Spotlights - What sized cable?

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put that in b4 you replied.....

A grand total of 2 lights wipac 8"
these ones

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just get a gert heap of 240v stuff that will run anyfing then


Be careful, this is a common misconception among non electrically minded folks.

Cable suited to 240V use is usually rated at 400/600/1000V, basically so the insulation will stand up to 240V use. You can get 1mm singles or twin and earth which would be overloaded if you connected about 20 amps to it at 12V, it may actually work fine for a long time in the right conditions, but every time it is on for any length of time, it will warm up, and damage the insulation, eventually you end up with issues, smoke, fire.... If you put more current through it you end up with smoke and flames pretty soon.

So don’t assume cable for 240V is capable for all things low voltage.

A good example of this was someone who wired all the kitchen 12V down lights with a 1mm twin and earth cable, there were about 12 on the circuit at 50W each, that’s 600w, or 50 AMPS at 12V! You want to have seen the mess.

Also, auto cable is designed to be in oily environments, is better suited to movement (more stands etc…).

Also, as correctly stated earlier 25A cable is a good idea here, this is a saftey factor, and also, in auto electrics don't always assume 12V, in fact very rarely do the electrics actually run at 12V. The engine may be off and the lights may be on with the battery low, so say 10V, 200W/10V = 20A, so for the sake of the engine being on or off there could be a difference of 4A. So with the engine on and a good alt it could be 13.8A.
 
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