Big Three Upgrade?

If you're wiring a winch, just run another 0 gauge all the way back to the battery, you don't want that much amperage going through the frame.

 

I’ve never wired a separate ground for a rear winch hookup or even when I ran auxiliary batteries in the back of other vehicles. What would be the issue running the current through the frame? I always figured the cross section of the steel in the frame and it’s level of resistance would far exceed the capabilities of 1/0 welding cable.

 

Done the big 3 on my last 5 cars, but I'm too old and lazy to do it on this Tacoma. Plus I've had it over a year with the stock system. I still have stacks of Amps/speakers, but no drive to install them.

 

This reminds me of the craze of the never-ending quest for bigger home speaker wires.

All based on the premise that the sound would improve.........

 

There's no reason to run a separate line in place of the frame for ground, but 0 Gauge is not sufficient for the current draw of most winches for the length you are running it.
Will it work? yes, will it reduce winch performance? yes. and if you size a fuse correctly for 0 gauge wire, you might be tripping it for hard pulls.

 

You are correct. My remote mount winch is an old Milemarker 8000 on a Warn hitch mount. I’ve always installed a 300 amp ANL fuse on the line and I’ve never blown it in close to 20 years. The fuse is mainly there to prevent the entire wire from burning if there was a short. I had the same size 1/0 cable on my last two trucks. I think the winch draws a max of around 240 amps. I’m a little small on the wire size compared to ideal, but I don’t use the winch that often. I haven’t upsized the cable on subsequent trucks because I purchased a 100’ spool years ago, I still have about 25’ left.

 

Technically I am doing the Big 7 upgrade. As I am upgrading cables to starter, engine block ground, fender ground, battery positive to alt, batt positive to fuse block, alt negative and so on.
I'm of the type do it once right, forget it forever. Also, while/if possible, I may also upgrade the headlight connector cables too.

 

I know this feeling. I am the same way, and have plenty of mods laying about. Hardly getting time.

 

I see other people also upgrade their starter cable. Is the factory wire not sufficient enough for the factory starter?

 

Watch out using a 300A fuse on a 1/0 wire. Not sure what wire you are using but a quick look at Ancor's wire current capability chart shows 285A max (outside of engine bay) for 1/0.
You have a pretty friendly winch if it maxes at that current. I think most 10k lb winches can pull around and over 400A, depending on the make/model

 

you need that friend you're asking for to stand beside you.

 

You don’t need a $150 crimper to crimp the cable. I could show you how to do it with a large flat head screw driver and a hammer or a vice. You can easily get wire from a local stereo shop and the terminals. The shop I worked at I would charge people $2-3 dollars a ft. Hell sometimes I had scrap and would just give people a couple of pieces. Realistically 1/0 is overrated to boost a factory alternator and grounds. 4 ga is plenty sufficient and easier to run. The terminals are easier to crimp and they are smaller.

Go by a flexible tape measure and grab some rough measurements. Give yourself a little extra length when making the measurements and you’ll be fine. The excess can be taken out when routed and when zip tied to existing harnesses and other components. It’s not rocket science.

 

I think the reasoning is less about the resistance or current carrying capacity, and more to ensure a clean predictable return path, as the path of least resistance through the frame can be unpredictable. There's a story about another car with a random engine failure that was tracked down to the current return path from a tail light arcing inside the engine and eroding a bearing surface.

Edit: return path from tail light.

 

You do that, meanwhile let me just pay for it and do it the plug and play kit.

 

Do you have a ball of string or twine.

Just use the same technique used to measure the length of an alligator or anaconda.

Begin unrolling the string, begin at one end, lay the string along the wire, follow the wire route. When you get to the termination end. Just measure the string length that you laid along the wire. Add a few inches for terminals. Done.

The same technique can be used after laying out a planting bed with a garden hose.

 

This is the truth @bacon_st

You are making this more complicated and expensive than you need. 1/0 is way overkill for the amount of current you are passing through relatively short wires.

FYI, I was a car audio tech for over 20 years. I have built countless super high powered stereo systems going back to when amplifiers were real power hogs.

 

Why state simply what you can obfuscate with "lingo"?

 

Kind of surprised that the number of people that have done the big 3 is quite small. The big 3 is not just for adding bigger speakers, amps, etc. Some immediate improvements are the time it takes to start the engine, not only quicker but also much more consistent. Other improvements are more or less noticable depending on the vehicle or person.

I have done the big three to my Corolla, by running the new 0 gauge in parallel with the stock wires. The stock OEM battery lasted 6.5 years, and still did crank the engine good.

 

*with* a friend - that one's built for sharing!

 

Read this, I'm not doing any of this for audio. I don't even put music or listen to radio. My Li ion/ stealth power banks systems for work are over $5K in investment, the new $1000 DC Power alternator puts out 270Amps which need higher gauge wires and bigger fuses, which the tiny factory gauge can't handle.
Do you think i care about $89 bucks when I already dropped in $6K worth of electronics and batteries?
I am putting 4 100Ah Li power banks with a DC DC invertor and I don't want to explain to anybody any of this, and thats why I prefaced my post only for folks who has done Big three mod to respond if you know the lengths.
None of these mod is for the Truck. It's for the external APU the truck is carrying and for the additional load on the alternator circuit.
I service 5G sub6/mmWave base stations and I need tons of power to run my sensitive instruments, tools all the while the truck is OFF. The starter cable upgrade and few other cables is merely being changed since I am changing all the others, but not necessary.
I already tried getting down there to take measurements, and my time is short and valuable.
The company I am working with, Stealth systems powers EMS vehicles and helicopter ambulances and they require all these mods.
Again, I don't want to explain any of this, because every comment invites more questions. My application is unique and does not apply to 99.99% of people of this forum and I am trying to keep it brief and friendly.

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