I've seen a several 8 gauge and one 3 gauge here in the forums. I have a 150 amp alternator. This chart says I need a 0 gauge?.
What gauge wire from Alternator to trunk battery?
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kabinet
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I've seen a several 8 gauge and one 3 gauge here in the forums. I have a 150 amp alternator. This chart says I need a 0 gauge?.
If charge wire, 6 or 8 AWG is good.
Battery determines how much it will take for recharge.
Naturally, the bigger the gauge wire, the less loss of current (power).
Battery determines how much it will take for recharge.
Naturally, the bigger the gauge wire, the less loss of current (power).
I like these guys and they use 8 for the charging wire: http://www.madelectrical.com/catalog/tm-1.shtml
This system uses a remote starter solenoid for a trunk mounted battery which I think is a good idea.
This system uses a remote starter solenoid for a trunk mounted battery which I think is a good idea.
I run a 1ga cable from my trunk mounted battery to the hot terminal on the starter solenoid. This 1ga cable runs through a 250amp circuit breaker mounted near the battery. Then I run a 6ga wire from the alternator to the same hot terminal on the starter solenoid. I am also running a 150 amp alt. This setup has worked without issue for 10,000 miles now.
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I believe that the wiring kit and diagram http://www.madelectrical.com/catalog/tm-1.shtml is for use with a 63A maximum or less alternator. The reason I say this is when I'm running a power wire for an amplifier in the trunk of a car with the battery up front, and the current demands of the amplifier are 60A or less, I run an 8 gauge wire. If I had an amp that pulled between 60A and about 120A/150A, then I would run a 4 gauge wire. By doing this using copper wire and not the copper clad aluminum (CCA) wire, I have never had any issues for over 30 years doing it that way.
In the Mad site, it is also said that the kit works well with powerful alternators but since there is no definition of what is "powerful" I have to wonder how much the kit can actually handle. I know it is, what it is, but a person just has to know it does have limitations.
Some of the info on the site is from around 2002 or so but today there are more and more suppliers of 150A, 200A, 300A and larger alternators out there.
It's possible the kit may support up to a 100A but anything larger to me would need larger wire run between the alternator and the CN-1 Terminal Block and from the CN-1 Terminal Block and the rear mounted battery (as well as running a larger fusible link at the battery connection on that wire).
Another statement made is: The alternator is the source of power to run the electrical system. Alternator power will be routed directly to the terminal block through a short length of our 8 gauge Tuff-Wire. The terminal block will distribute full power to the dash area and to the accessories. (The firewall is a practical place to mount the terminal block.) The battery will be charged through the Red 8 gauge Tuff-Wire, which is protected by a fusible link at the rear.
I agree with this but it needs to be expanded in that when current is being drawn from the terminal block with the alternator NOT providing the power, then the battery is the source of power. Now instead of just a few amps going to the battery to keep it charged up, now the battery is supplying everything.
While some scenario's may never play out, if a person were to run the TM-1 or the TM-2 kit, let's say the alternator is a 63A and the accessories being powered from the terminal block in the kit do not exceed 63A, then the kit will probably work. The 8 gauge Tuff-Wire along with the 12 gauge fusible link should be fine BUT if we were to put in a powerful alternator like a 200A one and we then have let's say 180A being pulled off of the terminal block, then I have to think the 8 gauge wiring would be too small from the alternator to the terminal block if the alternator was putting out and also the 8 gauge from the battery to the terminal block if the alternator was not putting out.
While it is also not called out in the Mad site, there has to be a specification, or you would think there would be, as to how much this terminal block can handle as far as amperage. I really doubt anyone would be stressing it to the max but who knows sometimes. I looked around and another company offers a single stud terminal block and it is a 5/16" stud, 1" long, and it is rated up to 400A. If the terminal block on the Mad site is smaller, then it might not be rated this high and it's just something else that when designing something, how things need to work together.
While this does not cover everything, here are some pictures of how power can flow when the alternator is supplying power and then when the battery is supplying power.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaOHt7S7140
I can see that at some point, the 8 gauge wire will become a restriction and be too small of a gauge.
Jim
In the Mad site, it is also said that the kit works well with powerful alternators but since there is no definition of what is "powerful" I have to wonder how much the kit can actually handle. I know it is, what it is, but a person just has to know it does have limitations.
Some of the info on the site is from around 2002 or so but today there are more and more suppliers of 150A, 200A, 300A and larger alternators out there.
It's possible the kit may support up to a 100A but anything larger to me would need larger wire run between the alternator and the CN-1 Terminal Block and from the CN-1 Terminal Block and the rear mounted battery (as well as running a larger fusible link at the battery connection on that wire).
Another statement made is: The alternator is the source of power to run the electrical system. Alternator power will be routed directly to the terminal block through a short length of our 8 gauge Tuff-Wire. The terminal block will distribute full power to the dash area and to the accessories. (The firewall is a practical place to mount the terminal block.) The battery will be charged through the Red 8 gauge Tuff-Wire, which is protected by a fusible link at the rear.
I agree with this but it needs to be expanded in that when current is being drawn from the terminal block with the alternator NOT providing the power, then the battery is the source of power. Now instead of just a few amps going to the battery to keep it charged up, now the battery is supplying everything.
While some scenario's may never play out, if a person were to run the TM-1 or the TM-2 kit, let's say the alternator is a 63A and the accessories being powered from the terminal block in the kit do not exceed 63A, then the kit will probably work. The 8 gauge Tuff-Wire along with the 12 gauge fusible link should be fine BUT if we were to put in a powerful alternator like a 200A one and we then have let's say 180A being pulled off of the terminal block, then I have to think the 8 gauge wiring would be too small from the alternator to the terminal block if the alternator was putting out and also the 8 gauge from the battery to the terminal block if the alternator was not putting out.
While it is also not called out in the Mad site, there has to be a specification, or you would think there would be, as to how much this terminal block can handle as far as amperage. I really doubt anyone would be stressing it to the max but who knows sometimes. I looked around and another company offers a single stud terminal block and it is a 5/16" stud, 1" long, and it is rated up to 400A. If the terminal block on the Mad site is smaller, then it might not be rated this high and it's just something else that when designing something, how things need to work together.
While this does not cover everything, here are some pictures of how power can flow when the alternator is supplying power and then when the battery is supplying power.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaOHt7S7140
I can see that at some point, the 8 gauge wire will become a restriction and be too small of a gauge.
Jim
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239 Posts
I have 2/0 main battery cables (overkill, I know), the positive cable to the starter runs through a Ford starter relay in the trunk next to the battery. This cable is only hot while cranking. In addition I have a 4ga wire for the 140A alternator. All the other power consumers, fuse and relay panels, ignition switch, etc. branch from this wire which is fused near the battery with a 150A ANL fuse available from most any stereo shop.
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