Reasons why you shouldn't use CCA wire

[i2ain2thunder 10+ year member]

If my current 0gauge wire is rated at 230 degrees f is that decent?

 

[bhsdriller 10+ year member]

I run both...bought all my wire when it came on sale that's the only reason why lol

 

[mlstrass 5,000+ posts]

Personally I think its dumb to spend so much on top level equipment then sweat a few more bucks a foot on the POWER SUPPLY for said top level equipment. I guess thats why I can run full tilt for hours at a time without losing a volt. NO WEAK LINKS IN THE CHAIN

You can do that because you're not loud //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/tongue.gif.6130eb82179565f6db8d26d6001dcd24.gif

 

[trumpet 5,000+ posts]

Feel free to chime in here, OP is electrical engineer so he would have better understanding than me. But don't electrons follow on the outside of the wires? I mean I thought thats why people came up with copper clad aluminum in the first place, because it was supposed to be as good electrically, just less expensive? The only difference I have heard is that OFC has slightly better conductivity and less chance of catching fire?
Please correct me if I need it.

What you're talking about is called the skin effect.

Understanding Skin Effect and Frequency

An excerpt:

Skin Effect happens in all wire and cable (or in any metal object that conducts a signal, such as a trace on a circuit board or antennas, etc.). When the "signal" is DC, it uses the entire conductor, with the same amount of current flowing in the center of each wire as on the outside of the wire.

 

[LosIsATool 5,000+ posts]

No, you're just a keyboard goofball regurgitating the same garbage you think you know. Lol @ you thinking you have a 150DB SQ Award winning car.. A scion no less //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/laugh.gif.48439b2acf2cfca21620f01e7f77d1e4.gif
Like.

Both are facts. You are a newb that has no idea what really happens at my level.

 

[PocketRocket]

You can't read either. NO ONE HERE is arguing that CCA is "Better" than OFC. NO ONE. All anyone is saying is it is a viable alternative to OFC, when used properly.

O ok my bad bro my bad....I never knew people would argue cca is JUST AS GOOD as ofc.

 

[CHEMMINS 10+ year member]

Meh....I use welding cable.

 

[matt_bennett05 10+ year member]

What's wrong with me throwing wet tugboat ropes ontop 14kv overhead lines linked straight to the subs. F your wall socket boysonjr. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/fyi.gif.9f1f679348da7204ce960cfc74bca8e0.gif

 

[fasfocus00 5,000+ posts]

i didn't read all the pages of this thread but I did watch the video. i don't know if that guy works for stinger but last i checked Soundquest is a Stinger product and he clearly says to not buy CCA product which is what Soundquest wire is. i don't know if he is referring to "true gauge" as AWG wire sizes but I have to assume that based on the context. considering that you typically wire to ~20-30% over your current draw, I would never run a single run of AWG 4 gauge CCA to handle 80A since its max current draw capability @20ft is ~50-60A depending on the copper %. I don't think that video is fair to say that CCA is a "never" type of wire. if a system has a current draw of 80A you'd run wire to be able to handle a 100A current draw which is what the guy did showing that with 4 gauge OFC. put a cheap 1/0 CCA that handles a 100A current draw against that 4 gauge OFC and that would be a more fair comparison. also what material are the wire jackets made of? b/c that also plays a role.

Just to make sure I am clear, I am not promoting CCA wire or saying that it is comparable to OFC. I am just stating that the test was not a true apples to apples test in regards to ability. it's like putting comparing a V6 Camaro to an MP4-12C b/c they both have motors that are 3.7L. they are 2 completely different entities.

 

[DARKHART 10+ year member]

I didn't read all the pages so I don't know if it's been said but here goes....I think the point of that video and his message is really geared towards those newbs and joe average that don't really know the difference or care but are wondering why the price difference for supposedly the same thing. Those that would just go buy a amp kit off the shelf because they where told to get "such and such size kit" and run with the cheapest one. Everyone of you guys have seen these kits all over the place both internet and retail store that are prepackaged and says whatever gauge and is basically ALL jacket. That is what he's really comparing and not the fact that those of us that know, knows to use a higher strand count with CCA vs. OFC and when dealing with THAT type of scenario he's absolutely correct.....

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

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[Oraclem19]

I saw this video a year ago when I started, it is an ad for products in a store. Not much of it is fact if any major part of it.

CCA will do 95-99% of people fine, considering the highest output alternator I have seen is 250-300amps. 230 for cars, 300 for SOME trucks/suvs.

If you can afford to put $400+ into an alternator, the 4-500$+ into an amplifier combination that pulls over 250amps constantly, the $500+ for subwoofers to be able to hold all of that wattage and pull it consistently(minimum) and feel that an extra 30% efficiency in amp carrying capabilities is essential to your system, instead of a 2nd 1/0 gauge run of EITHER OFC or CCA is worth relying on for whether the car explodes/lights on fire, might want to go to the doc.

Never pass 60-70% of your wire's carrying capabilites for these high of setups. Seriously it costs 30$ for wire. If you can't figure out how to run TWO runs of 1/0 down TWO sides of a car, I don't know how you got the $30 for the wire anyway.

If you NEED OFC because you are out of space, and can't afford it, you are already running kilowatts. Money is no value.

If you DON'T NEED OFC because you are not made of money(or running a 200-250a capable system), you WANT CCA.

This is how I store the facts on recommendations for that ^^^

Or if install is in a brand new car that is planned on being kept for 10+ years with no maintenance.

 

[keep_hope_alive Premium Member]

i posted this to get a rise out of most of you. people get defensive when they buy something and someone says it's not that great.

is aluminum wire bad?

depends on the application. generic answer is no.

here is an example of what I deal with on a daily basis, designing power distribution systems (

it is certainly suitable (when properly made) for high power transmission. we use it for high current feeders in parallel sets in power distribution. by "high current" i mean 4,000A at 3-phase 480V (which can deliver 3.3 million watts) using 900MCM wire (900MCM has 6.6 times larger surface area than 1/0). modern aluminum wire has resolved the shortcomings of old thanks to new methods of termination. it's the termination that makes the wire feasible. they also use a more compact strand arrangement, using hexagon strands which minimize air between the conductors). The new stuff (Southwire makes a nice product). for example, 900MCM AL has the diameter of 750MCM CU.

aluminum wire WILL expand and contract with temperature more than copper wire. this means connections will loosen over time and a loose connection will get hot, very hot. people who used it previously had to do thermal scans of their connections every year, and tighten them occasionally. this resulted in flattening the wire which also caused it to heat up. AL wire got a bad rap. a few years back when copper wire went up 300% in cost, AL wire came to the rescue. since then, AL wire has maintained in the industry as a lighter, cheaper alternative to copper.

would I personally use it in a car? nope.

the reason? i don't trust car audio wire companies. they are f'n bullshyt with their wire sizes. i don't trust any of their methods. the best chance you have is with OFC wire because at least then you know the size is relative and current handling is more trustworthy.

another reason - size. it's not like we have a ton of space to run large wire in a car, OFC 1/0 is large enough, getting equivalent CCA is just ridiculous. 3/0 AL = 1/0 OFC.

the purpose of the video was not to discuss my own reasons. to each their own.

the purpose was to cause banter.

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