Aerocoupe

iTrader: (1)

I have pretty much always ran welding cable (Royal Excelene) on all of my builds. I did a search and found a little talk about it but no one thread just out right questioning if the car audio power wire out performed welding cable of the same gauge and type (oxygen free copper and not tinned). There are some differences:
1) Most car audio cables are typically one size larger than stated in 4ga and up with the exception of Stingers wire (at least in my experience) where welding wire is true AWG size.
2) The jacket on the car audio is typically PVC (plastic) where the welding cable is EPDM (rubber).
3) Typically the car audio cable has more strands than the welding wire so expect it to be a little more flexible.
4) Car audio cable can be had tinned which helps with corrosion but if you properly heat shrink the cable ends I have not had an issue with this on the welding cable.

For me the cost of the car audio OFC is just not worth it with the only thing that I see as a bonus is the added flexibility. I can usually work around the flexibility issue and typically if I cannot its the wire from the battery + connection to the main fuse so I just ran a short piece of the more flexible car audio cable and then ran welding cable from there to the fused distribution block. I use the car audio cable from the distribution block(s) to the amps as is where the flexibility is definitely worth the cost.

I have seen welding cable take a beat down out on the ROW as pipeline welders put it to the test pulling hundreds of amps of current for 6-10 hours a day mainlining pipe. Run through mud, ice, snow, sand, dry hot *** dirt then rolled out and rolled up everyday. Car audio main power wires never sees that abuse much less an ounce of UV. Biggest thing the car audio cable has to contend with is heat under the hood and sharp edges both of which can be properly dealt with. The EPDM jacket on the welding cable will take heat alot better than the PVC jacket on the car audio cable but both should be protected from sharp edges.

Anyhow, just thought I would get your thoughts on one versus the other.

bad packet

I’ve always just run car audio OFC, usually from knukonceptz. Pulling 1/0 is hard enough. Allegedly higher strand count transmits electricity better as electrons move on the outside edges of the conductor. Idk if thats bs or not. I just use car audio cable because I know it’ll flex. Then if you add techflex on car audio cable it pulls like butterrrr

JStrube

I've always used welding cable for trunk mounted batteries. Super high flex due to strand count, tough as nails, cheap. Oh, and black, because I'm not flashy.

Aerocoupe

iTrader: (1)

This is not quite true:

”Allegedly higher strand count transmits electricity better as electrons move on the outside edges of the conductor.”

I say quite true because it holds true for AC current (hence solid wire vs multiple strands) and not DC current. I would do a ****ty job of explaining it so this is a pretty easy read that does a good job of explaining how AC and DC current flow along a conductor:

https://www.quora.com/How-does-elect...w-along-a-wire

HushCarAudio

1/0 OFC amp wiring kit is only $100 so not that terribly expensive.

Aerocoupe

iTrader: (1)

What all comes in the kit?

HushCarAudio

Most kits come with 17ft of power, 3 feet ground, RCAs, speaker wire, and remote wire.

bad packet

Problem is most kits are too small. You need around 22ft to get from the battery to the drivers side back wall on a ‘15+. 3' ground is probably too short too... and you don't want to ground anything except the frame or the battery as the body is aluminum. I suggest just going right back to the battery with OFC.

Good info on the skin effect. I wasn't sure if it was a secondary reason for high strand count. Guess not in DC. Makes me wonder why they use single conductor or low strand count in home wiring. I guess ease of connections and ease of securing. Anyways, the price different isn't huge, but money is money and OFC if OFC. Just don't use CCA.

jdunk54nl

CCA is perfectly fine. That is another common myth that OFC is "the only option", You just have to use a bigger AWG compared to copper. CCA conducts about 60% of OFC. Ultimately if you have 4 gauge OFC it is a better conductor and to get the same, you'd need like 2 gauge CCA (4awg is pretty close to 60% the area compared to 2awg). As long as the wire you choose can get the current needed to the amp, it works. Doesn't really matter what it is made up of.

In other words, the only benefit to paying for OFC is it can be a smaller wire or will carry more current for the same size. But if you can get 1/0 CCA cheaper than you can get 4awgofc and can run 1/0, then you'd actually be better off with 1/0 CCA. It would be a better conductor compared to 4awg OFC.

There are some other slight differences too with CCA and OFC and how you need to terminate the ends, at least on the engine side to make sure no corrosion issues.

Edit*
Knu koncept CCA 0 guage is $0.89/foot and the 4 gauge OFC is $1.49/foot or 0 awg OFC is $3.50/foot. So you are paying about 40% of the cost for 0 gauge CCA vs 4 gauge OFC and you have better performance with the 0 gauge CCA for about half the cost.

Welding cable 4 gauge is about $1.25 foot and about $2.50/foot for 1/0. So a little cheaper but still not as cheap as 0 gauge CCA.

Note* I personally went 1/0 OFC from knu koncept in one of their dual amp kits and have their OFC speaker wire and RCA's throughout. But I needed the current capabilities of 1/0 OFC which would have been too big of CCA wire to get equivalent.

I would also suggest this isn't really the place to cut corners either, for the lengths we are running, it is a few dollars difference. But if you already have CCA in your vehicle, just make sure the ends are protected well and you will be fine.

papermaker

Welding cable for me as I enter the cab through the front passenger OEM floorpan plug. I felt I needed the more durable sheathing on the wire......1/0 "pulled" very easy for me.