which capacitor?
 

i have two alpine E10 subs and an alpine MRP-M500 amp.

im thinkin i need a cap to help out my battery because when im at idle and my subs hit hard my lights dim and my battery meter goes down but right back up. i know my alternator is workin hard because of this. so i was was wondering which cap i should get.


thanx :biggrin:

I'm using a Tsunami 1.2 Farad cap, and it has had absolutely no issues driving 600Watts, but then it shouldn't. It did improve the tightness of the bass hits though. What wattage are you running?

i think its pretty close to 500 watts

You should be fine with a .8 Farad cap, but overkill is never a bad thing on a sound system. My 1.2F cap is rated to push 1200w, but I'm only running 600. I gotta say, it doesn't work very hard.

alright. thanx john

Honestly, a cap is like a band-aid on a broken leg.

It'll help a little (for a while anyway) with a stock electrical system, but it will eventually kill your battery & alternator. Not only does your battery & alt have to supply your stock items and the stereo, but it will also have to keep the cap charged.

If you can get a 1 farad cap for less than $25 go for it, if you're planning on spending $100 on a "brand name" cap, just save your cash & invest in a high amp alternator & upgrade the wiring.

Some of the best money I spent on my Ranger was my 200amp alternator.

caps dont do anything if everything is set up properly i have over 2500 watts of power flowing too my subs and speakers and no caps and no my lights do not dim and yes its a stock alternator and battary

The main thing a cap will do, is provide less cable between the amp and the power source. Less cable=less resistance=quicker response and more constant supply to the amp. It wont supply any more power to the amp, but it will "cushion" the rest of the electrical system from as much variation in load. In reality, a battery is a capacitor designed for longer discharge, and the caps you buy are designed to discharge more rapidly. So, when the bass hits, the cap delivers the initial burst to power the amp till the battery and alternator can catch up. Once the alternator is up to full output, the cap is recharged, and ready to fill in as needed again. If the alternator doesn't put out enough juice, the cap wont change that.

I'm pushing 1200 watts with stock wiring and alternator....no issues with dimming...yes I crank it. Since you have issues, I would go for a cheapo $25 cap...it will help you.

ok. so cap or high output alt?

my buddy has a cap that is just collecting dust. i suppose i can put that in and see if it helps or not. that cap is for like 1300 watts so i know its over kill. but i guess gotta start somewhere

Upgrade your big 3 if you haven't done so yet. It will do more than a cap. Caps are stupid anyway. Most songs that I listen to that are heavy in bass don't just hit for a second and stop, they go for a couple seconds. The cap won't do anything for that really, all it will do is help for when the sub hits for like a second.

ima call BS on this, i would like to say i know my audio stuff, and i'd LOVE to see your 2500 watts (OVER) of power on stock.

yep your right i only have 3, 500 wat amps so 1500 but it has been explaned that a amp can produce over what it says it dose

I have seen it not his truck but i have seen it before and caps are worthless!!

what amps? yes higher quality amps will produce more, but rando smaller ones no they won't make close to claimed watts.

kicker im not sure of the exact model i will check tommorow
everything in my truck is kicker minus the deck
but im not even sure if they make decks