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4/0 Cable vs Knu CCA and Kolossus

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Just received my 4/0 cable from unknown source :) (Nope, not Welding supply).

Anyways, did some measurements on dimensions and weight and thought some will find this information interesting.

Used analog caliper and let it measure all following specs stress-free (i wasn't holding it)

Knukonceptz Kolossus-

OD jacket- 0.57" (rated on website as 0.63")

Wire thickness- 0.47" (rated on website as 0.472")

Copper only wire. MAX LOAD rated on website- 375A @20ft (does not correspond to safe continuous use via NEC Standard which is to not allow voltage drop greater than 0.5v)

Knukonceptz CCA-

OD jacket- 0.60" (rated on website as 0.63")

Wire thickness- 0.5" (rated on website as 0.472")

Copper and Aluminum. MAX LOAD rated on website- 250A @20ft (does not correspond to safe continuous use via NEC Standard which is not allow voltage drop greater than 0.5v)

My 4/0 cable that I paid LESS than Kolossus-

OD jacket- 0.74"

Wire thickness- 0.54"

Copper only wire.

Load rated at 389A @12.75ft. Meets NEC Standard via voltage drop not to exceed 0.5v!

Weight comparison-

I did not have a long spool of Kolossus so this is just based on CCA vs 4/0.

CCA at 46.5FT- 8.3lbs

4/0 at 50FT- 38.0lbs

HOLY ******** ... Yes you read that right!

This 4/0 cable is rated at 389A @12.75ft with 0.5v drop

Knu Kolossus is rated at 350A @8.92ft with 0.5v drop

Knu CCA is rated at 250A @9.9ft with 0.5v drop

So, you want to see a real comparison based on specs of actual calculated voltage drops based on wire length?

Well, here are some-

For 18" runs at no higher than 0.1v drop-

Single Knukonceptz Kolossus-

415A @18" @0.1v drop

Single Knukonceptz CCA- (this is based on pure copper rating but of same size.. Actual rating will be lower than stated)

330A @18" @0.1v drop

Single 4/0 cable-

660A @18" @0.1v drop

You can clearily see here that the 4/0 cable is 1.5x stronger than the Kolossus AND IS CHEAPER!...

Now, how about for 18ft runs?

18FT runs at no higher than 0.3v drop-

Single Knukonceptz Kolossus-

104A @18FT @0.3v drop

Single Knukonceptz CCA- (this is based on pure copper but of same size.. Actual rating will be lower than stated)

82.5A @18FT @0.3v drop

Single 4/0 cable-

165.5A @18FT @0.3v drop

Now, you can see that the 4/0 cable is 163% better than the Kolossus.

So, what are we talking about here?

Kolossus is $3.95/ft

CCA is $1.95/ft

4/0 cable is $2.98/ft

Am I serious? Yes I am....

Enjoy this article.

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Kind of apples and oranges isn't it?

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Comparing different (advertised and sized) wire to each other, and not even listing where to buy the 4/0 cable.

I don't see how this is helpful to anyone. trippy.gif

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it's as apples to apples as i can get it as the wire size for Knu is pulled from their spec sheet which is compared to the AWG standard.

Kolossus is 2/0 and CCA is 0.23 AWG.

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Then compare 2/0 and 2/0

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This thread is like saying "I have the cure for cancer... but I'm not going to let you know where to get it".....Its more like comparing oranges to tangerines... lol

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Oh, well now i see what you are saying...

We would assume that 4/0 is better than 2/0 yes.. but for it to be cheaper is what makes you wonder..

Here is the link to the wire-

4/0 Cable

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so amount of copper vs price comparison isn't good for comparisons? weird...

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so amount of copper vs price comparison isn't good for comparisons? weird...

yeah weird to compare two different sizes of wire. We already established that.

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I guess it doesn't matter that the 4/0 is almost $1 cheaper than the kolossus 1/0 (2/0 awg)?

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Wasn't trying to bust him out. Just wondered why compare two different sizes.

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Wasn't trying to bust him out. Just wondered why compare two different sizes.

