thinking of upgrading battery cable to 1AWG from 2AWG thoughts?

[Kschep]

Im redoing my battery negative cable and know 2AWG is standard currently but I was wondering with extra accessories etc. is 1AWG overkill or prudent for a truck that has 3-4 extra accessories being fed other than what the truck already pulls.

Has anyone here decided to go with 1AWG for their cables?

 

[whitey45]

You can never go wrong with any upgrade, especially electrical!! I always go overkill when it comes to wiring!! 1awg welding wire is my go to battery connections!

 

[Dizzy]

The cables are sized for the starter, which I believe dwarfs any accessories in amperage other than a winch. Do you need to run accessories while you are cranking the motor? Do the accessories power up from the positive terminal, the starter lug, or off of the main harness / fuse block? If you know your amperage, then you can use one of these engineering calculators on the web. Likely, this affects your decision for the negative cable / engine/chassis cable, and not the positive cable unless the accessories are wired from it.

I'm under the impression that the most vulnerable part of the system is the circuit between the alternator / ammeter / ignition switch / fuse block. On that circuit, a drop in voltage will reduce the voltage going into the coil, and you get a weaker spark, particularly while cranking the engine in cold weather. It would also be a wire(s) going on with a half century of oxidation if it is an original harness.

 

[Kschep]

The cables are sized for the starter, which I believe dwarfs any accessories in amperage other than a winch. Do you need to run accessories while you are cranking the motor? Do the accessories power up from the positive terminal, the starter lug, or off of the main harness / fuse block? If you know your amperage, then you can use one of these engineering calculators on the web. Likely, this affects your decision for the negative cable / engine/chassis cable, and not the positive cable unless the accessories are wired from it.

I'm under the impression that the most vulnerable part of the system is the circuit between the alternator / ammeter / ignition switch / fuse block. On that circuit, a drop in voltage will reduce the voltage going into the coil, and you get a weaker spark, particularly while cranking the engine in cold weather. It would also be a wire(s) going on with a half century of oxidation if it is an original harness.

to answer will I run accessories while I "crank" motor (start/ignition.keyTurn)? No, not necessarily, but while motor is running - obviously .. I'm assuming if I ever needed the use the winch I would need the car running while using ... and then lets just for fun say Im blasting the radio too and have my ARB lockers engaged all at the same time because if im off-roading that's a possible scenario. My lights might not be on but all those others could all be drawing at same time in my opinion, yes.

Thats why Im thinking of just doing my battery cables 1 gauge awg so that my max amp support go above 160 which is what I believe 2AWG does up to 10-12ft. 1AWG can do 200... so I think im going with 1awg, someone tell me not to and why? that's what im looking for

 

[Dizzy]

The other day I added a couple of USBs to the 40, so I could just delete the stereo from the dash. I tapped into the 'wiper' circuit on the fuse block, it also is the radio circuit. It goes off when cranking, and it isn't on when the key is on OFF.

If I was doing something bigger than my cheap computer speakers/amp it would be similar, but, with a relay switch to trigger it, and a wire to the positive terminal that is joined with inline fuse or fusible link. That way the circuit is off at the appropriate times.

I'm pretty sure that most people will independently wire an ARB compressor's main power draw to the battery post, so it wouldn't logically affect your choice of battery-to-engine/starter cables. If the compressor grounds to chassis or engine, then it still wouldn't add to the power load if on a relay switch, and the battery ground cable would be the most overbuilt link in the circuit.

 

[Kschep]

The other day I added a couple of USBs to the 40, so I could just delete the stereo from the dash. I tapped into the 'wiper' circuit on the fuse block, it also is the radio circuit. It goes off when cranking, and it isn't on when the key is on OFF.

If I was doing something bigger than my cheap computer speakers/amp it would be similar, but, with a relay switch to trigger it, and a wire to the positive terminal that is joined with inline fuse or fusible link. That way the circuit is off at the appropriate times.

I'm pretty sure that most people will independently wire an ARB compressor's main power draw to the battery post, so it wouldn't logically affect your choice of battery-to-engine/starter cables. If the compressor grounds to chassis or engine, then it still wouldn't add to the power load if on a relay switch, and the battery ground cable would be the most overbuilt link in the circuit.

Ok that makes sense. Lets say I put in 1gauge as Im kinda planning, that's not really going to affect much other than if I Needed the extra amperage...Other than that its just a little bigger wire there. Meaning in electrical terms (as I understand it) an analogy is that basically im just adding a extra lane to the highway, im not hurting the flow of traffic...meaning everything will still work the exact same I would just have more room if needed. Its not like im going down a Gauge and limiting amperage flow which could affect certain operations.

or am I incorrect in that assessment and having a size up higher than you need could change the workings of the electrical system in a negative way?

I think I have just convinced myself that 1gauge is better for an FJ with a number of accessories as opposed to an fj without a number of added accessories using just regular 2-4AWG battery cable. And now im just second guessing myself because Im not confident in my electrical knowledge in any way.

 

[bhsdriller]

correct you won't cause any negative affects running the larger sized wire

 

[ToyotaMatt]

TOYOTA Factory Battery Terminals are 8mm size spec. studs hence use a 5/16 or 8mm ring terminal LUG .........

OEM Starterlugs same too ..


CABLE BOND No. 1 , ( Starter Ground Strap ) however , uses 1 size guage smaller cable .........