Vehicle "starter" cable size ?

[Maker]

Someone once suggested cheap jump leads as a source of battery wire, for my last hot rod. I had an old Halfords set, so I chopped them up....
.....only to find that the cable diameter was about 80% insulation and the core barely 4mm diameter.

I've got some clear insulated speaker cable like that, the insulation acts as a lens and makes the core look bigger than it really is, cheeky sods.

 

[James1979]

I've got some clear insulated speaker cable like that, the insulation acts as a lens and makes the core look bigger than it really is, cheeky sods.

I’ve fallen for that one too

 

[tom2207]

I've got some clear insulated speaker cable like that, the insulation acts as a lens and makes the core look bigger than it really is, cheeky sods.

Try a bit of 6mm t&e for speakers ,,, if you really want bang for bucks ,,, dont knock it till you try it.

 

[Maker]

Try a bit of 6mm t&e for speakers ,,, if you really want bang for bucks ,,, dont knock it till you try it.

Don't be silly, speaker cable has to be 99.9999% pure oxygen free copper, iridium plated, with insulated strands to minimise the skin effect, shielded cores, directional insulation, pre-burnt in and soaked in snake oil for exactly 69 hours. Anything less is ruining your sound.


I was actually using 2.5mm flex for a while but I was moving and testing things a lot so eventually got some proper cable, terminated into speakons and banana plugs. I'd probably use T&E for a permanent setup TBH.

 

[tom2207]

Don't be silly, speaker cable has to be 99.9999% pure oxygen free copper, iridium plated, with insulated strands to minimise the skin effect, shielded cores, directional insulation, pre-burnt in and soaked in snake oil for exactly 69 hours. Anything less is ruining your sound.


I was actually using 2.5mm flex for a while but I was moving and testing things a lot so eventually got some proper cable, terminated into speakons and banana plugs. I'd probably use T&E for a permanent setup TBH.

Ive run speakers on everything from Socapex , , thats a lighting multicore cable to mic lead when Ive had to ,,, and I put the whole speaker cable thing into the same box as mains cable and interconnects ,,,, its a sales mans dream.
But battery cable really does matter ,,, especially on a cold night with a poor filter.

 

[cheb]

Don't be silly, speaker cable has to be 99.9999% pure oxygen free copper, iridium plated, with insulated strands to minimise the skin effect, shielded cores, directional insulation, pre-burnt in and soaked in snake oil for exactly 69 hours. Anything less is ruining your sound.


I was actually using 2.5mm flex for a while but I was moving and testing things a lot so eventually got some proper cable, terminated into speakons and banana plugs. I'd probably use T&E for a permanent setup TBH.

And suspended from the floor by helium filled balloons so any field that is generated can be properly concentric to the cable.

 

[Parm]

Don't be silly, speaker cable has to be 99.9999% pure oxygen free copper, iridium plated, with insulated strands to minimise the skin effect, shielded cores, directional insulation, pre-burnt in and soaked in snake oil for exactly 69 hours. Anything less is ruining your sound.


I was actually using 2.5mm flex for a while but I was moving and testing things a lot so eventually got some proper cable, terminated into speakons and banana plugs. I'd probably use T&E for a permanent setup TBH.

Then you crank it up and experience temporary threshold shift to your hearing, lol

 

[Maker]

I've only cranked it right up once, someone four doors down on the other side of the road told me to turn it down.

 

[Bobupndown]

They won't work at all without 24 carat gold connectors

 

[Parm]

I've only cranked it right up once, someone four doors down on the other side of the road told me to turn it down.

You should visit me. I crank it up when I’m in the mood. Proper dub plate styleeee

 

[Ed.]

I have a decent sub-woofer and I like to crank that up more than the other speaker settings, you can feel it through out the house and also outside as well. Wifey always tells me to turn it down!

 

[Justme]

A quick google suggests the Wavebox is 660W, so that's looking around 55A at 12V.
10mm2 can handle 70A according to the first google hit I checked, but I'd probably go for 16mm2 (110A).

Personally, I'd just carry a set of jump leads.
Any recovery vehicles I've worked on, typically use 50mm2 for jump start points, but there's a big step-up in price from 16 to 50mm2.

It might handle 70am but the volt drop will be too large.

To run a winch /jump start you need big cables or you loose to much in the cable.

 

[optima21]

I used 25mm welding cable for the battery and starter cables on my polo, they are only small petrol engines though

 

[LiftedDisco]

Just as a thought - you suggest the ability to manage a jump start is ‘just in case’ but what is the added cost of the larger cable to allow this and the issues (if any) of running the larger cable front to back?

I would question whether you would be better with a smaller cable to serve the winch for the scooter etc and deal with the possible jump start scenario with one of the small lithium jump packs…

I’ve got one of these and they are cracking bits of kit with the added ability that you can move from vehicle to vehicle if required or even walk across a car park to assist someone… absolutely not vehicle dependent!

 

[Ed.]

I always get confused when buying cable for vehicles and tend to go OTT "just to be sure" however with the cost of HD starter cable that can work out very expensive
I'm planning on running a live from the battery on my Fiat Doblo (will be fused at battery end) to the rear of the vehicle were it will be terminated with an Anderson socket.
This will be for (a) powering a small winch to haul my mobility scooter into the back of the vehicle (b) run a 12V Wave Box microwave (with engine running) and (c) be able to use it as a jump start take off point (rarely needed but want option).
Looking on eBay, unless somebody can suggest a cheaper source, I'm not sure what size to buy.
What amperage / mm² do people recommend ?
Is welding cable the same as starter cable ?
Thanks

I think that good welding cable usually has more, and also finer wire strands in it than battery cable and there also could be a difference in the type of insulation, I have only bought welding cable a couple of times over the years and the ones I bought had a more rubberised insulation than battery cables, it was also more flexible because of the finer strands, having said that, I think that either one would do your job. Regarding the cable size, when you say a small winch, you would need to find out its amp capacity. I have a "small 12V 4000lb" winch which was used on an 8m boat trailer and off the top of my head it could draw up to 170A. Which is quite a lot of amps to be running from the motor to the back of a vehicle through a long cable for a couple of minutes.

With my setup, I had a large battery in the boot of the 4WD with a 175A Anderson plug and used that to connect to the controller of the winch.That was mounted on the boat's trailer post in addition to a 8m set of heavy jumper leads. I made them from 2/0 (70mm2) welding cable which I carried around in case I couldn't charge up the winching battery during multiple retrieves when on holiday. Bought that when cable was relatively affordable many years ago. Connected that to under the bonnet when needed and then to the Battery in the boot which gave an additional boost.

I don't think that I would like to have a cable drawing that amount of current, wired through the vehicle unless it was double insulated. Having only just a battery in the boot to power a winch would only require a short length of cable but probably no less than 35mm in my opinion, but as I said depending on your winch's currant draw on full load.

 

[8ob]

There will be a calculation for cable size vs voltage drop over a given length , for knuckle scrapers like me that need to know these jumper/winch cables are adequate its best to go big.

Bob