Hi all,

I need some advice. I am running two amps right now and it seems that the car is a little sluggish when the system is up. I am guessing that the stereo is drawing too much power.
Is a Cap going to help and if so how many Farad ( what ever that is??). I have a pdx 1000 x1 and a pdx 100 x4.
Also a shop told me, forget the cap, go with a better battery and a grounding kit.
And amongst all this I see there is also a voltage stabilizer thinger out there...is that necessary?

What are your thoughts?

 

I'm really surprised a shop told you to forget the cap, impressive. Most shops try to sell a cap with every system....cap = more $$$$ for them. Caps can actually put more stress on the electrical system.

Upgrade your "big 3" and you'll be fine. The grounding kit will usually cover at least 2 of the 3 but you don't necessarily need an entire grounding kit. Your battery is probably fine as well but have it tested just in case, free pretty much anywhere.

 

You will have to forgive my ignorance...but what are the "big 3" that I should do??

 

An Optima yellow top battery would be a good choice for an upgrade.

 

http://www.the12volt.com/installbay/...TID~73496~PN~1

My Die Hard Gold died on me this weekend. It lasted about 18 months with my system. It was still under warranty (pro-rated) and they would've given me a new one at half price but why replace with another that will give me probs.

We'll see how this Yellow Top does.

 

I've got the same amps in my car with no issues. i have a 1.5 Farad cap, and i have not noticed any sluggish performance and no light dimming. What gauge cables did you run for power and ground.

 

I would use a red top but they dont make one for the G so i just got the interstate megatron plus

yellows are made to be drained and recharged but eh, ppl still use them so up to you

just noticed that they do make a red top for G's now :-\ right after i got my interstate too

 

You will only need a 1 Farad Cap. It is recomended that for every 1000watts you use 1 farad. I used one for my JL Audio 1000.1 and I noticed an instant improvement in my vehicles response.

 

Personally, I am not too crazy about capacitors. I rarely recommend them to my clients.

I would start off with doing the "big 3" upgrade. From there, upgrade to a better battery. If you are still having issues, then possibly a capacitor.

 

That confused me too. As you said, most shops recommend them when they are useless. I say they are useless because the money you spend can be spent better on a battery. Caps give off current in an instant but how much? Not much, and how quick? Slowly...Discharge rate is horrible compared to batteries. At least you got some ethical shops in your area. BTW, as Meatshackle mentioned, Big 3 is a MUST

You don't need it. I ran probably over 20 setups, no joke, in my Accord. Both on a stock alt and HO alternator. Big 3 and a better battery was more cost effective and more efficient. My setups ranged from 1k - 6.5k rms... if you check audio forums, you'll find that people don't really use caps, even the major competitors who are trying to high numbers in terms of SPL. A bank of batteries is what you'll find and for the daily user, a better battery, an HO alt, the Big 3, and possibly an additional battery is sufficient.

 

As for batteries, I'd recommend anything by Enersys (such as Stinger, Odyssey, or Hawker...they are all the same). I used to use Kinetik but the Odyssey outperforms it. My friend has a yellow top and his died and is having a hard time recharging and staying charged. Optima has good batteries but the Odyssey will outperform it. Another good battery is Northstar.

 

caps are a waste of money and a bandaid for a poor install/non-efficient equipment. i would upgrade your battery to an optima, do the big 3, and look into different amplifiers

 

I think the OP asked about the big 3, and thus far everyone recommended it but no one has told him what the big 3 were..... OK I want to know 2

 

It's improving the electrical system to ensure there is better flow of current. Here is a DIY link.

http://www.caraudiojunkyard.com/foru...-tutorial.html

Very simple, all it is, is the following steps:

Alternator pos to battery pos, chassis to battery neg, and engine block to battery neg. 1/0 wire is recommended for optimum gain and I'd also recommend using copper lugs (tinned copper works fine as well).

 

Thanks for all the info guys!!!

**Question**
When doing the Big 3 do you remove the old existing wire or run it in addition to the new stuff?