Would heavier gage wires from batterys to motor on a 36V gulf cart give more power and longer charge?

Question

The six - 6V batteries are connected by 6 ga cables. This cart uses the old type coiled resistor for speed and power. Battery cables stay cool during use, but cables to motor get hot. Wonder if larger cables (10 or 0 ga) from battery pack to motor and back would reduce heat, increase power flow and make cart run better with more power, and last longer overall. Thanks.

Answer 1

Yes, bigger wires in this situation will give you more power and less heat. It will also give you the appearance of a longer charge, since less energy will be wasted as heat. I recommend using 0 gauge copper cables, which can carry 100 Amps.

Answer 2

Heavier gage will definately improve performance, battery charge and battery life. Resistence is a key word. Remember that electricity shares many of the same properties of air.

The harder the source has to work the quicker the battery discharge. Generally speaking, the drop should be less than 1.5 dB, which translates to about 6%. Above this, and more of the power is lost to cramming the power through the smaller cables, depleting batteries quicker, reducing efficiency as well as battery life.

Answer 3

Generally speaking, you'll have less resistance in the wire if it's thicker, so current passes through more easily. May give you an increase in speed and power, but your battery life is dictated by your batteries, not the wires. If your wires are getting hot, I would recommend heavier gauge wires.

Answer 4

A smaller gauge number is bigger wire, and yes, if they are getting hot, a larger wire would be better. Heat indicates resistance. Whether or not it would go faster or laster appreciably longer is questionable though - it depends on how much energy is being lost due to resistance.