeep liberty with the 3.7 in it and I want to be able to do the big 3 but I can not for some reason find the 3rd ground. Can u help me out please

[@darickymeister]

The ground is under the truck. (jeep liberty) on the engine to the frame.

[@mohdzuhair90]

Can you show us the difference between before and after...

[@PM-wt3ye]

You cant actually see a differnece - maybe the battery charges better/faster because of thicker cables and maybe the car starts a lillte bit better, the battery is "stronger" now.

[@spiritualcramp8000]

only difference is without a fuse on the main you gonna blow your car. no kidding.

[@ts-vu3dd]

P M it helps with the car running smoother. Early wrxs (2008 and before) have ass grounds that over time make it run rough

[@scottmcintosh4912]

You wont see much difference in the audio with the equipment that I have. But like others have said, the audio system doesnt have as much affect on the car's performance. Plus the Big 3 is really a starting point upgrade to support much bigger sound systems.

[@ts-vu3dd]

@WeAreWatching Yu subarus doooood

[@JevaughnGraham123]

Would you say it's not necessary to put in a fuse from the alt wire to the battery?

[@yc3932]

What did you cut and added at the end ? Fuse connectors!

[@clayscott8363]

im confused. why would you use the factory ground wire? and why did you put a fuse on the alternator wire? ive never seen that done before by anyone

[@mobileinstallguide3252]

Hi Clay, both were done as personal preference. I just wanted to leave the factory wire in there so that I would have it if I ever wanted to uninstall the upgraded wiring. And I put the fuse in there just because I don't like having unprotected wire segments and if anything ever happened to come loose or ground that wire out, I wanted something in there that would open the circuit.

[@cameronmoll7966]

Good video, I plan on doing up the Big 3 in my Forester XT. In the video you install a fuse right after the alternator. I haven't seen anyone else do that before. What are the pro's to doing so? Any reasoning for doing or not doing it?

[@mobileinstallguide3252]

Cameron, I've heard of people doing it both ways; with and without a fuse. I chose to install a fuse on that wire because I don't like to have any power wires that are not protected at some point along their length. Others argue that it is a short enough run and with proper wire management, you can ensure that it won't short to ground.

[@shanerproductions]

Mobile Install Guide How do you know what size fuse to use in this spot?

[@greg0716]

Nice bro!! Is the ground wire the same type wire as the alt to battery wire? And do i have to fuse the alt to batt wire? Or is that just preference??

[@omartalavera6974]

Its prefrence for the fuse and yes the ground n power cables have to b 4 gage cable or bigger but if u only have 2 4gage cables and 2 8 gage cables always use the bigger thicker cables for the grounds.

[@csorrows]

@@omartalavera6974 There is no benefit for the ground to be thicker. Unless you have invented a free energy machine, there won't be more current returning from then going to the device being powered.

[@Peterrrpn]

You need stronger alternator. What help you that? Maybe ground (old is rosted....)

[@willwg6970]

hey guys a question .. do I need a fuse for my alternator towards the battery? I have a second battery protected with a fuse since my equipment will be consuming between 170 to 190 amps in the future but I have seen that many put fuses and others do not. Can someone help me with that question?

[@overpricedsundown]

Yes fuse all wires that lead to the positive terminal of battery

[@tuddyjonson1614]

💯💯💯💯💯

[@bigblack262black8]

So with this big three upgrade you not swapping out the battery and alternator you just adding wire to it??

[@excessivethrottle8918]

curious to know why you didn't upgrade the alternator? aside from that everything looks great. what did this upgrade cost you $$$?

[@mobileinstallguide3252]

Thanks! If I had a larger system then I would need to upgrade the alternator. This big three upgrade is basically a first step that should be done before or at the same time as any other upgrades such as the alternator. I don't remember how much I spent on the wire kit. I believe a left a link to it in the description though.

[@thechosenone1066]

what do you call on the end of the Drill removing the paint to expose the metal part?

[@JevaughnGraham123]

Wire brush drill bit

[@saifullahkhan3452]

sir what is the purpose of this upgrade specially extra alternator wire to battery

[@joelb.9681]

Even at 200 amps ( you'll never make 200 amps out of that alt.) you don't need this with 12-14 volts on the alt or the ground wires. It's called a wire calculator and simple ohm's law .

[@mobileinstallguide3252]

Hi Joel, sure ohm's law applies to any circuit if you want to understand the relationship between voltage, current, and resistance. But you can look at this in even simpler terms than that. First you have to understand a couple of things: 1)The same current flows through both the positive and negative side of a DC circuit. 2) The ground wire between the negative battery post and the chassis caries the ground current for all electronics throughout the car that are grounded to the chassis. When you add an amplifier to your car and ground it to the chassis (which you should be doing), that ground wire at the battery is now carrying the current draw of the amplifier in addition to the vehicle electronics it was designed to carry. There is enough margin in the ampacity of the factory wire that is installed and enough conservatism in the wire charts that give a wire's ampacity that a moderately sized amplifier can be added without necessarily upgrading the ground wire. But for example's sake, let's just use ampacity on the wire chart as the absolute value. The factory chassis ground wire on my car is a #10 AWG and looking at an AWG chart has an ampacity of 55 amps. I have 1800 Watts between my 4 channel and mono amps so (again using simple peak power numbers for example's sake) 1800W / 14V = 129 amp current draw...more than double the listed ampacity of that wire in addition to the factory loads it carries. Now, is that short ground wire going to melt or catch fire? No, its not. But in car audio it's all about managing your voltage drops to get the most performance out of your equipment and a larger gauge wire will have a lower resistance meaning a lower voltage drop (as I'm sure you know since you mentioned Ohm's law). Besides that though, myself and most others would simply prefer to have our wire sized appropriately for the current it carries.

