wire gauge for trunk mount battery

simple question.

i've always dealt with huge american cars that require 15+ feet of battery cable to trunk mount.

the new car is imported, therefore small compared to my large american penis, i mean car. approximately 9 feet of cable is required to go from kill switch to starter.

what gauge to run without going too big(weight) versus able to carry the current? i've always used 2 gauge, but this was for runs 6 feet longer than i need this time.

No idea. But if you decide to stick with 2-guage, I have a couple 25-foot rolls that I'd let you cut a chunk off of.

Depending on what you're running, 4awg is fine.

Approximately this gauge:

http://jalopnik.com/5107178/junked-bmw-e30s-provide-cheap-easy-way-to-trunk-mount-your-battery

Whatever the welder cable size is at the local Tractor Supply store.

http://www.gtsparkplugs.com/WireSizeCalc.html

A junkyard E30 makes for an excellent donor.

2 gauge is perfect. The E30 is indeed a good source, I have an E36 cable in my car.

Even better is a brand new kit that doesn't require you to go to a junkyard and includes a bunch of stuff you might want anyways.

http://www.amazon.com/NOCO-BTMK1-Black-Group-Battery/dp/B004QCBLEM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1408028921&sr=8-1&keywords=battery+trunk+mount

that kit isn't nhra legal, so they are falsely advertising there. legal is a sealed, vented to outside box and no j-bolts.

i think i'm out of 2 gauge anything, and at this point i should probably build my own box because it's for a possible challenge effort, so budget is a concern.

Pat, I have 50' of 2-Guage I ordered from RPW a couple months ago, and I only need about 6' of it, maximum.

I can spare some for a Challenge-car.

I used 1/0 welding cable on the 13' run to my starter. A relatively inexpensive source of 2 ga. is to source a set of jumper cables. In fact, you can remove the clamps, join both cables on each end and run a 'double' - 2ga, 4 ga. - whatever is available.

I use 4-gauge in my 09 WRX with the battery at the back corner of the trunk. Cranks a little slower than stock, but hasn't been a problem in the 4 years it's been like that. I got some high-end marine battery cable from my dad's Marina. Has really tough sheathing. They use 4ga there for 20-30 foot runs to boat engine :)

I keep reading the title of this as trunk monkey battery.

I used welding cable for my SpecMiata.

1/0 welding cable here. Terminated the ends with marine grade hammer crimp ones. Worked like a champ.

I'll give another +1 for the welding cable. While not quite the same situation, I redid all the cables on the 6.5L TD in my truck with this stuff and it's awesome. Cheap and super flexible.

grafmiata wrote: Pat, I have 50' of 2-Guage I ordered from RPW a couple months ago, and I only need about 6' of it, maximum. I can spare some for a Challenge-car.

appreciate the offer, will keep you in mind. i'm not sure exactly which route i'm going to pursue as of today. plus i swear i had some 1/0 cable from a car i parted last year, but it may have been scrapped for some stupid reason, like i was sick of having a trash can full of spare wires sitting around clogging up the floor.

"Whatever the welder cable size is at the local Tractor Supply store."

That's what everyone uses around here. Cheap and perfect for the task.