My set up is causing my car to stammer or stutter every time the bass is going to hit when i turn it up. My front comps also shut off. I know it's a power issue but i don't know how to fix it. I got a 20farad cap but all that did is make it so my lights stopped dancing. I need some suggestions on how to fix this up.

my current set up:
infinity kappa perfect 6.5 comps
2 10" memphis m1 in 4080 boxes
jl 300/2
memphis 16-mc1500d for the subs
directed audio 20 farad cap

Help...

 

Bigger alternator, optima battery?

 

can i use a yellow top as my only batt to start and run my car? i have no hands on knowledge of their line.

 

I had that very same problem. My resolution was to add a cap... 1 farad Stinger cap. That stopped the lights from flickering and it stopped the car from stuttering when the bass hit. As far as my comps shutting off, I just replaced them...I had JL comps....replaced the 6.5s with infinity kappa 63.7i (3 way speakers) and i have some generic 1000 watt tweeters...sounds GREAT!

 

I already added a cap though. I thought that would do it but it still happens.

 

Is it normal? Do most of you just upgrade your alternators?

 

You definitely have to change the alternator to a 200+amp when you have that kind of power.!!
Batteries are only good when you are sitting with the car off.!!
The cap isnt gonna do anything either.!!
The alternator is the core of your power.Get an alternator and everything will fall into place.!!

 

cool thanks for the info.

 

something that a lot of people swear by is the "big 3". Check out forums.sounddomain.com in "electrical explanations".

It consists of:
upgrade wiring - battery to alternator
upgrade wiring - chassis to battery ground
upgrade wiring - engine block to ground
All wiring should be same or thicker than your amps' main power wire. I assume you're running 0awg, based on the power. Take a look at the stock wires for these connections - they're puny.

In theory it makes a lot of sense. You're providing thick-*** wires for the battery to power the system, but when the car is on, the battery isn't powering the system - your alt is. So the alt needs a fat pipe to send all the juice through to the amps. When it's not fat enough, you lose power in the wires - that means ur engine has to work harder and has a harder time supplying power to the rest of the electrical system.

Similarly, all grounds need to be the same size.

 

Speaking of the Big 3 upgrade...that's next on my list. What I want to know is what type of ground wire (battery to chasis) should I use? Can I use the same type of ground wire I use for my amps?..or should I get a higher density/higher strand count than that?

 

What gauge amp kit did you use?

 

My 12v wire is 0 but my ground is maybe 4 guage or 8 i'll need to look. But all the shops around here i've taken it to have looked at my set up and said i did a good install.

 

Just an alternative...my setup has a second battery with the cap. I have a stock alternator, there's zero flickering since the system is independent from the car's main electrical. My goal on this car was to have a stock looking interior and to be able to thump the hell out of the car without any flickering or variance in idling. Mission accomplished.

 

where the heck can i put a second battery?

 

Correct me if I'm wrong here but shouldn't the ground be the same guage as the power cable?