I know a lot of people choose a full wire kit to replace their wires all at once. And perhaps I’d come out cheaper in the end if I just went ahead and did that. But I have just been replacing sections of wire as I need to due to corrosion, bad connections, heat damage, etc. In any case, I thought this information might be helpful to others that May only replace sections of wire.
sae j1128 gpt is a pvc insulated wire rated at 194f used for general chassis wiring, and should not be used in the engine compartment of your car according to the sae j1128 spec. It's not as tough or heat resistant as txl or gxl insulation, but it is considerably cheaper. This is the wire found in retail stores.
txl is the wire used by vehicle manufacturers for most applications, and is the thinnest, lightest, and lowest cost of these insulations. It is tough and long lasting.
gxl is an intermediate insulation, with thickness and cost between txl and sxl. Medium thick insulation, 257f, 18-12 ga wire.
sxl is the second thickest of the crosslinked polyethylene insulations, and suggested for use in the heavier gauges, or where some additional protection from possible mechanical damage is needed. Heavy thick insulation, 257f, 8-10 ga wire.
sgx is the thickest of the crosslinked polyethylene insulations. Sgx is particularly recommended for battery cable, because of the rather spectacular consequences of a shorted battery cable. Heavy thick insulation, 257f, 6-0 ga wire.
when in doubt, use 257f rated txl, gxl, sxl, or sgx wire insulation for engine compartment and general wiring. The only difference between these is the thickness of the insulation and cost, with the thicker being the more expensive. They are all insulated with crosslinked polyethylene, which is almost as heat resistant as teflon, but cheaper and much tougher.
cost relation from del city
16ga, gpt, 100’, $10.61
16ga, gxl, 100’, $12.75
16ga, sxl, 100’, $15.71
sae j1128 gpt is a pvc insulated wire rated at 194f used for general chassis wiring, and should not be used in the engine compartment of your car according to the sae j1128 spec. It's not as tough or heat resistant as txl or gxl insulation, but it is considerably cheaper. This is the wire found in retail stores.
txl is the wire used by vehicle manufacturers for most applications, and is the thinnest, lightest, and lowest cost of these insulations. It is tough and long lasting.
gxl is an intermediate insulation, with thickness and cost between txl and sxl. Medium thick insulation, 257f, 18-12 ga wire.
sxl is the second thickest of the crosslinked polyethylene insulations, and suggested for use in the heavier gauges, or where some additional protection from possible mechanical damage is needed. Heavy thick insulation, 257f, 8-10 ga wire.
sgx is the thickest of the crosslinked polyethylene insulations. Sgx is particularly recommended for battery cable, because of the rather spectacular consequences of a shorted battery cable. Heavy thick insulation, 257f, 6-0 ga wire.
when in doubt, use 257f rated txl, gxl, sxl, or sgx wire insulation for engine compartment and general wiring. The only difference between these is the thickness of the insulation and cost, with the thicker being the more expensive. They are all insulated with crosslinked polyethylene, which is almost as heat resistant as teflon, but cheaper and much tougher.
cost relation from del city
16ga, gpt, 100’, $10.61
16ga, gxl, 100’, $12.75
16ga, sxl, 100’, $15.71
