What awg wire to use for connecting 6 to 8 pod lights?

I planning mounting 6 or 8 diode dynamic pod lights as my roof rack front lights

Getting a mix of Pro(2.7amp) and Max(3amp) version

I have 18 awg wire
Is that enough or should I get 16awg or lower?

 

well it all comes down to the math. but i would run two 14ga and wire them up in 2 groups. I have 7max on my and running dual 14ga with no issues

 

Sounds like that would be a lot of amps on a single circuit using 18 awg wire if you want them all on at the same time. Just for easy math and looking at charts, 6-8 pods at 3 amps each will pull 18-24 amps. Take a look at some 12v wire gauge charts, that should help inform your decision. I've gone by Blue Sea's for most of my wiring, and I think they are more on the conservative side.

Link added:
https://www.bluesea.com/support/articles/Circuit_Protection/1437/Part_1:_Choosing_the_Correct_Wire_Size_for_a_DC_Circuit

If it were my truck, I'd run 14 awg and split it into two circuits fused at 20 amps each, 3 or 4 pods on each circuit, and I'd keep my wire runs under 10 feet if possible. Longer runs I would step down to 15 amps. Thats pretty much what I do with all my accessory cicruits, because it works for me, so thats not really tailored to your needs. It's definitely heavier wire than you need for those lights, but it also gives you some flexibility down the road if you want to change things up and add some more lights.

 

You need to calculate a return leg in the numbers as well so you'll probably want no less than 14ga even on two circuits.

If you want a single run, do a 10ga primary and splice off a short 14ga at each light. That should be enough and the 14ga should carry the amperage to trip the fuse but I'd test to be safe.

 

I like this approach too. How would you test it? Throw in a fuse, then take the spliced in 14 awg hot wire to a ground and see if it blows?

 

Thanks for the advice guys
Another question
Do your guys make your harness like this?
https://youtu.be/PZ2wdQFTI9M?si=jb7e1462lWjkbA-f


I originally wanted to buy premade one but they're really expensive and making one is allot cheaper
I made simple harnesses that connected more than 2 things to one wire under 5 amps
Nothing above that

 

I was hoping to find a DIY video in making one for off road lights but this the only one I can find similar to my idea

All the premade ones look like they're built like this

 

Having been a mobile DJ and doing some pretty fun intelligent light shows in a past life setting up and breaking down shows, I can appreciate his hustle and his solution but that's way more elaborate than you need.

He's trying to build a durable solution that he can plug and unplug regularly, and is going to getting coiled and uncoiled and tossed in boxes, stretched and pulled on a weekly basis. So those little plastic T's help for his application.

Your shit is going to stay static and wont be subjected to that push and pull. I personally don't like electric tape, and use it more to tape wires together or keep them inside a conduit versus insulating connections. I prefer hook and solder connections and heat shrinks. There's also some plastic t-connectors you can use to pierce the casing and split off a main, but I personally have only used those and smaller 18 and 20 awg wire.

If you want to splice off the 10 awg like was suggested, i personally would just split the sheathing and expose just enough wire to unttwist and pass the 14 awg through the middle so i can put a dab of sodder, slid a heat shrink over it, and move on the the next.

Here's the basic idea without solder and without heating the shrink. The hooked wire would be your 14 awg, and the split wire would be your 10 awg. Dab of solder, slide up the heat shrink and heat it down.

 

Pretty much, yeah. Should be 100% fine as long as it's spliced correctly.

 

I'd do mostly what @Littles suggested... strip 3/4" from the primary wire and about an inch from the ends of the leads, flaten out the lead conductors and wrap around the primary, solder, coat with liquid electrical tape to seal, and then shrink tube with the Ancor adhesive stuff. You'll want to use like 2.5" of heat shrink to give each side a nice overlap and pinch it on the 2 wire side to work in the adhesive. This will offer more support for the joint because soldered joints have a higher tendency to fail than properly crimped but doing a crimp in-line is rough.

That's at least how I do area lighting on roof racks and rock lights... lower amperage and gauge though since you can usually do a full set on 14ga no problem.

 

I have to disagree with you on the bolded point. I have never had a hook and solder connection fail or pull apart. I have had countless crimp connections fail or pull apart, both terminals and butts. I know you say properly crimped, but I think it's much harder to achive a crimp properly than hook and solder. That's why I stopped using crimps, unless absolutely necessary. I solder my terminal crimp connectors for extra security when I can. You'll never convince me crimps are better than a hook and solder.

 

If your crimp connections are coming apart, you need better fittings or a proper tool. It's been well tested which is why the standard in marine and automotive wiring is crimping and not soldering. The joint itself doesn't fail, but you create a non-flexible stress point where the solder ends that will cause a break in the wire over time from vibrations. There's a reason splices are minimal in modern vehicles and when you do find them, they're massively reinforced. Nearly every connection you will find is crimped.

I personally only solder lower amperage connections on smaller gauge wire in straight sections of the harness because I can make them smaller than I can with most crimp fittings and they fit in smaller loom. Even then, I may have found a crimp solution and I'll probably start crimping those too if it works out on my own rig.

 

We can just agree to disgaree here. Very little of what youre saying makes sense to me.

I have the right tools. I know how to crimp wires. Crimp connections take up more space than solder connections, hands down, and you're insane if you think otherwise. You're comparing connecting two bares wires with a drip of solder to a sleeved metal crimp with a plastic sleeve over top of that. Wrap 10 of them up together for a stereo install and i promise you have a fat ugly wad of plastic Crimp connections versus a set of clean, hooked and soldered connections individually wrapped in their own heat shrink. Much smaller footprint.

Crimp connections IMHO are lazy and cheap ways to get it done. They work, but they are physically and electronically inferior to hook and solder.

 

Automotive wiring is crimped because solder joints cause stress points that result in failure. But yeah normal auto store butt splices are shit, solder is still better than a shitty crimp but entirely inferior to a proper crimp.

 

Also your 18AWG is probably fine under a 5-8ft run, 16 be ideal.

 

Meh...I think cost is a bigger factor. No doubt crimping is cheaper from a manufacturer perspective. I hook and solder first, crimp and solder where necessary. But crimps have always been the biggest source of failure for me. I have never, ever had a hook and solder connections fail or break because of stress caused by the solder joint.

 

Even where cost is not a factor like motorsport a crimp is the recommendation and in many cases required by sanctioning bodies. Solder joints aren't even allowed in some professions, It's strictly restricted in aviation because of its potential for failure at the joint. It's not really up for debate, solder has its place and for the amateur wiring stuff like auxiliary lights for their own vehicle it's not a huge deal anyway use what you want.

 

Recently made a similar harness for 5 spot beams with two color options of built in running lights. Spot beams and amber running lights are on separate latched switches, and the white running lights are on a strobe circuit.
In total, they draw a similar amount as the lights you're using. I ran 10ga power for the spots, and 16ga power for the amber running lights and white strobes. Single 10ga ground that covers all three circuits.

Everything is soldered with high quality heat shrink and split loom from techflex.com great site all your custom harness making. Zip ties holding each branch steady too, so the solder joints don't see any forces from the two sides of the branch trying to flex separately. Good heat shrink alone will do that, but I have an articulating light bar, so the wires see more movement than a normal harness.

 

Today I learned. Appreciate the info and education.

 

Plus it'll save ya some time with a ratchet crimper and some nice ferrules or butterfly crimps.