0 gauge wire /strand count and other questions

[timewarp]

Since i was looking into what wire to get for my truck i looked at alot of 0 gauge wire ( Ofc , cca , welding ) Pricing varies alot from each type and even by brand in each type . So without " brand / company " what should be looked for ? How does strand count, strand winding,insulating jacket ect come into play ?

[JeepAndBassXJ]

I look at amperage ratings to see what the wire will handle safely. More strands the better, electricity travels on the surface of wires, so more strands means more surface area to travel on. You can compare brand quality by looking at the thickness of wire vs the thickness of the insulation. Wires that look the same on the outside might be very different when truly compared, some brands will use thick insulation to make up for lack of wire. Ofc is the best, and has higher amperage handling, cca is cheaper and wont have the high amperage ratings.

[Raptorman]

^ WRONG.

DC current does NOT travel on the surface of the wires. I came here figuring that point would be said. And was right. Strand count is absolutely useless for DC applications. All it offers is a degree of flexibility.

DC current travels throughout the cross-section of the wire.

http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=11914.0

[JeepAndBassXJ]

^ WRONG.

DC current does NOT travel on the surface of the wires. I came here figuring that point would be said. And was right. Strand count is absolutely useless for DC applications. All it offers is a degree of flexibility.

DC current travels throughout the cross-section of the wire.

http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=11914.0

Did not know that! I was going based on AC, sorry guys.

[Raptorman]

Yes you are correct for AC!

[Raptorman]

For the OP.

I like welding wire, some say it's flexibility is shit-tier. They're right in a sense. Some brands are utter shit. I've found the Excelene cable is tits, though. Just as flexible as the Sky High I had.

But if you want to run the 1/0 that everyone is used to, order the 2/0. Because car audio cable is oversized, and welding cable strictly adheres to the AWG standards.

[JeepAndBassXJ]

So is strand count advertised just for the sake of advertising?

[Raptorman]

It's a legit spec, to a certain degree. The car audio brands we know and love just advertise it to make people go "wow this has more strands so it's obviously more flexible and is bigger and better quality."

So yeah pretty much just for the sake of advertising. Lmao.

[timewarp]

Thanks everyone . I was curious mostly . I found one ofc 0 gauge that * sounded * like it would be decent wire from whats listed about it , and wondered how it could priced much lower then most cable .

[dereileak]

http://www.electronbeam.com/ cant beat their wire, there 2/0 is huge, it is to spec of car audio wire, a lot of wielding wire isnt the same size as car audio wire, I saw some 1/0 at fleet farm the other day, 50ft for $140 that was the size of 4 gauge, I was like wtf, but the 2/0 I got from electron beam is true to the size of what other car audio wires list for sizes, its way cheaper too, got my 2/0 for ~$2ft, high quality copper, give them a call about pricing, 2/0 will safely handle 400 amps