are all power/ground wires one and the same?

SouthArk370Z

A wire is a wire is a wire. As long as your ohms/foot is low enough and the insulation is tough enough, you'll be OK. From a installer POV, stranded wire is easier to handle but, electrically, it's all the same. The connectors you use and how you install them will make a bigger difference than whether or not you are using "audiophile" wire.

Edit: The "marine" wire you mention usually has very rugged insulation. Not a bad idea for automotive use but a little overkill. The "audiophile" wiring is snake oil - any difference that they might make (extremely little in the best of circumstances) will be drowned out by road noise.

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bigaudiofanat

Not exactly man you should look into quality research a bit.


http://www.knukonceptz.com/kitreview.cfm

OP as long as your ground wire is the same gauge/kind as your power wire you will be fine. Just don't run a 4 gauge wire to your amp and a 8 gauge ground. I recommend knu for your power wire.

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SouthArk370Z

As long as the voltage drop across the wire is within limits, it doesn't matter what the conductor is made of. Yes, some materials do not conduct as well, eg, Aluminum vs Copper, and a larger wire size is required to get the same voltage drop.

The power and ground wire sizes do not have to match as long as the smallest wire is big enough. Eg, if 8 ga wire is called for, you can use 6 ga (or larger) for one of the wires.

As long as the wire will handle the current with little voltage drop, nothing else matters. This is DC we're talking about, not AC or signal.

Edit: To sum it up, get the wiring with the least resistance that will fit in the hole. That includes the connectors (if any). Copper, Aluminum, Silver, Gold, solid, stranded, whatever - it doesn't matter. I don't recommend Al for various reasons (cold flow, &c), but, electrically, it works great for power.

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GalletGun

Since we are on the topic of least resistance.

As far as the ring terminals I will be using. Will silver or gold plated terminals be "more effective".

Silver would seem to corrode in the engine bay. In that case will gold last longer?

SouthArk370Z

Yes, Silver will tarnish. If you seal the connectors (eg, RTV plus heat-shrink tubing), it doesn't really matter what metal is used as long as the connector material is compatible with the wire. Ie, any "industrial-grade" connector will work well if you select it for the type of wire you are using (eg, Cu or Al) and install it correctly.

Keep in mind that many "gold connectors" use very thin gold-plating that doesn't survive a crimp very well. Usually not worth the money/effort if weather-proofing is your goal.

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