another big 3 question

[brettley 10+ year member]

so i plan to do the big 3 soon in my saab, I know all about what needs to be done, i just need to know a few basic things.

I want to do this as best quality as I can, I am dipping to 10.8 volts with the car running when my subs blair (digital readouts on the capacitors. dont talk about the caps, i know they ****, they are there for the digi readouts)

I am looking at knukonceptz wire for the power, and I was wondering wich would be better. I was debating between the "Kolossus Fleks Kable" and the "KCA Kable". What are the pros and cons of each? I know the price is much lower on the KCA, and I have heard people say they have used it, but I have purchased Kolossus fleks 4 gauge cable that runs to the amps, and I have really liked it.

Really, I am just wondering wich has more pros for the big 3. Also, does anyone know where I could find 1/0 guage ring terminals that have a screw down feature instead of crimp on?

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[Kangaroux 5,000+ posts]

KCA is CCA wire, which means it's copper clad aluminum. CCA cannot carry as much current as OFC wiring (kolossus flex). You wanna use OFC wire for your big 3 since it has to be reliable

 

[ejschultz 10+ year member]

Ofc ftw

 

[brettley 10+ year member]

awesome! and would the set screw ring terminals be a good investment also?

Knukonceptz product detail for SET SCREW RING TERMINALS - 1/0 GAUGE PAIR

that is the link to them. Will the ring on the end be big enough for an alternator and battery? how important would it be to use anti-oxidation grease on any surface I ground to?

 

[bubbagumper6 5,000+ posts]

KCA is CCA wire, which means it's copper clad aluminum. CCA cannot carry as much current as OFC wiring (kolossus flex). You wanna use OFC wire for your big 3 since it has to be reliable

Well the first part of your statement is correct but then you went ahead and put your foot in your mouth by claiming CCA is "unreliable." That CCA is rated for 250A and the OFC is 300A, that's it. From an electrical standpoint it's no less "reliable" than the OFC and I can guarantee the OP won't be able to tell the difference once it's installed.

To the OP: The CCA can be a bit harder to work with but if money is tight it will work just fine for your application. KnuKonceptz also sells set screw ring terminals but a word of warning, if you use those under the hood they WILL corrode and they are damn expensive. I would suggest using the money to buy some decent crimp terminals, a swedge on ($7 from weldingsupply.com), a heat gun ($10 from Harbor Freight), and some heatshrink ($2 Harbor Freight). If you take the time to crimp and shrink them you will NEVER have to worry about the cable coming loose or water getting in there, much better option IMO.

 

[ejschultz 10+ year member]

Those might be big enough for the alternator, but they're definitely too small for the battery. You'll want new battery terminals. Knu has them, Kicker makes some nice ones, Tsunami, StreetWires, Rockford Fosgate... I'm sure there's plenty of other companies out there that have decent battery terminals. I've used Kicker, RF, and Tsunami in the past. I'm currently running Kicker terminals in both my vehicles. I'm going to be changing my car around a little and I'm either going to run a Tsunami or a Phoenix Gold terminal in there once I get it all finished up.

 

[ejschultz 10+ year member]

To the OP: The CCA can be a bit harder to work with but if money is tight it will work just fine for your application. KnuKonceptz also sells set screw ring terminals but a word of warning, if you use those under the hood they WILL corrode and they are damn expensive. I would suggest using the money to buy some decent crimp terminals, a swedge on ($7 from weldingsupply.com), a heat gun ($10 from Harbor Freight), and some heatshrink ($2 Harbor Freight). If you take the time to crimp and shrink them you will NEVER have to worry about the cable coming loose or water getting in there, much better option IMO.

Or this.

 

[bubbagumper6 5,000+ posts]

I've actually been meaning to re-do my Big 3 because it still has those set screw terminals and they look awful, the wire is pulling out and they're just covered in crap. The screw will definitely never turn again...

 

[brettley 10+ year member]

if i used a good bench vice (capable of bending parts for mud trucks aka the tow hooks) would that be good enough to hold it down? also, i would use heat shrink for the insulation if I got rings without insulation. Would that be a good reliable connection? or is there a different way I should take. I have tried soldering with 4 gague OFC wire, and it DOES NOT WORK FOR ME for some reason. I just cant melt the solder in.

 

[ejschultz 10+ year member]

That should work out for you. Soldering will be a better connection, but crimping them will work just fine. Make sure to give the terminal a few good tugs after you crimp it on to make sure it's not going anywhere.

 

[sacsking916 5,000+ posts]

i am using knu cca and its easy as can be to work with.

 

[brettley 10+ year member]

Money is not an issue, if the OFC will be better than the CCA, i will definitely go with the OFC. I will only be able to buy it in parts, not all at once, but it WILL get done. also, the only problem with new battery terminals is that the factory wiring in my saab is not long enough to reach the top of the post, the whole connector runs a little bit down the side. any solutions for that?

 

[ejschultz 10+ year member]

My buddy's GTO is like that. I'm thinking we're going to have to replace all the wiring in there to do it right. You might have to do the same. I'm doing it in my car. Most people say when you do the big 3 to just run it along with your factory wiring. If you do it right, you don't need your factory wiring anymore. Essentially, when you do the big 3 and leave your factory wiring in, it's not even used. Current will take the path with the least resistance which will be the larger gauge wiring. As long as you trust your terminations, you're good to pull the factory wiring and only use the aftermarket wiring for your car's charging system. That'll let you use whatever battery terminals you want to use.

 

[brettley 10+ year member]

my issue is that the power wires that go to my computers and all of my cars other factory systems is terminated low on the clamp, there is a bolt on the top of the factory terminal where i believe that the alternator goes to. I will take a picture after class here (about 10 minutes) to show you what I mean.

 

[ChevyRidinLow]

using caps in a electrical system that isnt up to snuff comprimises it even more if you want a volt display buy one on ebay for 3 dollars