Big 3, Fuse or no Fuse????

[SteveSkal]

OK, I'm getting very conflicting info, some say yes, some say no.

I'm doing the big 3 upgrade and some are saying yes definitely use a fuse in between the battery and the alternator or you risk burning your car up, and others say nah, you don't need it...Well which is it????

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[jerryrobinson 10+ year member]

most cars are factory equip. with a fuse to protect the the standard alt wire

 

[bumpincrv 10+ year member]

i dont use one but i do see why u would

 

[Lakota 5,000+ posts]

I don't have mine fused. If you feel safer with it being fused then go that route.

 

[Racerx250 10+ year member]

If you feel the work that your going to perform to your vehicle will not be safe in the long run put a fuse. If you fell your work is top notch and do not believe there will be an accident. Don't put a fuse.

 

[mlstrass 5,000+ posts]

If you route the wire properly, so it doesn't rub on anything then a fuse might not be needed. Now if you get in an accident that's another story. Might end up with an arc welder under the hood. To me the $10-15 for a fuse is worth the peace of mind...

 

[SteveSkal]

If you route the wire properly, so it doesn't rub on anything then a fuse might not be needed. Now if you get in an accident that's another story. Might end up with an arc welder under the hood. To me the $10-15 for a fuse is worth the peace of mind...

I'm not worried about cost. I'm trying to think practical, I mean the idea behind the big 3 is to increase voltage flow by using a bigger wire, then you put a tiny fuse in between, isn't that kind of like a bottleneck in the flow??

 

[thegreatestpenn 5,000+ posts]

protect your alternator, use a fuse. forget that bottleneck theory. its only for a short distance. Last thing you want is for a wire to slip or ground out and destroy your car's electrical system or worse yet start a fire. I mean u fuse the wire going to your car audio right? why wouldn't u fuse the wire from your alt as well? Common sense saves money and in some cases lives

 

[SteveSkal]

So it sounds like most would say to use the fuse. Hmmm, I guess if it is not going to have a negative effect I will use a fuse. I plan on using 0 Gauge wire so you think a 300 amp fuse would be what I need?

 

[lilmaniac2 5,000+ posts]

reason why a large anl fuse doesnt hurt you too bad is b/c its solid and not a stranded wire //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif.

to be 100% safe use a fuse //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[Betrayer00GT 10+ year member]

Plus, I have heard that the greatest quality install could end up shorting the car out when it is ripped out by a thief. No need to be minus a system and with a burned out car, huh?

We all know it is possible. Just use a fuse, really close to the positive battery terminal on the positive power wire attached to that terminal.