Bassessquared Posted January 30, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2016 I've been running 4 gauge "thhn" from Home Depot and it has done me ok. Was gonna step up to the 2awg. It's very and I mean very stiff. It needs pre bent before you instal it but it help up way better than my 2awg audio cable did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bayuk89 Posted January 30, 2016 Report Share Posted January 30, 2016 NEVER use that stuff again, its not even rated for 100 amps and is a completely different style wire THHN is building wire. Your brave man lol just buy some 2 ga welding cable off ebay its like $1.60 a foot. Buy enough to power ur amp and do the big three upgrade. Next time u buy wire please do some research or ask someone on the forum. Not being a dicator just trying to help u along ur build and make sure u dont waste ur money on the wrong stuff or ruin ur vehical. Electrical fires are no joke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bayuk89 Posted January 30, 2016 Report Share Posted January 30, 2016 Also buying 2 gauge welding wire its pure copper (OFC) which has better current handling than CCA. Both will do well but OFC (oxygen free copper) is better in the long run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassessquared Posted January 30, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2016 Why am I brave what's bad about thhn cable Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3vil Posted January 30, 2016 Report Share Posted January 30, 2016 It's not intended to carry the sort of amperage loads that are (capable of) being produced in a car stereo system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadeTreeMechanic Posted January 30, 2016 Report Share Posted January 30, 2016 Properly sizing it is the key. The small wire isn't bad but THHN in a 1/0 size would be a bear in a car. Routing the wire out of the way of danger is harder to do. The insulation even says "gas and oil resistant" on some of them. I don't know why because there are better choices if you had to buy it. I use welding wire myself. A lot of the car wire has insulation with no rating as to the temperature it can withstand. 91 C350 Centurion conversion ( Four Door One Ton Bronco) 250A Alternator (Second Alternator Coming Soon) G65 AGM Up Front / Two G31 AGM in Back Pioneer 80PRS CT Sounds AT125.2 / CT Sounds 6.5 Strato Pro component Front Stage CT Sounds AT125.2 / Lanzar Pro 8" coax w/compression horn tweeter Rear Fill FSD 5000D 1/2 ohm (SoundQubed 7k Coming Soon) Two HDS315 Four Qubes Each 34hz (Two HDC3.118 and New Box Coming Soon) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bayuk89 Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 Why am I brave what's bad about thhn cable Because NO ONE uses thhn wire in ANY car audio installs. Its building wire made for high voltage low amperage. In the car audio world u need 13-15 volts and alot of amperage. The thhn wire has very thick strands and very few of them. In welding cable and car audio cable it has fine strands and alot of them. The current flows on top of the copper strands so the more strands u have the better ampere carring capacity u have. Just because its 4g doesnt mean its the same as welding cable 4ga or skyhigh 4ga. Welding cable and car audio power wire are made for high amperage. Do some research ok there is PLENTY of info on here that will help you. If in doubt please ask and u will get the proper answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bayuk89 Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 I use welding cable, shadetree uses welding cable ALOT of people use welding cable. Its designed for high amperage use and has industrial standards on the amp carrying capacities and heat ranges, highly abrasive resistant. U will be happy with 2 gauge or 1/0 welding cable Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassessquared Posted January 31, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 I had some spare 2/0 thhn laying around. It's rated at 195amps. Temperature rating is 105 degrees celsius (221 fahrenheit) and 600 volts. I ran 4 gauge for like 2 years with my first system and never had an issue. Figured since it was straight copper and not that copper clad aluminum it would hold up better. Guess not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadeTreeMechanic Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 Amps are amps no matter what its going through. If you had a straight shot from the front to the back, you could run a solid buss bar. The amount of current a conductor can carry is dependent on cross sectional area and length. Different kinds of wire are rated based on the application and the acceptable voltage drop for a given size. If you look at a chart for welding wire, the amperage ratings are for a 6 volt drop. The wire would have to be upsized for lower voltage drop. 91 C350 Centurion conversion ( Four Door One Ton Bronco) 250A Alternator (Second Alternator Coming Soon) G65 AGM Up Front / Two G31 AGM in Back Pioneer 80PRS CT Sounds AT125.2 / CT Sounds 6.5 Strato Pro component Front Stage CT Sounds AT125.2 / Lanzar Pro 8" coax w/compression horn tweeter Rear Fill FSD 5000D 1/2 ohm (SoundQubed 7k Coming Soon) Two HDS315 Four Qubes Each 34hz (Two HDC3.118 and New Box Coming Soon) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.