Biggiest and baddest wire for going overkill.....

[Maxim]

Higher strand count in the same size wire equals less space between the wires. The increase in smaller strands means the wire sits closer, a really high strand is closer to having solid wire than the same size wire with large strands. It may not be able to carry more current, but the higher strand count can carry current further, with less voltage/amperage loss. That doesn't really matter in a 18ft run in your car. But when you have to weld bridges or some buildings and need 400+ feet of wire between the buzzbox and the pinchers, higher stand count makes a HUGE difference.

Wrong. Sorry. Smaller wires, although they leave less space between wires, still have less cross-sectional area than thicker wires. I get what you're trying to say here, but it's not right. No matter what way you try to put it, a thicker wire will always have less resistance than lots of tiny wires. There's a reason welding wire doesn't have a high strand count. When distance becomes a factor, the thicker wires in welding cable have less resistance and allow for greater current flow than higher strand count wires. Surface area counts for nothing, it's all about cross-sectional area.

[Alexdb7]

man i thought i was being a hillbilly for using welding cable. guess its not so uncommon, ive been using it and it works great. especially if your doing a big 3

[baron_of_bass]

Knu Kolossus Felks 1/0 claims to be equivalent to 2/0? I haven't ran any but i plan on it... its only like 3.40 a foot but yeah it adds up fast.

it is the same thing i have had both type of wires and the knu is the same as the 2/0

i have some spools of the welding wire i dont regret buying it i still have to see how it works for me though.

[raytard]

the thing is, that 4/0 aint easy to hide in your car

i've seen people run 4 sets of 4 guage just so they could lay it side by side and not make a bulge in the carpet

and personally I ran 2 sets of 0g. and honestly I would have to take my seats out and do some serious work to get 2/0 or 4/0 in there because of how the seat brackets come up to the side of the car.

but unless you're planning on running like 3kw+rms and the alts and batts to power that properly, there is no need for anything bigger than 0

[JBurt09]

Wrong. Sorry. Smaller wires, although they leave less space between wires, still have less cross-sectional area than thicker wires. I get what you're trying to say here, but it's not right. No matter what way you try to put it, a thicker wire will always have less resistance than lots of tiny wires. There's a reason welding wire doesn't have a high strand count. When distance becomes a factor, the thicker wires in welding cable have less resistance and allow for greater current flow than higher strand count wires. Surface area counts for nothing, it's all about cross-sectional area.

But can we all agree that the welding cable is better and more efficient for our needs than comparable sized car audio wire?

[Brianrj90]

But can we all agree that the welding cable is better and more efficient for our needs than comparable sized car audio wire?

From what he said it would seem like the welding wire would actually be better for carrying power because of the lower strand count. I've been very curious about all of this too since I'm about to do the big 3 and run some serious wire to the back. I think i'm going to get 2/0 welding wire for cheap but I don't know if I can fit that in any fuses or not.

[JBurt09]

From what he said it would seem like the welding wire would actually be better for carrying power because of the lower strand count. I've been very curious about all of this too since I'm about to do the big 3 and run some serious wire to the back. I think i'm going to get 2/0 welding wire for cheap but I don't know if I can fit that in any fuses or not.

Welcome to the wonderful world of buss bars my friend.

[cc_audio]

Wrong. Sorry. Smaller wires, although they leave less space between wires, still have less cross-sectional area than thicker wires. I get what you're trying to say here, but it's not right. No matter what way you try to put it, a thicker wire will always have less resistance than lots of tiny wires. There's a reason welding wire doesn't have a high strand count. When distance becomes a factor, the thicker wires in welding cable have less resistance and allow for greater current flow than higher strand count wires. Surface area counts for nothing, it's all about cross-sectional area.

Not so, because with smaller wire you can fit more copper in the same area. Cross section isn't sacrificed with smaller diameter wire, there's just more cross-sections (for lack of better term). Any welder that has to work big jobs know that and they look for the biggest wire diameter with a lot of strands. The more strands the more expensive to make, so you really won't see hairsize welding wire. Stinger will make that for you and then charge out the ass. Either way, in a car, just get welding wire, unless you want it pretty.

[cc_audio]

People forget that most power wires have really tough sleeves. You can run the wire under your car along the frame and such, that way you don't have a bulge in the carpet. And a bad short will turn into just a blown battery, and a burnt spot under the car, rather than a firery mess inside. Seen it happen. That also saves yo from having to make a big ass hole in the firewall where its already cramped for space and instead you can make a hole in the bottom of your trunk, where its not so crowded. Get some welding wire. 4/0 if you can

[Maxim]

Not so, because with smaller wire you can fit more copper in the same area. Cross section isn't sacrificed with smaller diameter wire, there's just more cross-sections (for lack of better term). Any welder that has to work big jobs know that and they look for the biggest wire diameter with a lot of strands. The more strands the more expensive to make, so you really won't see hairsize welding wire. Stinger will make that for you and then charge out the ass. Either way, in a car, just get welding wire, unless you want it pretty.

I think we're on the same ground here, we're just looking at it two different ways. At least here's how I see it:

A single strand wire will be able to carry more current than a wire with multiple strands. Period. There's no contesting that fact. The thicker and shorter the wire, the less resistance it provides.

In terms of feasibility in a car audio application, you want the wire that will give you the most cross-sectional area while maintaining the most flexibility. There's two ways of looking at this. The more small, individual wires there are, the less space in between them, so it almost acts as if it were one big wire. However, the two are not the same. The myriad small wires have the same cross-sectional area as one big wire, so they can carry the same current. But, on the other hand, they still act as hundreds of small wires, so they build up more resistance than one thick wire would.

I'm not disagreeing with you on the cross-sectional area. I know it's the same between them, whether you have one thick wire or lots of little ones. My point I'm trying to make is that one thick wire will build up less resistance and outperform hundreds of little ones. That is science. However, I will agree with you that, within the context of car audio, a higher strand count is very desirable. It maintains the cross-sectional area while allowing much more flex.

For car audio applications, welding cable is just as effective as Fleks cable. The cross-sectional area is the same, so they'll handle the same current. The distance of the wires in the car is not enough of a factor to make strand diameter into much of a factor, so the two will perform equally. The only difference is the amount of flexibility you're going to get out of the wire. Oh, and how much you're going to have to pay for it