The other day i was driving round listenin to some tunes when a couple of really hard bass sections hit I came to notice my battery gage shoot down real low and bounce back up.

Is this a sign of me needing a cap?

 

i think u may need one. my buddys car would do something like that except his headlights would go dim everytime the sub hit hard

 

a capacitor would be a good idea. You will probably notice your headlights dim in a similar manner.

 

or for the same price as a decent Cap, you could get a bigger alternator. I think Capacitors are a waste of money and just about looks in high dollar systems. yes they serve a purpose but there are cheaper and better ways to solve the same problems

 

I talked with some people about getting an alternator rebuilt for higher output... approx 150 amps i think... And it was like 200 bucks. You can get a cap for like... 80 can't you?

 

First of all, what kind of power are you running for the stereo?
Second, I do have a 5 farad cap and it did not help for the money, and I only spend 140$ on it. It just looks sweet and has a digital voltage readout, which is nice.
An alternator is the best idea. I have an Optima YellowTop and the 5 farad cap, and all upgraded wiring from the engine all the way to the stereo, which also helped. My headlights and everything does still blink when the stereo is being used at a high level.

 

Very well said :)

I push 950rms and the wire upgrade & gold plated battery terminals is all it took to stop the dimming and volt drops.

 

Get a bigger alternator and some higher guage wire to run from the Alt to the battery and the lights wont dim.

Quest beat me to it, though.

 

do the big 3

if you still dim, upgrade wires

if you still dim, you need a new alt.

if you still dim after that, try a new batt


caps are like bandaids...get to the bottom of the problem before the problem gets to you! I am strongly against caps, I read an article where they said that the cap was hindering spl (only by .1/.2) and it was drawing current as opposed to helping it. If someone knows about this, chime in. It's all over caraudio

 

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Caps are the VERY LAST thing on the list to get...Upgrade wiring ,Alt,Battery..A cap is just there to clean up LITTLE dips..

 

I'm running about 1000rms and have the big-3, Optima YellowTop, 5-Farad cap, and large guage wiring EVERYWHERE! My lights still dim and voltage drops, even down to 11v sometimes. The alt. is my next upgrade available.

 

Bob sells h.o. alt's, doesn't he??? i looked around earlier in the year (when i had a chance of having money to spend, lol), and found a few sites that sell them.. but i think i'm just going to get one from Bob, assumming i'm thinking correctly on this.

 

overdrive pulley for teh win!!!