Point of oversized wire?

[UnderFire 10+ year member]

Holy contradiction. Any REAL car audio 1/0 wire = 2/0 wire, is that better? Don't care if it's mislabeled, it will be the size of 2/0 AWG which you just said...

Basically sums it up right there.

I don't understand why CA companies don't just sell their stuff as 2/0 TBH.

 

[Gawdzila]

I get that, but the wire that's only making contract is really useful correct? I could have a wire twice the size of a 0 gauge terminal, but trimming half of it away to make it fit defeats the purpose right?

I have a degree in physics, so I can say with authority that this is not true.

Total resistance to current flow is just the sum of all the resistances. In the case of a linear resistor like wire, the total resistance is equal to the per-length resistance multiplied by the length of wire. The per-length resistance goes DOWN with larger wire gauge. Thus (using made-up figures for simplicity), if some 18-gauge wire has 0.1 ohm-per-foot resistance and some 4-gauge wire has 0.01 ohm-per-foot resistance, 10ft of 18-gauge will add 1 ohm of resistance and 10ft of 4-gauge wire will add 0.1 ohms of resistance. PERIOD.

The connector on the end will certainly add it's own resistance, and a larger connection area will result in less added resistance. But just because the connector isn't as large as the cable doesn't remove the low-resistance benefits of a fat cable.

 

[mlstrass 5,000+ posts]

I have a degree in physics, so I can say with authority that this is not true.
Total resistance to current flow is just the sum of all the resistances. In the case of a linear resistor like wire, the total resistance is equal to the per-length resistance multiplied by the length of wire. The per-length resistance goes DOWN with larger wire gauge. Thus (using made-up figures for simplicity), if some 18-gauge wire has 0.1 ohm-per-foot resistance and some 4-gauge wire has 0.01 ohm-per-foot resistance, 10ft of 18-gauge will add 1 ohm of resistance and 10ft of 4-gauge wire will add 0.1 ohms of resistance. PERIOD.

The connector on the end will certainly add it's own resistance, and a larger connection area will result in less added resistance. But just because the connector isn't as large as the cable doesn't remove the low-resistance benefits of a fat cable.

Sorry but you are wrong, slofocus said it's just marketing. Perhaps you should have gotten a degree in marketing //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/laugh.gif.48439b2acf2cfca21620f01e7f77d1e4.gif

 

[TheUnderFighter 10+ year member]

Holy contradiction. Any REAL car audio 1/0 wire = 2/0 wire, is that better? Don't care if it's mislabeled, it will be the size of 2/0 AWG which you just said...

No, because it doesn't HAVE to be 2/0 AWG. SOME of it is as oversized as 2/0, but some is in between, and some is exactly 1/0. It's not a requirement for quality Car Audio 1/0 to be exactly the equivalent of 2/0 AWG. It just so happens that a small number of companies "1/0" wire is actually 2/0/. Some of it is **** near, but not quite that big. Some of it is just in between.

 

[Vincer77 10+ year member]

When monster wire came out several years ago, they made some claim about larger wire transmitting some frequencies better when used as speaker wire. Was this just marketing hype?

 

[TheUnderFighter 10+ year member]

When monster wire came out several years ago, they made some claim about larger wire transmitting some frequencies better when used as speaker wire. Was this just marketing hype?

Yes.

 

[mlstrass 5,000+ posts]

No, because it doesn't HAVE to be 2/0 AWG. SOME of it is as oversized as 2/0, but some is in between, and some is exactly 1/0. It's not a requirement for quality Car Audio 1/0 to be exactly the equivalent of 2/0 AWG. It just so happens that a small number of companies "1/0" wire is actually 2/0/. Some of it is **** near, but not quite that big. Some of it is just in between.

Didn't say HAVE, said it WILL. I've 99% of the ca wire out there, and several types of welding. All the better car audio 1/0 is the same size as 2/0 welding and fits 2/0 terminals perfectly.

We're just splitting hairs now...

 

[tommydh 10+ year member]

I get that, but the wire that's only making contract is really useful correct? I could have a wire twice the size of a 0 gauge terminal, but trimming half of it away to make it fit defeats the purpose right?

Well instead of cutting strands away I would look into terminal adapters. think of it like this you take a gallon of water n pourt through a straw takes forever take gallon of water pour through 2" pipe moves faster same in electrical less resistance from wire =less voltage drop and lower amp drw since less heat build up

 

[tommydh 10+ year member]

Basically sums it up right there.
I don't understand why CA companies don't just sell their stuff as 2/0 TBH.

They would have to have it tested by UL and to list as such and adhee to stricter manufacturing specs then. That cost money

 

[Bettr n' Revrse 5,000+ posts]

omg, some dumb assses itt. Going back to bed

Whos this newb?

 

[TheUnderFighter 10+ year member]

They would have to have it tested by UL and to list as such and adhere to stricter manufacturing specs then. That cost money

And they don't have to do any of that by listing it as 1/0?

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

Well instead of cutting strands away I would look into terminal adapters. think of it like this you take a gallon of water n pourt through a straw takes forever take gallon of water pour through 2" pipe moves faster same in electrical less resistance from wire =less voltage drop and lower amp drw since less heat build up

While finding an adapter that keeps you from having to trim away some strands is more ideal, trimming those strands for an inch or two of the wire does not limit over all resistance nearly as much as your water/pipe example implies. As someone explained eariler in this thread, wire resistance is defined as resistance per unit length multiplied by the over all length. So a couple inches of higher resistance (where you trim for a connector) wont alter the over all resistance by very much.

 

[tommydh 10+ year member]

While finding an adapter that keeps you from having to trim away some strands is more ideal, trimming those strands for an inch or two of the wire does not limit over all resistance nearly as much as your water/pipe example implies. As someone explained eariler in this thread, wire resistance is defined as resistance per unit length multiplied by the over all length. So a couple inches of higher resistance (where you trim for a connector) wont alter the over all resistance by very much.

I was explaining more to the point of wh6y to go bigger I was not addressing the cutting of strands. All I know is if car audio ever had an inspection like real electrical Better not knick a whire while terminating let alone cut strands. I am a Master Electrician in MD, I have done numerous jobs with an insppector watching me do terms. I was dumbing down the explanation for the guy Resistance over length only means something to guys that know electrical theoryt.

 

[tommydh 10+ year member]

And they don't have to do any of that by listing it as 1/0?

The size is not the determining factor of ul listing or not. Someone mentioned NEC is more concerned with failure points. the exact table is NEC 70 310.16 has ampacity listings for copper, aluminum, and ccaluminum in various insulation types. To get that marking requires the testing and standards. As an electrician if I were to try to use a car audio cable in an application although 1/0 is supposedly 1/0 the jacketing would cause me to fail my inspection. Now a quick point some cables do look inconsistent to others in size that is due to number of strands and a bunch of other stuff.

 

[TheUnderFighter 10+ year member]

The size is not the determining factor of ul listing or not. Someone mentioned NEC is more concerned with failure points. the exact table is NEC 70 310.16 has ampacity listings for copper, aluminum, and ccaluminum in various insulation types. To get that marking requires the testing and standards. As an electrician if I were to try to use a car audio cable in an application although 1/0 is supposedly 1/0 the jacketing would cause me to fail my inspection. Now a quick point some cables do look inconsistent to others in size that is due to number of strands and a bunch of other stuff.

ooo ok gotcha, I misunderstood. I thought you were responding to "why don't they just label it 2/0" haha. Hence my confusion.