right now i have my sealed box apart and am sealing the inside w/ silicone sealant and was wondering if it would ok if i were to use some wire with a solid core, instead of traditional speaker wire w/ a stranded core. The wire in my box now is 16 gauge i believe, but i found some 12 gauge (solid core) wire in the basement and wanna put that in there... would it be ok or is it not a good idea? TIA.

 

It can be done, and you will not hear a difference. However, the reason solid core is not used in cars is because if is a bear to work with, and does not flex very well. Inside a box, you should be fine. But if you run it anywhere else in the car, it may break over time from things sitting or stepping on top of it.

mike

 

thanks for the info

well i just got done playing w/ the stuff (12 gauge solid core) and yes it is a b**** to work with The original wire was for lighting and came in a sheath of 3 wires... two 2 w/ sheaths and one bare.... so i managed to get rid of the outer sheath and seperate the two covered wires (easier to work with).

I just wanted to get the original stuff outta the box...found out it was only 18 gauge - - pretty thin. And im only wiring the inside of the box, and from the box to the amp... which is all in my trunk so im not gonna have to worry about it breaking from getting stepped on/bending too much.

 

If I were you, I'd cough up $.25/ft for a few feet of 12 AWG speaker wire. For a couple bucks you'll have the satisfaction of knowing you didn't half-*** it. The wire may be capable of carrying a high current load, but your connection points are going to be comprimised. The braided cable, when squeezed, provides a very large contact area, where this solid stuff will only have a very small contact area. It could cause arching, which will cause the wire and terminal to haze over and reduce conductivity even further.

 

I agree with Jim and it while it will work there's a reason why it goes in the house and not in the car.

 

yeah i said screw it last night at 11 when i was still splicing the stupid wire from the sheath and crimping the connectors on... so im just gonna leave the wire thats in there for now - - gotta save some bux for my new body and carb. (plus this box is in my avenger which im sellin come spring)... thanks for the info tho guys