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Gen1 Cruze Big 3 Kits

35K views 30 replies 13 participants last post by  Thebigzeus 
#1 · (Edited)
A while back, Terry (tecollins1) made big 3 kits for this community. I've decided to pick up where he left off and start making big 3 kits. A big 3 kit is a wiring upgrade for your engine bay that improves the power capacity of your vehicle. This is often done for vehicles with upgraded sound systems to reduce light dimming and provide more power for added equipment. These kits are currently only available in black, using 4 AWG copper cable.

According to the AWG specifications, 4 gauge wire is capable of holding 60A over a power before increasing resistance, wasting energy as heat, and dropping voltage. The alternator is rated for 125A at max capacity, so there is some power capacity that can't be utilized with factory wiring. With higher electrical loads, such as with audio systems exceeding 400W RMS, this results in voltage drop and light dimming at higher volumes. This big 3 kit will add a solid 90-110A of power capacity to your electrical system, which will allow you to fully utilize the capacity of the stock alternator and maintain voltage for your electrical equipment.

This kit reinforces the following connections:
  • Engine block to chassis (ground)
  • Battery to chassis (ground)
  • Battery to alternator (power)

Specifications:
  • True 4 AWG, pure copper, made in the USA cable, rated for 150A loads
  • Hydraulically crimped, nickel plated closed ring terminals
  • Heat shrink sealing over cable-ring joint
  • Power cable is red, ground cables are black

Kit includes:
  • Three cables, measuring 16", 21", and 35"
  • Zipties
  • A bolt to secure block to chassis cable (used on the 1.4T)

Price for the kit is $50 shipped in the US and $70 shipped to Canada. Payment for kits shipped in the United States can be made securely using the links below:

Note: These kits will also fit the 2012-2017 Chevy Sonic.




Installation Instructions: How-To: Installation of the Big 3 Cruze Kit
 
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#2 ·
Wow! What a great value.

Two questions Xtreme:

1) how much more do these cables weigh over the factory cables?

2) would CTD owners also benefit from this kit?
 
#3 ·
I've dropped the cost of this kit to $60 for the first batch since I need to pay for some of the tools I bought to start making them.



These would be in addition to the factory cables as the intent is to reinforce what already exists. The whole kit weighs 1.25 pounds, or about 1/2 a kilo.

I'm not sure if a CTD owner would benefit from this kit on a stock system. Depending on how thick the OEM wiring is, upgrading may help the engine start more easily in the cold as the starter is able to maintain voltage better. That's the only theoretical benefit I can see, but I'd have to get measurements of the engine bay in the CTD to see what lengths one would need and where they could bolt up the block ground connection. On the 1.4T, there is a bolt hole toward the front driver side of the engine that I supply a bolt for that makes the chassis to block connection a simple addition. The remaining wires are installed on top of existing wiring.
 
#15 ·
Are you still taking/shipping orders? If so, do I order just by clicking the PayPal link?

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#9 ·
Will the big three replace the need for the Putco headlight harness? Or is are these two upgrades still advised for better/safer electrical draw and output?

I am interested in a kit, just need to do a few more side jobs and I just paid for a set of OEM fogs and better OEM horn
 
#10 ·
These are two independent upgrades that serve different purposes. I would personally recommend both. The OEM 4 gauge wire is only really capable of about half the alternator's peak capacity without losing voltage due to resistance.

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#12 ·
Yeah I have 3 kits left and enough materials to build 7 more. I'll always have these in stock as long as people buy them.

I'll start building MDF rings next month. What inner diameter do you need?

Sent from my STV100-1 using Tapatalk
 
#13 ·
Perfect! I'm waiting for the Silver Flute w17rc38's to come back in stock at Madisound so I can use your tune.

Frame diameter 167mm (6.57")
Cut out diameter 147mm (5.79")
Bolt hole circle 160mm (6.3")
Screw holes 4.2mm (0.17")
Flange thickness 5mm (0.20")
Depth (from back of flange) 75mm (2.95")

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#17 · (Edited)
To expedite shipping time and reduce costs, I've decided I will no longer be making soldered big 3 kits. While soldering provides a small advantage at very high electrical loads, it significantly increases the time it takes to make these cables and therefore the cost. Moving forward, all big 3 kits will be hydraulically crimped. This method is an industry standard for large cable crimping and will provide comparable performance/

All kits have been reduced in cost by $15.
 
#21 ·
A while back, Terry (tecollins1) made big 3 kits for this community. I've decided to pick up where he left off and start making big 3 kits. A big 3 kit is a wiring upgrade for your engine bay that improves the power capacity of your vehicle. This is often done for vehicles with upgraded sound systems to reduce light dimming and provide more power for added equipment. These kits are currently only available in black, using 4 AWG copper cable.

According to the AWG specifications, 4 gauge wire is capable of holding 60A over a power before increasing resistance, wasting energy as heat, and dropping voltage. The alternator is rated for 125A at max capacity, so there is some power capacity that can't be utilized with factory wiring. With higher electrical loads, such as with audio systems exceeding 400W RMS, this results in voltage drop and light dimming at higher volumes. This big 3 kit will add a solid 90-110A of power capacity to your electrical system, which will allow you to fully utilize the capacity of the stock alternator and maintain voltage for your electrical equipment.

This kit reinforces the following connections:
  • Engine block to chassis (ground)
  • Battery to chassis (ground)
  • Battery to alternator (power)

Specifications:
  • True 4 AWG, pure copper, made in the USA cable, rated for 150A loads
  • Hydraulically crimped, nickel plated closed ring terminals
  • Heat shrink sealing over cable-ring joint
  • Power cable is red, ground cables are black

Kit includes:
  • Three cables, measuring 16", 21", and 35"
  • Zipties
  • A bolt to secure block to chassis cable (used on the 1.4T)

Price for the kit is $50 shipped in the US and $70 shipped to Canada. Payment for kits shipped in the United States can be made securely using the links below:

Note: These kits will also fit the 2012-2017 Chevy Sonic.




Installation Instructions: How-To: Installation of the Big 3 Cruze Kit
Does anyone have these ? Was wondering if anyone can speak of them
 
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