[@joelb.9681]

Last time (today) that I looked at a car it had a 2/0--to 2 gauge ground wire going to the battery to the chassis or motor and chassis.

[@mobileinstallguide3252]

You can clearly see the wire from battery to chassis that I replaced in the video. The larger wire is for the starter.

[@Jason-uh7ml]

Why you reconnect the old wire? Thought you got rid of that?

[@uilwahak]

What is the gauge of cable dis you used?

[@spoon1139]

What amps fuse you used for the alternator - battery cable?

[@robbiebourdet260]

I believe those Subaru’s have 75amp alternators so you’d want to install a 100A or 120A fuse.

[@hazwandin8382]

Hi sir.. May i ask a bit qstion? The fuse at (+) cable use for? And how much amp fuse we need to install? Tq sir..

[@edgarmartinezsr5191]

Hazwan Din its to protect the power wire in case of a short. Dont need it if you can gaurentee that it wont short out, but it is a good safety measure. And I'd use 100 amp fuse per thousand watts.

[@hazwandin8382]

Sweet Spark Records tq sir.. And thanks for the vdio.. Usefull..

[@c4prlm4st3r]

Just an advise, better put fuse closest to the batteri +ve terminal. And it also good practice to add a fuse in any additional wire/circuit we add on to car. Btw, nice job.

[@rickjames6948]

Body and engine ground, should of used a star grounding washer. Just like the factory did.

[@josephshields855]

Did it make a big difference on power

[@JELL06]

Would this benefit a diesel truck with dual batteries? How would you go about doing it?

[@omartalavera6974]

Yes you would need todo a big 4 upgrade fpr sure on dual batteries make.sure u have a battery isolator since u have 2 batteries and look up a diagram on google images for dual battery big 4 upgrade n look up your trucks factory grounding points for the best ground locations also on google images

[@omartalavera6974]

Im aechanic and been doing car audio n 12v for 6 years now

[@stedmangilday2416]

You could of use copper washers to pack joint,

[@roccoromano8811]

I RECOMEND TO EVERY BODY WHO UPGRADE ELECTRIC CABLES TO USE STAINLESS STEEL BOLTS AND NUTS AND YOU NEVER EVER HAVE PROBLEMS WITH CORROTION ON THE ELECTRIC SYSTEM AND YOUR BATTERY NEVER DIE I DO ON MY 5 TON TRUCK AND IS AWESOME.

[@csorrows]

Get a clue bud. Nothing besides an endless source of power is going to keep your battery from dying. Also, get off the caps lock, it's damn rude.

[@growingup4487]

WHY ARE YOU YELLING?

[@christopherbiggs4623]

Why didn't you just replace the original 3 with the upgrade?

[@bruceweymouth3582]

2005 envoy got power to everything and I got my battery unhooked

[@area503nycvlogs.4]

🤔 why is it that the wire from the alternator to the battery has to have a fuse?? I don’t get it, can someone explain please. I mean you can think wherever you want but I don’t really know much about stuff like that and the way I look at it; is that: if you don’t ask you don’t know😆🤗🙈.

[@overpricedsundown]

To protect the battery from shorts. Any wire that connects to the positive terminal of the battery should always be fused.

[@area503nycvlogs.4]

@@overpricedsundown 😳😳 thanks it’s good to know. But it looks like you’re the only one who knows that, cuz nobody ever answered until now. At least that makes me feel good; that I’m not the only dumb person on earth😆😆 peace 😎🙌.

[@shawnhampton2895]

Okay so I have a question why did you leave the Old wire still attached and I watched a few other people do this one guy made sure his fuse box had an upgraded wire too and also an upgraded wire down to the starter I thought the big three upgrade was alternators starter and fuse box and when I did buy and I took out the old wires discarding them why did you leave yours in there isn't that leaving room for air in the future they are old wires I'm just baffled on why you didn't discard them but you do you have a very good video here I have no complaints about the video just a question that's all great job bud

[@samkahn-uo1rk]

always solder connection if possible.

[@WW-px1mw]

What is the fuse rating for the alternator?

[@scottmcintosh4912]

200A

[@uilwahak]

How many ampere of fused did you used fromnalternator going to positive post of the battery?

[@denzelkissoon666]

You have to know the amperage of your alternator!

[@uilwahak]

@@denzelkissoon666 how do i know.im using toyata avanza 1.3 automatic 2019 model

[@denzelkissoon666]

Look at the label on your alternator, you will see the amperage rating.

[@uilwahak]

@@denzelkissoon666 ok thank you

[@ycditv]

Should have fuse in between positive wire from alternator to battery

[@scottmcintosh4912]

I did. I didnt specifically discuss it but you can see me putting it in.

[@RodneyCarbguif]

What type of wire you recommend

[@edgarmartinezsr5191]

Rodney Carbguif 1/0 or 0 gauge wiring. OFC (oxygen free copper) 100% copper. CCA wire is cheaper but is way lighter and can heat up twice as fast. I went from cca to ofc and seen a big difference

[@edgarmartinezsr5191]

Good brands are gp car audio, sky high car audio, kicker, Rockford Fosgate, db drive, smd to name a few.

[@chillywilly170]

Didn’t mention what size fuse

[@Orange-yp9bl]

4 gauge would work great as well ???

[@decid3]

Yes. As long as your system isn't pulling extreme amps. I'm using 4 gauge ofc.

[@rickjames6948]

Where is the FUSE on the alternator to battery wire? He installs one. Smart move guy.

[@testfortester7131]

Why did he keep the stock wire on the negative battery to frame?

[@zaybarz9200]

More wire = less restrictions

[@michaelsoutherland3023]

A music video !