Another welding cable thread...

[deez283 10+ year member]

I need to rewrite my truck with copper and replace the cca. This wire pretty good?

I'll be going with welding wire from here on out.. it's nice stuff.

I just picked up a 10ft run of black for grounds to redo my big 3 and it was 34.99 free shipping.

 

[Popwarhomie 5,000+ posts]

I need to rewrite my truck with copper and replace the cca. This wire pretty good?

I like it alot. Deff not as flexible as some car audio wire but it's well worth the $1 a foot savings.

 

[Buck 5,000+ posts]

I got lucky with my build back in the day. I got 100 feet of Audiopipe 0 gauge OFC for $1.50 a foot from working for/with a dealer. That wire was legit. It wasn't oversized, but it did seem like legit 0 gauge. Had 4 runs of it and legit as f 4/0 welding cable all on the alt. That welding cable was not easy to work with, whatsoever. Nothing about it was easy, besides the fact it stays in whatever shape it's in, so it's not going to move around much like a high thread count wire with flexible rubber.

I only think wire quality is going to matter on the more extreme ends of the spectrum. I'd rather run a bunch of CCA for a cheaper price and wind up with less resistance to the back than pay way too much for OFC and barely get any amperage flow from it. I think wire diameter is largely what matters, regardless of anything else.

 

[Buck 5,000+ posts]

Sometimes I wonder if it would be worth it to run solid metal bars that are insulated under your carpet or car, where you can permanently attach it. I mean something like a really long bus bar for + and - power runs from front to back. You can make some flat and long piece of metal run the floors of your car and just attach all electronics to that. I wonder if anyone has ever done that. Seems like you could fit overall more amperage flow in a tighter space with solid metal conductors that are hard mounted, not shaped like a long tube, such as under the carpet. That's one problem with huge diameter wire is fitting it under carpet with insulation. I've had situations where I'd much rather run 2 runs of 4 gauge than 0, due to restrictions of the interior and firewall/front floors.

With big wire like 2/0, that can be harder to run in some vehicles. My 4 runs of 0 gauge under my feet and front seat definitely pushed my floor up; it was difficult to fit all of that under the carpet.

 

[KicktheSDbasshead]

I got lucky with my build back in the day. I got 100 feet of Audiopipe 0 gauge OFC for $1.50 a foot from working for/with a dealer. That wire was legit. It wasn't oversized, but it did seem like legit 0 gauge. Had 4 runs of it and legit as f 4/0 welding cable all on the alt. That welding cable was not easy to work with, whatsoever. Nothing about it was easy, besides the fact it stays in whatever shape it's in, so it's not going to move around much like a high thread count wire with flexible rubber.

I only think wire quality is going to matter on the more extreme ends of the spectrum. I'd rather run a bunch of CCA for a cheaper price and wind up with less resistance to the back than pay way too much for OFC and barely get any amperage flow from it. I think wire diameter is largely what matters, regardless of anything else.

Jerry ain't loud said his whole truck was CCA he said he didn't gain anything from changing it to off I would ran CCA too but my team was like he'll no luckily I got a good price on some 4/0 welding from a guy basically a 1.00 a foot. Honestly I idc care I just want bass! Safely of course

 

[mat3833 10+ year member]

Jerry ain't loud said his whole truck was CCA he said he didn't gain anything from changing it to off I would ran CCA too but my team was like he'll no luckily I got a good price on some 4/0 welding from a guy basically a 1.00 a foot. Honestly I idc care I just want bass! Safely of course

CCA vs OFC is a debate in itself. What really matters is making sure you have enough wire to carry your demands without much voltage drop.

Welding wire is a ***** to work with, but it's possibly the most durable option. I couldn't run welding cable in my jetta. Too many tight turns to keep it under the trim. Then again, I didn't need more than one run, so it wouldn't have made much of a difference either way. I grabbed Knukonceptz colossus on sale.

Matt

 

[djdilliodon!]

I’ve seen what happens to aluminum wires and cables when exposed to the elements and when in contact with dissimilar metals. It will turn right into a white powder. CCA wire in car is fine but you will have to double the size to match copper. Under the hood is where the most problems can happen. If you live in an area that snows, the salt in the roads will find its way on the connections and those lugs will be copper. The copper always wins and the aluminum corrodes into a milky white substance. A product called penetrox is used in the connections to prevent this but it can only do so much. This all will vary from car to car and area to area. I personally will never run CCA wire, state I live in it will most definitely happen after a season or two from the amount of salt they throw down when it snows.

 

[mat3833 10+ year member]

I’ve seen what happens to aluminum wires and cables when exposed to the elements and when in contact with dissimilar metals. It will turn right into a white powder. CCA wire in car is fine but you will have to double the size to match copper. Under the hood is where the most problems can happen. If you live in an area that snows, the salt in the roads will find its way on the connections and those lugs will be copper. The copper always wins and the aluminum corrodes into a milky white substance. A product called penetrox is used in the connections to prevent this but it can only do so much. This all will vary from car to car and area to area. I personally will never run CCA wire, state I live in it will most definitely happen after a season or two from the amount of salt they throw down when it snows.

Yep, galvanization is a real *****. CCA degrades faster than OFC, but copper does still degrade. Protecting your wires and keeping things clean/dry is a nessecary evil of our hobby.

It is alot eaiser to keep OFC in good condition tho, especially with salt on your roads up there in the land of snow. I'm down here in the land of the sand, so it's just water I need to watch for.

Matt

 

[djdilliodon!]

Yep, galvanization is a real *****. CCA degrades faster than OFC, but copper does still degrade. Protecting your wires and keeping things clean/dry is a nessecary evil of our hobby.

