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I heard the Big 3 doesn't work...

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Old 02-28-2009, 09:06 AM
  #11  
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LOL at "big" 8 guage.

Like said above, he's trying to make money for the shop. Go get yourself some 0 Guage and crimp rings, and do it yourself. It's not that hard.
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Old 02-28-2009, 10:23 AM
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Big 3 all the way
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Old 02-28-2009, 02:45 PM
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Originally Posted by ndinadis
8 gauge is not very large
Americal Wire Gauge (AWG) goes from larger to smaller meaning that; 0>2>4>8>12 etc
8 gauge is 3.2mm diameter, it cannot do more then 50amps of current.

Edit: See above comment

Wouldn't the length of cable make a difference in its amperage capacity?
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Old 02-28-2009, 03:17 PM
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Yes it does play a role. I've done a 150a draw on short run (3ft) of 8ga. Remember its dynamic so it's not all the time.
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Old 02-28-2009, 03:39 PM
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Lightbulb

Originally Posted by loudtdi
Wouldn't the length of cable make a difference in its amperage capacity?
Absolutely....for an average system (2,000w total) doing the "Big 3" in 4ga will work fine. Very few systems are capable of pulling enough current to require 0ga wire for 2ft lengths, if you are doing an all-out SPL Competition system you might....

I'm all for using the heavy wire for extended runs, the voltage drops that happen if you don't are anathema to someone hoping for a trophy, but for the average person I still suggest a minimum of 2 ga for the main power line no matter what is being put in at the time.

My $0.02 worth.....again.....
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Old 02-28-2009, 03:49 PM
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If you go to Kennedy again, you CAN'T talk to the son...you want a deal, you talk to the father, when the son is not around.

That aside, the big 3 will fix issue due to wiring, but if u are pulling more current than what you alternator can put out...then the big 3 obviously does nothing in that sense.
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Old 02-28-2009, 06:36 PM
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Originally Posted by kin0kin
If you go to Kennedy again, you CAN'T talk to the son...you want a deal, you talk to the father, when the son is not around.
lol it was the son. The father was in a serious political discussion, and by serious I mean an F word every 15 seconds. Pretty funny to listen to. But to be honest I've never talked to the son before, but I thought the big 3 would help, and if it didn't then I would have gone for battery upgrades, but he seemed to want to go right to the big sale. Thanks for the advice kin0kin lol
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Old 02-28-2009, 06:38 PM
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Shop where the owner or employees is openily swearing in front of customers is not good business. It's insulting to the customer and shows that the customer is NOT their priority
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Old 02-28-2009, 08:15 PM
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Good old Oxford, owned by father and son and they've been their for years surprisingly enough. The father gives better deals but is a talker. They both talk a lot of foolishness to make a sale. I buy from them when i know they have something they can't charge a lot for other than that i don't listen to what either of them got to say.The do have some alright stuff in their but t heir knowledge is lacking.Big 3 is good for any car to improve current flow
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Old 02-28-2009, 09:37 PM
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All things are relative:
If your car alternator puts out a max of 40A and the wire is currently an 8 AWG, an upgrade won't do anything to help because the 8AWG can easily carry 40AMP. But if your alt puts out 80A - 120A, and you are running 8 AWG, the output isn't going to matter much, because the 8AWG wire will really only allow around 60A through.

A high quality battery is helpful indeed, so I will credit him for that - yet it won't be all that helpful if you are still running stock wire . . . I don't know why he didn't capitalize on your desire to do the big three and say "That's an awesome start, but your electrical system is only as strong as your weakest link. After you've upgraded that, your next weakest link is likely your battery; so do the big three, install this battery and you will be impressed with the difference."

Buying the battery will be a helpful thing . . . but pitting a new battery vs. the big 3 as if it is either one or the other is stupid.
Ideally you want to do both the big 3 and a new battery (and potentially a new alt )
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