purchasing power wire

[Marcus111 0]

i am about to get some power wire for my big 3 upgrade and i was wondering wether it matters if i get a cheaper 0 guage wire or shell out and go for a brand name / more pricey wire

thanks

[Julian 641]

I always say go with KnuKonceptz CCA, or 1/0 welding cable is great

[Duran 387]

Welding cable FTW. For the most part cable is cable

[j-roadtatts 1,129]

Don't waste your money on cheap audio wire (its a joke), for the same price you can get welding cable that as good as the expensive audio wire.

[Impious 1,476]

As long as it's not the cheap fleabay wire that is really only 4ga or 8ga even though the jacket is stamped 0/1ga.......welding wire is fine.

[j-roadtatts 1,129]

A shot of the fleabay wire Impious is refering to on the left. The right side is the Knu Knoncepts CCA. (which isn't much better)

[PHATBOi 38]

Definately go with Knu or welding cable. DB Link 1/0 is also very thick and doesn't cost that much. My father is an industrial mechanic and got me some 2/0 industrial power wire they use on the big machines and shit. Not very flexible (had to run it under the car) but works great for me.

[95Honda 486]

Stay away from the KNU aluminum garbage.....

[BanginGMC 23]

Welding cable FTW. For the most part cable is cable

I disagree and agree with this.

Cable is cable, yes.. but look at the company and strand count.

Some companies have a thick ass jacket with less strand count while other have less jacket with high strand count.

Below on the left is Stinger PRO 1666 strand 4 Gauge (Black) and on the right is KnuKonceptz KLM 4 Gauge (silver pearl) - pretty substantial difference in the two cables......

[95Honda 486]

You guys have to remember that strand count only affects flexibilty, nothing else when talking DC.

Even the E-bay crap that looks smaller due to the lower strand count has the same amount of copper and doesn't conduct any less. It is cheap to use less strands, they are just thicker. It is the same cross-sectional area. Don't get caught up in the thicker looking is better. If it were a solid conductor it would be almost 1/2 the diameter....

[Sir-Lancelot 216]

I buy my wire from weldingsupply.com. Good stuff.

[Impious 1,476]

I disagree and agree with this.

Cable is cable, yes.. but look at the company and strand count.

Some companies have a thick ass jacket with less strand count while other have less jacket with high strand count.

Below on the left is Stinger PRO 1666 strand 4 Gauge (Black) and on the right is KnuKonceptz KLM 4 Gauge (silver pearl) - pretty substantial difference in the two cables......

http://a.imageshack..../stingerklm.jpg

I know I've mentioned this before, and I believe it might have even been the last time you posted that particular picture.

The KLM wire is CCA (copper clad aluminum). Stinger is true copper AFAIK. The aluminum wire has to be thicker to have similar performance to true copper cable (the Stinger, in this example). So it's not "OMG look the Knu is so much thicker"........if the KLM wasn't thicker, then it wouldn't have performance close to that of 4ga actual copper wire. It's not thicker because it's better; it's thicker because if it wasn't, it would be substantially worse. The KLM being thicker only makes it closer in performance to actual copper, not better because it's thicker. The KLM is thicker because it has to be, because it's made with an inferior material. I believe even with the oversized thickness, the CCA wire still has less capabilities than accurately sized copper wire.

And as mentioned above by 95Honda, strand count only affects flexibility.

I believe Duran's point was that a fancy name on the jacket doesn't make the cable better. As long as the thickness is correct for the gauge, the strand count is high enough to have the flexibility you need, and it's copper, it will perform just as well regardless of the brand name.

[Julian 641]

I've always had great success with KK CCA. it handles 50-100~ amps less then full copper (They say) and besides the matter Wire is wire, You don't need a ton of flexibilty running through your car, but when you get to the fuse blocks/amps/etc you may want to buy some more flexible stuff. also don't buy off of ebay.

Model

Diameter A/B*

Max Load

Max Length

Conductor Material

Strand Size

KCA0

16 / 12mm

250A @ 20'

500 Feet

Copper Clad Aluminum

34 Gauge

KCA4

11 / 8mm

100A @ 20'

1000 Feet

Copper Clad Aluminum

34 Gauge

KCA8

7.5 / 5mm

50A @ 20'

2000 Feet

Copper Clad Aluminum

Overview –KCA Kable Power / Ground Wire consists of over sized, 34 gauge stranded, copper clad aluminum (CCA)conductors. Because we are using CCA, the KCA Kable has been over sized to offset the higher resistance of the CCA compared to that of an OFC cable. Following the load chart above, the use of the KCA Kable follows accepted indusry standards for voltage drop over the rated distance. Applications include mobile audio and other 12V automotive applications. The KCA Kable features an ultra flex matte PVC jacket that makes it bend to any radius and stable in temperatures from -40C to 105C. Colors available include Black, Blue, and Red (coming soon).

[Marcus111 0]

Thanks for the help guys

[j-roadtatts 1,129]

A shot of the fleabay wire Impious is refering to on the left. The right side is the Knu Knoncepts CCA. (which isn't much better)

Definetly listen to these guys, as you can see from the picture I fell victim to both crappy wires before listening/learning.

[onebadmonte 235]

I just bought some Radaflex welding cable. It's pure copper and very flexible. Most importantly it was nicely priced. Read about it here