My 4 gauge wire is silver, is it possible its OFC, or would it be CCA?

[MellowHype 10+ year member]

seems like an obvious question, surely 100% OFC would be just plain copper, with a copper colour?

Just checking as i got the wire a long time ago before i really knew any difference between OFC and CCA

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[LosIsATool 5,000+ posts]

Silver tint is tinned copper. That's what you want. Keeps corrosion down

 

[MellowHype 10+ year member]

Silver tint is tinned copper. That's what you want. Keeps corrosion down

Ok thats good to hear, but then what does CCA look like? i thought that was silver?

I cant find the same product online since i bought it so long ago so i cant tell if its CCA or OFC

 

[jeepguylv]

cca is cooper clad aluminum, has copper coating but aluminum inside, if you use cca you will need 0 ga. to produce the same performance as 4 or 2 ga. from what I hear.

 

[nvturbo 10+ year member]

CCA wire is GARBAGE .

 

[LosIsATool 5,000+ posts]

CCA wire is GARBAGE .

Don't say that to loud. All the cheap bastards will come running

 

[big scott]

cca has its place..

i use ofc lol..

 

[MellowHype 10+ year member]

cca is cooper clad aluminum, has copper coating but aluminum inside, if you use cca you will need 0 ga. to produce the same performance as 4 or 2 ga. from what I hear.

So CCA wire could be copper coloured too?

is there any way to tell what my wire is?

 

[dbjunior 10+ year member]

Look at the end when it's cut coca will look like copper outside but when cut you will see the aluminum inside ofc is solid copper all the way thru. Tinned ofc has a silver outside and copper inside.

 

[jeepguylv]

if you use cca properly you won't have any issues, it is when people use the same size cca as they do cooper wire on amplifiers that draw a lot of amps then they start to melt wire, I am not saying cca is the best by far, I prefer cooper myself, but if your on a budget and you know it's limitations and how to size it properly for your install you will be fine.

 

[LosIsATool 5,000+ posts]

CCA will ALWAYS build heat faster than copper. Even if you use it as rated it will get hot. Heat kills efficency which in turn creates even more heat.

 

[jeepguylv]

CCA will ALWAYS build heat faster than copper. Even if you use it as rated it will get hot. Heat kills efficency which in turn creates even more heat.

agree mostly, not trying to defend cca vs cooper just saying it can be ok for some people.

 

[LosIsATool 5,000+ posts]

Nothing in this hobby is free. In the long run they will cost pretty much the same.

OFC will carry more current longer. By time you get enough runs of CCA to match it you have to add in the cost of terminals and blocks. Install issues..

Last I looked 4 OFC was cheaper than 1/0 CCA.

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

So CCA wire could be copper coloured too?
is there any way to tell what my wire is?

505EC3C7-A4F3-45F0-A9DE-43FBB5A1FEF3-13791-00000F7112B79A05.jpg Photo by codyj18 | Photobucket

Aluminium (left side) vs copper (right side)

copper can be silver tinned on the side but from an up top view like that, it should still have its copper coloring signifying that the strands are made of copper.

 

[Boomsday 10+ year member]

Nothing in this hobby is free. In the long run they will cost pretty much the same. OFC will carry more current longer. By time you get enough runs of CCA to match it you have to add in the cost of terminals and blocks. Install issues..

Last I looked 4 OFC was cheaper than 1/0 CCA.

Not 100% true. 2 runs of Cca will carry more current then one run of ofc and will be cheaper.

Both have there place. I have done tons of builds using both and unless you are trying to squeeze the last tenth out of a burp setup where u run sine waves all day if both are installed correctly and used within there limits both Will perform well.

I will tell you this though anybody that buys car audio branded ofc over welding is a complete and utter *******