It is alot eaiser to keep OFC in good condition tho, especially with salt on your roads up there in the land of snow. I'm down here in the land of the sand, so it's just water I need to watch for.

Matt

You would be amazed how well copper holds up. It will get an oxidation layer and then that’s about it. I’ve seen power cables in the ground subjected to oils, salt, and tons of other chemicals etc that last 100 years plus lol. Most of the failures that do happen are from the insulation failing and the cables cross phasing. Tinned copper imo is the cats meow. The problem these days is it’s all a ton of money! I’m tempted to just use the 500 mcm at my 9-5 as my power cables but the stuff is as stiff as a rock . It’s not fun bending that stuff! I’ll be stuck using welding cable unless I can find some tinned ofc at a good price which I have yet to .

 

[KicktheSDbasshead]

I’ve seen what happens to aluminum wires and cables when exposed to the elements and when in contact with dissimilar metals. It will turn right into a white powder. CCA wire in car is fine but you will have to double the size to match copper. Under the hood is where the most problems can happen. If you live in an area that snows, the salt in the roads will find its way on the connections and those lugs will be copper. The copper always wins and the aluminum corrodes into a milky white substance. A product called penetrox is used in the connections to prevent this but it can only do so much. This all will vary from car to car and area to area. I personally will never run CCA wire, state I live in it will most definitely happen after a season or two from the amount of salt they throw down when it snows.

Someone with solid reasons and results

 

[mat3833 10+ year member]

You would be amazed how well copper holds up. It will get an oxidation layer and then that’s about it. I’ve seen power cables in the ground subjected to oils, salt, and tons of other chemicals etc that last 100 years plus lol. Most of the failures that do happen are from the insulation failing and the cables cross phasing. Tinned copper imo is the cats meow. The problem these days is it’s all a ton of money! I’m tempted to just use the 500 mcm at my 9-5 as my power cables but the stuff is as stiff as a rock . It’s not fun bending that stuff! I’ll be stuck using welding cable unless I can find some tinned ofc at a good price which I have yet to ☹.

Oh yea man, we had some 2/0 sized wire feeding a 408v monster. Like 40 feet from the panel to the motor. You could support a roof with that crap. Needed a Cutoff wheel or hydraulic cutter to snip it. Boss just tossed it out back of the shop about 2 years ago. Saw it last week and all it took was a fingernail to get back to copper.

The only issue is audio OFC is high strand count, so your oxide layer ends up being a large percentage of the wire cross-section. At connections this can lead to broken strands and bad connections. Welding cable has thicker strands so it ends up protected instead of degraded.

Matt

 

[djdilliodon!]

Oh yea man, we had some 2/0 sized wire feeding a 408v monster. Like 40 feet from the panel to the motor. You could support a roof with that crap. Needed a Cutoff wheel or hydraulic cutter to snip it. Boss just tossed it out back of the shop about 2 years ago. Saw it last week and all it took was a fingernail to get back to copper.

The only issue is audio OFC is high strand count, so your oxide layer ends up being a large percentage of the wire cross-section. At connections this can lead to broken strands and bad connections. Welding cable has thicker strands so it ends up protected instead of degraded.

Matt

100% and the way around that is by going with tinned copper. The tin protects it and it protects it very well! I see dual 4/0 neutrals cables all day that are bare with no insulation on them but are just tinned. The 500 mcm cables are insulated so they aren’t tinned. Those tinned 4/0 cables hold up amazingly! Tomorrow I’ll see if I can snap a few pics of them and show you guys. These are in structures underground that have water, salt, oil, fuel, you name it constantly sitting on these cables and it eventually drying and then happening again. In car audio though, welding cable is no doubt the best deal hands down! I’ve been looking but so far can’t find any tinned copper welding cable. I did find nice tinned ofc from knuconcepts but it’s about $1.40 ish more per foot in 1/0 ga then the welding cables I’ve found.

 

[djdilliodon!]

Bare cable shown with the arrow pointing to it is tinned 4/0 copper about 30+ years old. That oxidation, dirt, and some salt you see on it is about as bad as it gets. The only time it will burn and fail is if it comes in contact with a live phase or something else starts burning from shorting out.

 

[mat3833 10+ year member]

Bare cable shown with the arrow pointing to it is tinned 4/0 copper about 30+ years old. That oxidation, dirt, and some salt you see on it is about as bad as it gets. The only time it will burn and fail is if it comes in contact with a live phase or something else starts burning from shorting out.

Oh hell Yea, neutral wire is nuts man! I wasn't aware you could get that stuff with insulation on it. I mean, it's a nightmare to work with, but you can tow a semi with that 4/0 and it will probably carry 600a a solid 50' without drop.

Matt

 

[djdilliodon!]

Oh hell Yea, neutral wire is nuts man! I wasn't aware you could get that stuff with insulation on it. I mean, it's a nightmare to work with, but you can tow a semi with that 4/0 and it will probably carry 600a a solid 50' without drop.

Matt

All the mains that use 3 phases 500 mcm legs are insulated and have 2 bare 4/0 neutral wires. I have personally seen 500 mcm carry over 1200 amps at 123v vibrating like crazy in 100 degree outside temps on a run that was 100+ feet long like a champ lol. I’ve seen stressed primary 500 mcm carrying well over 1000 amps at 27,000 volts like a champ too lol. I’ve also seen plenty of stuff blow up, tons of manhole fires, underground transformers that are huge costing from $250k to $1 mill plus explode lifting the ground up lol. My favorite was a 500 kva transformer that exploded and tossed oil on basically every car on the block lol. The side walk and street was all lifted like a bomb went off.