[Land-speed] Wiring and Fuses

neil at dbelltech.com neil at dbelltech.com
Mon Oct 29 11:55:41 MST 2007


JD;

NO, these are CB ratings for various wire sizes. 

Note that I said "These ratings are only for CB protection of the wiring
itself, not how big a wire you should use for a particular load current."

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

-----Original Message-----
From: J.D. Tone [mailto:gmc6power at earthlink.net] 
Sent: Sunday, October 28, 2007 8:43 PM
To: neil at dbelltech.com; 'Dick J'; 'lsr list autox'
Subject: Re: [Land-speed] Wiring and Fuses

These numbers are for continuous current. Most cars today have 100 amp or 
higher alternators and you never see #4 wire on any of  them. You are lucky 
to see a #10. This is not telling to use smaller wire this is just an 
observation. I use a #8 on my alternator and #1 or 1/0 for batterey cables. 
That was the old sizes for 6 volt cars. Use the same size as your battery 
cable to ground the engine to the frame. If you use a an ignition box and 
mount it on lord or rubber mounts be sure to put an extra chassis ground on 
it even if one of the wires comimg out of it goes to a ground...Good Luck

Also If you are smart you will not use crimped fittings. Buy the 
noninsulated ones if possible and solder all ends. (you can remove the 
insulation) Apply numbered or colored heat shrink over each solder joint
>
> Copper Wire Size  Circuit Breaker (amps)
>
> #22 & #20 5
> #18 10
> #16 15
> #14 20
> #12 25 or 30
> #10 35 or 40
> #8 50
> #6 80
> #4 100
> #2 125
>
> Bear in mind that wire temperature will be higher if it is enclosed or
> bundled into a cable. These ratings are only for CB protection of the 
> wiring
> itself, not how big a wire you should use for a particular load current.
>
> I hope this may be helpful.
>
> Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ


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