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*KRONIK* wrote:So i am at the last stage of my equipment purchase for my system....
Need wires for current to complete equipment.
Looking at some 0awg from battery to distribution block
And some 4awg from the block to the amps
Looking at OFC options only.
5yards of each (over estimated to get extra for ground wires)
I have been asking around and getting mixed reviews:
1 man say "doh use big-branded wire, use welding lead, its pure copper and works better than music wire"
Next man say "XS wire does turn green, it eh good."
Next man say "stinger lose their quality, it aint good like long time"
Next man say "XS wire does lose voltage along the run"
Next man say "best wire is rockford fosgate, i have it long time and it never oxidise"
Yes; i can go online and read 100 million reviews and end up back right here.
I wanna hear from the men on the ground, the actual end users
So its your turn to tell me about your experiences:
cost per yard?,
true to size?,
OFC vs tinned OFC?,
issues experienced?
Anything i may have missed or should have considered?
This was actually very helpfulaltec wrote:I have used 2 and 4 gauge "car" branded wires in the past and all were tinned. They have lasted years with no visible deteriorating of the metal; jacket got stained however. Last install I did I used 0 gauge welding cable from a friend (I did not buy it at retail price) from front to back of vehicle. Pros and cons; welding cable is way cheaper than auto grade wire. It is built to take abuse from heat and dragging around. It has a rigid set of standards that are enforced so wire specifications have very little variations across different brands . If using AWG standard recommendations for wire selection, welding wire is based on it. Depending on what spec welding cable you buy, it will be a bit stiffer or a lot stiffer. Examine your vehicle's battery to chassis ground if you want to know what stiff cable is.
Auto branded cable typically does not follow AWG even though it is the standard often recommended. For example 8 gauge wire will have a lot of variation in conductor diameter across brands. It is more flexible for tight bends....high strand count per diameter allows for tighter bends. Some are sold as "over sized" 0 gauge, but that is like buying a 15 meter measuring tape that is 2 feet longer and still ends at 15 meters.
My assessment.....tinned drastically cuts down on oxidization but the wires in your vehicle are most likely just OFC. Aluminum is a no no in a vehicle. If cost is a consideration go welding cable. If making sure you meet the watt/ amp spec and do not want to go through checking a crap load of wire brand actual specs, go welding for the front to rear run at least. If "pretty" is priority then auto cable is the choice just check actual specs, not the advertised and know that you will be paying more for the hype in advertising. If money is not a priority or you want better ease of install then a good auto wire brand in OFC is the choice for me.
I did a compromise; I used 0 gauge welding to the rear and streetwires 8 gauge to the amps.
LolRovin wrote:op i think ur over thinking it , unless ur an spl competitor & u need reassurance that ur gonna need\get every milli-amp of current then dont sweat it for a daily use system
like previously said tinned copper is to prevent oxidation , i have seen pure ofc oxidizing
just like in everything else : if u ask 100 ppl their opinions on every brand ur gonna get fanboys for each
i have used other brands but mainly stinger for yrsss & never had any issue, i dont really see any additional benefit in paying considerably more for "prestigious" brands
some brands use less/more insulation, some strands are more tightly packed together while others are more loose , some more copper some less ..... no need to do testing of copper weight, insulation & flex ability of dozens of brands ur self when u can look up hifivega on youtube who has already gone thru d trouble of doing all this work
NotedX_Factor wrote:i have used stinger pro ofc and xs ofc and had no issue
for those who used welding wire, how does it hold up to oxidizing as it ages?
To get a piece of the market of course.*KRONIK* wrote:Well my theory is: if welding lead wire is so good, why do car audio manufactirers go thru all the stress to make 0/4/8/12/16/18 awg wires if the commercial grade stuff good/better?
2lo2flo for XS16 cycles wrote:where ya getting the 0 gauge XS/Stinger pls?
Royal excelene and eb flex are good brands ask for thoseRayden6 wrote:Looking for 1/0 OFC welding wire for front to back conversion who has the better price per Ft/yard.
Thanks
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