Hello, I am looking for a good place to purchase 25-50ft rolls of 12, 14, 16 gauge wire. I have seen a cheap wire rack at Harbor freight, but I don't know too much about the qauality of wire.

I would purchase it from Napa or Autozone, but I am sure they is somewhere on the internet that you can get it cheap for. Any helpful tips, I would appreciate it.

Thanks,

Adam

I always purchase my bulk from www.waytekwire.com
but there minimum rolls are 250' on the smaller guage wire.
If I need something quick and in a smaller roll, I just hit the parts store

you might also want to try www.delcity.net great prices on wire and connectors etc.

speedway motors jcwhitney summit jegs radio shack boat marine suppliers lowes home depot

www.narragansettreproductions.com is a good mailorder place

Two points I would like to make.

1) The quantities you are asking about are not bulk. Bulk sellers will not touch those quantities. If you want to buy bulk, look more towards buying 250' plus. As mentioned, Waytek is a very good source. (And never underestimate the amount of wire you can go through. You can wipe out 50' with very little effort.)

2) Not all wire is created equal. For an automotive application, you shouldn't just buy any plain old wire. I would recommend a cross linked insulated wire, commonly GXL or TXL.
From Waytek:
"The SXL has a standard wall jacket, while the GXL has a thin wall jacket
and the TXL has an extra thin jacket. Because of its ability to withstand high
temperatures, all three are typically used in high temperature areas such as
engine compartments."
Painless and other harness manufactures use cross linked, and Painless uses TXL. Relative cost is GXL cheapest, TXL in the middle, SXL most expensive. If space is a concern, use TXL. All will function the same. You can buy Painless TXL in your quantities from any Painless seller or Summit, but it is nearly three times as expensive.

Other considerations: Pico brand wire spools available at some auto parts stores, such as Car Quest, (though I don't know if it is cross linked) are at your quantities and is very good wire. Summit sells the same stuff under their Summit brand in 100' spools. I am not real positive on the stuff you get from Napa (though I don't think there is anything wrong with it except that the insulation is very thick). Do not buy wire from an electronics supply house, as it is not intended for automotive or harsh conditions.

<snip>radio shack <snip> lowes home depot

Not good stuff for automotive...IMHO. And Home Center stuff is house wiring, not car wiring!!!:hm:

Check out summit racing....and buy the painless wiring TXL wire.
If you need a complete list, visit www.painlesswiring.com and find their selection on bulk wiring and take those part number over to summit.
For the quanities your looking for, you really cant beat painless.
If you looking for more, I agree with the above and go with waytek.
autozone/napa/CarQuest...they do sell wire, but its really quite inferior to the GXL/TXL/SXL wire

Thanks guys for your help. This is very helpful information.


Adam