Positive Battery Cable Diameter

[stevespeirs]

What's the correct gauge for the positive battery cable? Looks like the PO has installed 6 gauge. I think I remember reading the original cable diameter was 25mm. (4 AWG equivalent?)

I need to replace the positive terminal (it's actually a negative terminal, so doesn't fit the positive post on my new battery), so might as well get the correct cable while I'm at it. Nice bit of crimping, huh?

Thanks for any help!
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1979 Microbus

[skills@eurocarsplus]

25mm is close to 1 inch...

I have run 2ga and it's a wonderful upgrade. iirc 4 is stock
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[stevespeirs]

[wcfvw69]

http://www.wolfsburgwest.com/cart/DetailsList.cfm?ID=311971225C
http://www.wolfsburgwest.com/cart/DetailsList.cfm?ID=111971235C

I bought these from WW. They nice and thick.
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[aeromech]

It’s all about conductivity. With that shitty assed clamp you have pictured, you’re going to lose so much conductivity that it doesn’t really matter what size the cable is. You can do much better
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[telford dorr]

Another factor to consider is the number of wire strands. For any given wire gauge, more strands of finer wire (automotive wire) is preferable to fewer strands of thicker wire (house wire). The finer wire is much more flexible and fatigue resistant.

The ultimate solution is welding cable.
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[ToolBox]

I have used this company in the past to have custom cables made for our test vehicles. Fast turnaround and very good pricing.

https://www.batterycablesusa.com/battery-cables.html

[sjbartnik]

If you look at the wiring diagram, it shows the original wire size in square millimeters.

The large cable from the battery to the starter is 25 sq. mm. cross sectional area so that's probably why you had 25mm in your head. But yeah mm diameter and sq. mm. cross sectional area are two different things

You can google up a chart of conversion from sq. mm. to American Wire Gauge (AWG). 25 sq. mm. is a little bit closer to 3 gauge than it is to 4 gauge, but it's in between there.
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1965 Volkswagen 1500 Variant S
2000 Kawasaki W650

[stevespeirs]

[Wildthings]

I think my cables are #1 AWG. Nice and fat.

[Wildthings]

I think my cables are #1 AWG. Nice and fat. More voltage at the starter means less energy loss, faster cranking, and longer starter life, still running the starter I got with my van when I bought it 30 years ago, with just brush and bearing replacement a couple of times over the years.