I think we're in vehement agreement. My point is that unless the wiring between the alternator and the battery is severely degraded, it can probably handle the alternator's current output. And even if not, getting 50A at the battery instead of 60A is not a huge issue unless you're running the load for a long time.

For starting, same thing - unless the wiring to the starter is degraded, you should be good with OEM cable.

For winches, we just agreed that the winch draws from the battery through a whole separate set of cables, so the Big 3 only helps with recharging - but again, the alternator is likely to be the limiting factor, not the wire between the alternator and the battery.

That leaves aftermarket accessories, like lights, audio, fridges, etc. Here I agree, if you are powering too many things through the original wires, an upgrade may be needed. I ran a 4 AWG wire from the battery to a secondary fuse box for that very reason, as well as a 4 AWG cable from battery to body ground.

I'll repeat, I like big wires, but even winching does not require the Big 3.

As long as we are vehemently agreeing I'll say I like big wires too, but I like big butts more.

Even if not oversizing the wiring, refreshing the high amp carrying wires (the big 3) can't hurt on a 20+ year old truck - corrosion doesn't discriminate and causes resistance across the board.

Eventually, the Achilles Heel of these trucks will be the wiring given enough time.

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I'm all for maintenance, and this certainly won't hurt, other than the wallet .

This is my thought. I'm having intermittent starting issues when things get wet under the hood. I have to loosen and then retighten the positive terminal. Fires right up every time.

I already replaced the terminals with Marine terminals. Now I'm down to the Big 3 upgrade to solve this random issue.

Any chance of worn starter contacts or plunger causing the problem to be worse? If it has been >100k since the starter got new contacts/plunger, it might be worth it for a reliability upgrade.

Also, if the positive terminal has trouble getting tight, try battery shims.

-Charlie

My wife ordered a set of these for our 4Runner. Anyone know shipping times, or has anyone else gotten these?

Yes, not too mention copper wire is getting stupid expensive too. And copper lugs are ridiculous if you buy small quantities.

Just came in. They are beefy

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What size did you order?

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I ordered the smaller 2 gauge

Can you measure each individual cables and post here?

Big favor, I know

What about when upgrading to the CS144 alternator?

Wouldn't 1/0 AWG make sense between Alt and BAT+?

1 AWG to the starter, and 2 AWG everywhere else?

How about between battery and winch?

What if you were running an AGM battery?

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Yeah, 2 GA is enough to run 7 induction cookers simultaneously. Even if you had a fridge, a winch, lights, a cooktop, and whatever else, it still wouldn't near the rating. Chances are you wont be running all those things at once anyway.

I've been poking around and found a few sources, American Wire Gauge Chart and AWG Electrical Current Load Limits table with ampacities, wire sizes, skin depth frequencies and wire breaking strength it seems 0 AWG can carry 150 amps maximally while 2 AWG only 94 amps...

If 2 AWG will suffice for most of the engine bay feeds why not run 0 AWG from alt to BAT+ if 2 AWG is rated at least than the output of the alternator?


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Wire gauge only needs to meet the demand of the amperage output by the alternator. So, 4 gauge is sufficient enough for a 150 amp alternator. If I remember correctly 1/0 is good for up to 250 amps. Also, the amperage output by the alternator is not the amperage output at engine idle speed, it is far less. So factor that in when choosing a bigger alternator for electrical demands. Most winching is done at idle speed. That CS144 probably has an output of 50-60 amps at idle.