I know it sounds silly but i did it because when someone posts they found 4/0 for less than 2/0... people are going to start speculating as to it's performance...

Now, there are no physical tests done here, BUT, equivalent AWG comparisons are shown here to give the members here some spoon-fed info without calculating it themselves.

This 4/0 is less flexible but not stiff as a rock...

Even for $1 less and more powerful, it's necessary to show others how much better 4/0 is over 2/0.

And, FYI, i was sitting here bending this 4/0 around.

The smallest ID circle i could make with this 4/0 is 4" wide.

Doing the same with Knu's CCA, ID circle was 2.25" wide.

Kolossus is the most flexible but in applications where you need not zig zag every few inches, 4/0 is a great option..

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hopefully im not saying this wrong but here it goes....

isnt this the same reason they (people) compare the corvette zr1 against the other sports cars ferrari and so on?

il go back and hide ninja.gif

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Ok.. now we are trailing way off here, hehe.

And I'm not even going to comment on that.. I haven't owned either vehicle mentioned as i've never been into racing all that much..

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Good read and nice find

2/0 welding is like 0ga car audio wire, well good car audio wire

comparing my flexoprene to kicker hyperflex is close

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well thanks for showing what cables im buying for my next install

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interesting find for sure

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That is CHEAP.

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If you think that's cheap..... Wha ha ha ha ha ha...

How about 3/0 for $1/ft? Nah, hehe, just kidding..

But seriously, this is happening right now-

Talking with Lowes, this is some interesting information to keep in mind-

Lowes in my area actually stocks 3/0 cable.

Their local price is $3.80 per foot (cheaper than Kolossus, local and stronger).

The 500FT spool is $1615. This will save you a couple hundred dollars if you want to go crazy.

This info is good because if you need cable immediately, your local Lowes may be able to help you!

And the other thing-

I am looking into making my own Kcmil cable.

What is Kcmil cable?

Kcmil cable is cable that is larger than 4/0. It's the actual name of the cable based on the size of the cable.

So.. Kcmil cable is BIG! and there are many sizes..

Doing some calculations, the largest Kcmil cable is so large, it's unrealistic even in the most xtreme car audio install..

2000 Kcmil cable, at 18" long can handle 6,250A of current at only 0.1v drop.

But Kcmil cable is VERY $$$ for 2 reasons.

1- Kcmil must usually be bought in spools of 1000ft.

2- Kcmil is rarely used for mass market use therefore no demand = high pricing..

Kcmil can typically go for $10-60/ft

So, i will be experimenting with making my own and can making it in any length obviously.

One point i'd like to address about the cable i'll be doing testing with-

Kcmil is VERY stiff.. not used for flexibility as much.

Potential use in Car Audio-

Used to replace front to rear wire run ONLY in straight shot sections where bending is done at the most extreme minimal.

Used to replace buss-bars in an area where buss-bars were incapable of working for whatever reason.

Basically, do not assume zig zag patterns with Kcmil cable.

I will have to make my own terminals for them so give me some time to do testing.

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Damn that's a good price. I might order a few feet to mess around with. Great find!

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post pics of this 4/0 cable you bought... and post some pics comparing it to other brands, i want to "see" the difference :)

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Good Info

I would think 4/0 would be a pain to work with? I guess if your doing runs to the back you could get away with 2 runs of 4/0 compared to 4 runs of 1/0.

Edited by Fearz

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2012-04-12160858.jpg

2012-04-12160911.jpg

2012-04-12162531.jpg

And then of course can't forget by 200 4/0 ring terminals.

2012-04-12162546.jpg

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Have any size comparison pics?

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i try to but the CCA and this 4/0 has too much tension to keep em together.

Honestly, from seeing them all in person, CCA, Kolossus and 4/0 look the same size to the eye.

It's the calipers that say otherwise...

What I did in the beginning of this topic is measuring the OD of the jacket, then thickness ot the jacket and calculate the ID which should be the thickness of each cable as a whole.

The thicknesses of all 3 are pretty much all the same. It's the fact that the 4/0 is so damn heavy that makes you feel the difference instead of seeing it.

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