differences in welding cable and car audio wire

[pimpolligist16 10+ year member]

what is the difference between them all i see is more amp throw the welding cable and for less money i will be doing the Big 3 and i am looking for wire by the foot and i seen some welding cable 1/0 for 1.73$ for a foot and 0 g car audio wire is 1.68$

what's the difference?

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[uz1290 10+ year member]

Usually its just flexibility and appearance, but i used welding cable for my big 3 also. I think i like welding cable a bit more than car audio wire since at least welding cable probably has more copper than car audio wire depending on which one you get. Oh and welding wire is true 1/0 ga //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/fyi.gif.9f1f679348da7204ce960cfc74bca8e0.gif

 

[pimpolligist16 10+ year member]

ight thanks

 

[snoopdan 5,000+ posts]

Yeah it's all I use on my vehicles. It's not pretty but who gives a shit.

 

[bubbagumper6 5,000+ posts]

Usually its just flexibility and appearance, but i used welding cable for my big 3 also. I think i like welding cable a bit more than car audio wire since at least welding cable probably has more copper than car audio wire depending on which one you get. Oh and welding wire is true 1/0 ga //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/fyi.gif.9f1f679348da7204ce960cfc74bca8e0.gif

wow, I'm not really sure what in the hell you think you just said but let me clarify...

Welding cable 1/0 = 1/0

Good brand car audio 1/0 => 1/0

Bad brand car audio 1/0

As far as copper content goes, it's all OFC (unless you start talking about CCA but leave that out of this for now) so the size/strand count is going to be the major difference. Welding cable is generally going to have less strands so it will be less flexible, but that's never been a concern of mine. It also doesn't come with the sweet colored insulation but again, who gives a frick.

 

[ramos 5,000+ posts]

wow, I'm not really sure what in the hell you think you just said but let me clarify...
Welding cable 1/0 = 1/0

Good brand car audio 1/0 => 1/0

Bad brand car audio 1/0

As far as copper content goes, it's all OFC (unless you start talking about CCA but leave that out of this for now) so the size/strand count is going to be the major difference. Welding cable is generally going to have less strands so it will be less flexible, but that's never been a concern of mine. It also doesn't come with the sweet colored insulation but again, who gives a frick.

You hit the nail on the head. Those are the differences //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[dextermoped 10+ year member]

The welding cable I have has a "Neoprene Armor" and is tough as shit. Not the most flexible of stuff but I got a little more voltage by switching from Install Bay 1/0 to 1/0 welding wire.

 

[pimpolligist16 10+ year member]

ya i just got 13 feet of welding cable from ebay for 15.50$

 

[walled01alero 10+ year member]

the cable i've used in my whole car is Tristar welding cable. $125 on ebay for 50'. This guy has his own operation and can get you pretty much any color / custom print on every foot.

Edit:

 

[walled01alero 10+ year member]

Coppercableman is his name. That's 00.

2/0 WELDING CABLE. 50ft w/ MALE / FEMALE CONNECTORS - eBay (item 290452206928 end time Aug-06-10 13:48:34 PDT)

 

[pimpolligist16 10+ year member]

were can i find heat shrink that will work on 1/0 wire to cover the cable ends? i would like red and black

 

[uz1290 10+ year member]

yup sorry for the confusion up there but bubbagumper6 hit all the key spots i didnt, when i said that welding cable in some cases was bigger i was comparing to cheapo brands but like he said good brands like kicker will be a helll of a lot bigger than welding cable. As for shrink tubing, i bought mine from goodstuff at caco but i know for sure they also sell some at home depot, i just went with goodstuff since it was cheaper and got a lot more for the price

 

[Haunz 10+ year member]

The welding cable I have has a "Neoprene Armor" and is tough as shit.

BANG! That is the shit...

Welding cable generally uses butyl, neoprene, or a few other rubbers which are tough and durable....

By contrast the fancey transparent wire marketed for car audio purposes is made of plasticized PVC... it is not tough, and not durable... it is prone to chemical attack and will dry out over time loosing it's plasticity...

 

[pimpolligist16 10+ year member]

are all sizes the same around making all heat shrink to work with 1/0g wire or is there a differences in width?

 

[uz1290 10+ year member]

are all sizes the same around making all heat shrink to work with 1/0g wire or is there a differences in width?

i used 3/4" for my 1/0 wire