0/1 gauge wire - less ofc or more cca

[momax_powers 10+ year member]

cca is fine.....just think of it this way...every city power grid uses aluminum cabling lasting decades. as long as its properly sealed and secured no worries

 

[fatboytyler]

This is not a motor or house. Our current demands can not compare. The heat may be more spread out but it's still heat isn't it? Does something heating up not build more heat? And my anology makes perfect sence. It's just like buying batteries, you can buy one good one or three cheaper ones to match that good one. The cost difference, ease of running, connections needed adds up to about the same. For example from someone that has actually had a fairly powerful setup used day in and day out with zero power issues ever.

I had 2 runs of OFC for 6000 watts. Both where fused under the hood like normal. One fuse got hot due to being to close to the header and it popped. I didn't know it popped for a long time. After it popped I was down to 1 run with only 300 amps of fusing. Do you know how much my electrical and term lab score changed? NONE.

Your logic about heat is still flawed. If the current flow is spread out more over 2/3 wires, then the one run will produce more heat, thus more resistance. You shot yourself in the foot. As for the motor and house comment, all electrical applications have a few very important factors that are shared in all applications.

There are way too many people who have ran CCA in high power applications and have had 0 problems. I won't deny that OFC is the best route, but sometimes the budget route is that much easier on the wallet and provides the same performance.

 

[Tantricz]

Your logic about heat is still flawed. If the current flow is spread out more over 2/3 wires, then the one run will produce more heat, thus more resistance. You shot yourself in the foot. As for the motor and house comment, all electrical applications have a few very important factors that are shared in all applications.
There are way too many people who have ran CCA in high power applications and have had 0 problems. I won't deny that OFC is the best route, but sometimes the budget route is that much easier on the wallet and provides the same performance.

Currently i have a sundown 4500 with 3 runs of cca power and 3 runs of cca ground and it will be more than enough for it.. and it was only $177 shipped for 2 50 ft rolls and i still have plenty left.. on a budget run CCA!

 

[bubbagumper6 5,000+ posts]

Oh and this is a better test.

Not nearly enough technical information for this to be considered reliable. He's running 8 gauge wire which is only good for about 50A. So if he's running 100A through the cable of course CCA will heat up more than OFC simply because of the conductivity differences. But if stays below the current rating there should be no discernible difference. If the cable is rated for 50A it means it can handle 50A without excessive heat buildup. I've run both through several builds through the years and the only difference I've ever noticed is CCA frays easier and sometimes is a PITA to terminate.

 

[LosIsATool 5,000+ posts]

Currently i have a sundown 4500 with 3 runs of cca power and 3 runs of cca ground and it will be more than enough for it.. and it was only $177 shipped for 2 50 ft rolls and i still have plenty left.. on a budget run CCA!

All you needed was one run of OFC. Which is cheaper.. On a budget run OFC!

As for the video. You guys will believe some of the dumbest videos but one that actually shows real world data but goes against what you think you don't believe.

 

[Tantricz]

All you needed was one run of OFC. Which is cheaper.. On a budget run OFC!
As for the video. You guys will believe some of the dumbest videos but one that actually shows real world data but goes against what you think you don't believe.

So you are saying 1 run of power 1 run of ground would be equal to what i have ran now?? ******** there is no way 1 run would equal to 3 runs each

 

[LosIsATool 5,000+ posts]

So you are saying 1 run of power 1 run of ground would be equal to what i have ran now?? ******** there is no way 1 run would equal to 3 runs each

I'm saying you don't need 3 runs for a 4500.

 

[rtyauch301]

i did an experiment a while back my dodge has a 320 amp mechman alternator i did the big 3 in ofc drove it around for a few hours playing music 2 american bass vfl 100.1's then did the same with cca. the cca did get hotter to the touch but when i checked the voltage the difference was minimal around .25 volts.. i grant you this was a very short run but that being said if i was going to be under 4000 watts i would probably do 2 runs of cca vs 1 run of ofc price wise it would be better... but that being said if you were in the 6-7k and up range it would still be cheaper to have multiple runs of cca but its easier to hide 2-3 runs vs 6-8 runs so its more on weather you care about looks and ease of use... just my thoughts

 

[LosIsATool 5,000+ posts]

Quality over quantity always win. Like it or not that statement is true for anything.

 

[fatboytyler]

Quality over quantity always win. Like it or not that statement is true for anything.

But this doesn't really apply when you're still getting the same quality...

All you needed was one run of OFC. Which is cheaper.. On a budget run OFC!
As for the video. You guys will believe some of the dumbest videos but one that actually shows real world data but goes against what you think you don't believe.

You know the 4500 can draw over 500 amps (straight from the manual...) so please explain to me how a wire rated at 300 Amps is going to handle 500 Amps.

As for that video, once again, we don't know the technical details. Unless you know something that we don't, in which case please enlighten us, then we can't say that the information in the video is completely accurate.

I'm starting to think that you just enjoy arguing with people.

 

[LosIsATool 5,000+ posts]

But this doesn't really apply when you're still getting the same quality...


You know the 4500 can draw over 500 amps (straight from the manual...) so please explain to me how a wire rated at 300 Amps is going to handle 500 Amps.

As for that video, once again, we don't know the technical details. Unless you know something that we don't, in which case please enlighten us, then we can't say that the information in the video is completely accurate.

I'm starting to think that you just enjoy arguing with people.

You think you are getting 500 amps from your alternator? Think about it for just a second. Read my post about when I had one fuse pop running well over 5000 watts and my TL score was the same. Wire is rated at a consent draw, we do not have constant draws. This is basic stuff.

 

[bgowdy 5,000+ posts]

Again like before..... the cheapest 50ft roll of OFC i found was roughly $80. i can get 100ft of CCA for the same price and have left over after for other things, and thats after doing 4 runs front to back. i only have 1 run of cca right now and its only 16ft long and its actually almost to long long. So when i do 4 runs it would take me 64ft of CCA, that will handle more then enough current, of course when you get into dual alts you "MIGHT" need more, but again theres 36ft left. Add 1 more positive and 1 more negative and your good. Hell ill have 36ft left over i could actually sell and make some spare cash.

 

[bubbagumper6 5,000+ posts]

All you needed was one run of OFC. Which is cheaper.. On a budget run OFC!
As for the video. You guys will believe some of the dumbest videos but one that actually shows real world data but goes against what you think you don't believe.

I didn't see any real world data in your video other than "This wire gets hotter than this one." Without knowing what kind of current he was passing through the wire his 'experiment' isn't worth shit. Just because OFC is a better quality conductor doesn't mean it's the best solution for every setup. If the same outcome can be had with less cost using a technically inferior product then so be it.

 

[fatboytyler]

You think you are getting 500 amps from your alternator? Think about it for just a second. Read my post about when I had one fuse pop running well over 5000 watts and my TL score was the same. Wire is rated at a consent draw, we do not have constant draws. This is basic stuff.

Isn't it always best to prepare for the worst case scenario? Even though, the multiple CCA runs versus 1 OFC run is still more efficient...

 

[bgowdy 5,000+ posts]

Isn't it always best to prepare for the worst case scenario? Even though, the multiple CCA runs versus 1 OFC run is still more efficient...

^^^ this