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wire gauge


mom'sZ

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Wiring stuff is not my favorite task. I don't cheese ball it because it can be dangerous but I tend to get something working and figure on going back to 'do it right' later. Well almost everthing else is done and later is fast becoming now

So... here is my question. What gauge wire is safe for what amp draw? How high of an amp draw should be operated by a relay? I'm no EE and haven't a clue.

Now this is for a race car. Some of the circuits are mission critical. Cooling fans, fuel pumps, data aquisition systems, gauge lights, driver comfort items, all these types of things need wired up. I've looked at prewired kits and such, and will probably buy a switch panel with circuit breakers built in so driver can try to reset, but the harness itself is to specialized for any kit to suit me.

So a chart or something? amps vs wire gauge or is it more complicated then that? Also any source for automotive type electrical supply on the net

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I've found a few resources for figuring out the wiring sizes, but here are a couple.

 

The first one is aiming more at building power, but gives conservative ratings. Just above the actual table there are a few disclaimers about the information, and explaining about some of the ratings as well.

http://www.powerstream.com/Wire_Size.htm

 

On this next one, they are targeting automotive wiring, and the chart (about 1/3 of the way down the page) lists wire gauges and length of run for each rating.

They also explain wiring selection criteria and common calculations to figure out wire types yourself if need be.

Overall, I suspect this one will be more useful to you, as they are giving pointers on planning out a car wiring project, admittedly, I think it's car audio, but many of the points made are valid.

http://www.termpro.com/articles/powersys.html

 

If you want more resources, I just went to Google and searched for "automotive wire gauge current ratings", and these are among the first 3 or 4 that popped up.

 

I hope this helps some, and happy wiring!

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