From 6 to 4 to 0 gauge, my wiring saga

lmswest

When i first got my 2001 ds It had 4 out of 6 batteries that were bad ( one was even disconnected ! It wouldnt even make it down the street and back without shuttering so I replaced all the batteries and while I was at it I replaced the battery to battery cables with regular 4 gauge cables from auto parts store as the old ones were corroded and nasty..

I hadnt found this site yet and didnt take into consideration that they are made for 12 volt systems not 48!

So then I dug out some 4 gauge high strand car stereo wiring I had lying around and made new cables for all motor to switch and motor to battery cables but I still had the auto store wires going from battery to battery..
and while the cart ran a bit better I then added a 650 amp alltrax and a d&d es 81-41 and figured those cables might be holding back a bit of current (even though they were not getting hot)

So I decided instead of spending more money on all new 2 gauge I would steal from my show car that Im no longer showing and take all the 0 gauge out and use it.. Not sure the strand count but its pretty high as its high quality phoenix gold wiring with gold plated terminals.. All I need is a few more terminal ends and I can start making them..

So after all that reading I do have a question, has anyone with an upgraded motor/controller actually seen a performance boost from ditching auto store 4 gauge to large high strand count stuff ? Or is it more about the safety of not heating up the wiring ? Irregardless im changing them out just curious if I will actually see any gain or just peace of mind?

thanks for reading my long boring post LOL

BGW

__________________
This advertising will not be shown in this way to registered members.
Register your free account today and become a member on Buggies Gone Wild Golf Cart Forum

erict

It's all about resistance. Higher amperage through small cable creates resistance which creates heat and thats bad for anything electrical. Not sure if the cable you are going to use is correct and will let someone else chime in on that.

Speedchaser

All i know is my dealer did some maintenance work and took out my crimped end 4 guage cables and replaced with stock 6 guage and no problems. That is with 400 amp controller and high speed motor.

In the past though we have blown a battery cable, probably because of heat.

I am running 6 guage on my precedent with high speed and torque motor and 500 amp controller and no problem yet, probably got in about 10 rounds, golfing cart only.

Honestly do not hing you would feel any performance difference unless you were really pushing the system under heavy load, or higher amps, this is of course only my own opinion.

I probably am still gunna upgrade to Scottys 4 guage, just have not pulled the trigger yet.

erict

I would defiantly move to 4ga with your setup. I think you will even see some torque gain. Just make sure you switch all cables and not just the battery ones otherwise you will create a weak link.

lmswest

The strand count of the Phoenix gold 0awg is 4702 the stuff is SUPER flexible.
I dont expect much if any performance gains but will be far worth it for peace of mind..

In order is the stock 6 gauge then store bought 4 gauge then Phoenix gold 4 gauge then phoenix gold 0 gauge

All connections were crimped with a long handled 150 dollar crimp tool back in the day when my buddy owned a car stereo shop, I plan to crimp and solder all connections and seal them to slow the rate of corrosion..

Attached Images

	IMAG0451.jpg (141.8 KB, 0 views)
	IMAG0452.jpg (81.0 KB, 0 views)

shadowman

if these cables your gonna use are stereo cables don,t do it........you really need to bite the bullet and get some good quailty golfcart cables......every year we go thur this with cables and beleive me theres a reason that golfcart cables always win in the end, also make sure whatever you do that the #6 battery neg. cable goes thur the hole in OBC and not around it or cart isn,t going to charge right and battery light will come on and stay on........................

lmswest

When I made my cables out of the 4 gauge high strand "stereo" wire I was able to squeeze it through the obc (barely) This time around im going to run a bolt through it..

point me to some actual golf cart wires.. There arent any. There is high strand count wire that people cut and terminate to length and sell, correct?

4700+ strand count "stereo" wire will compare quite favorably to high strand count welding wire that people use.
If im wrong please explain to me how that is incorrect.

shadowman

call scotty B and have a talk with him, he makes an awsome custom cart cable and if nothing else maybe he can give you some insight on them....he also sells a kit for using bigger cables and taking care of OBC issue..............................

erict

You can also leave your current cable going through your OBC in place and route the new wire to bypass it. Scotty also sells an OBC stud kit.

lmswest

No offense to you or Scott but I pmed him after speaking to him on the phone and got zero response so I've done things on my own. After looking at the costs involved his wire kits seem like a great deal but seeing as I already have comparable wire all I had to buy the lugs and shrink tubing. And when I'm done I get the satisfaction of knowing I built it myself. Same reason I built my own bumpers ,side skirts,access cover,kick plate and steering wheel insert... That's what a hobby is all about right?