In alt.home.repair, on Wed, 05 May 2021 15:16:19 -0400,
wrote:

On Wed, 05 May 2021 13:10:37 -0400, micky
wrote:

The wires in my Toyota are much thinner than the wires in any of my
American cars were. I've had GM and Chryslers built from 1950 to 1995,
and Toyotas from 2000 and 2005.

I'm not saying they are too thin, just thinner. Do you know why?

I see two poassible reasons.

1) Increased efforts to save money and help the environment, by using
thinner and thus cheaper wire. Perhaps wires in American cars are
thinnner now too??

2) Japan and the Japanese domestic auto industry after WWII was short of
money and had to economize any way it could. Thinner, cheaper wires
were one way, and now, even though they are making plenty money, they
see no reason to change.

3) Copper is expensive.

4) Weight. Every pound counts towards EPA fuel ratings. Seriously.
IIRC, domestic cars use mostly 20Ga wire. I don't remember but
Japanese may use 22Ga. There is a *lot* of wire in a car.

So you're agreeing that the Japanese use thinnner wire than the
Americans do?

Do you think it had to do with post-war poverty in Japan?

Have the Americans made their wires thinner than in the 1990's?

It matters only when I'm trying to splice wires, and I have to be more
careful not to cut the wires while stripping the insulation. But the
wires are so thin that there have been connections I don't try to make,
because, where it's difficult to reach a wire, up under the dashboard,
for example, that makes it even more likely I'll cut the wire and makes
it harder to repair it.