Alternator connections - Why so small ?

[veggie]

Have any of you ever looked at the tiny 1/4" connections on an alternator and scratched your head in confusion ?

Case in point:
I just dug out my Leese/Neville 160 amp alternator to consider for a project.
The connection lugs for the potential 160 amps (@12 volts) are tiny 1/4" studs ??

The wires that will have to carry the 160 amps to the inverter are over 1/2" thick, so how can 1/4 studs carry 160 amps ?
All the alternators I look at are the same. My Delco 12SI rated at 96 amps max. also has these 3/16" tiny connectors.

Seems like a weak link in the chain ?

veggie

[TimSR2]

Voltage drop is caused by load, and of conductor size  over distance.   The small fastener will not cause a voltage loss unless there is corrosion or resistance at the terminal. In that case it would not last long at any size.
In the same fashion you can insert a couple of inches of #12 in a long #8 conductor run without ever noticing any difference, as the percentage of the current path is so small.

It was probably just a convenient size for the designer. I've never seen an alternator terminal fail.

[BioHazard]

Usually the alternator wire in a car is grossly undersized...my truck has a 63A alternator and came from the factory with a 10ga wire.

[mobile_bob]

generally the alternator post is a shouldered affair, being much larger than 1/4 inch at the shoulder where the eyelet connector comes into contact.

bob g

[Thob]

And most automotive alternators will only produce their advertised current under ideal conditions, and even then for only a brief period.  Normally they operate at a small fraction of their rated current.

[rcavictim]

I explain this kind of cheaping out under the general term "Consumer Crap".