hey there, i've installed systems before but have never stepped foot into the 14v world... i want everything that I can get out of my amps and i need to figure out how to keep my monte running strong when the bass hits... a couple years ago i had a 93 blazer that shut off a couple times while running when the bass hit.. i don't want to put this car through that kind of abuse.

i plan to run a precision power pc4400 and a precision power pc1800 (i'm going to have to settle with my kicker kx850.2 until i find someone to fix my 1800)

i have three jlaudio 10w6's (v1's baby!!)
eclipse 6.5" sp8964 for the front
and i'm currently in the market for a wicked pair of 6x9's (for around 100 bucks, any suggestions are greatly appreciated!)

what do i need to do to get the most out of my electrical system?
I remember reading something about the big three a couple years ago on blazinlow but i am positive i need to go beyond that. what is the next step? capacitor? bigger alt? better battery?

and how do i get to 14v so that i get the most out of my amps? these things are beautiful i want every ounce of power that these things have.

thanks in advance!!

-btf

 

Doin the big t3, better alternator, a second battery right before the amp would be good. maby put a decent size cap in there with 1/0 gauge wire and you should have some amazing power going to the amps with minimal voltage drop.

you will never achieve the 14v off standard car batteries but you can minimize the voltage drop to the amps.

the big 3 and the alternator wont help the voltage drop if you have a second battery but, it will help the rest of the car survive while driving ect...

 

i was watching a show the other day that was installing a system and they were using a capacitor. they said it was used to keep the power up on everything when the bass hits and prevent lights from flickering, etc.

 

is there a... non standard car battery that you would suggest that would get 14v?

tia
-btf

 

dont capacitors make your alternator work super hard?


is there a preferred alternator that you all would suggest i upgrade to?

 

The capacitor does nothing to your alternator, The CAP just stores power and uses it when the bass hits.

any alternator like what would be in an SUV or big truck will be good. it just needs to be a higher amp one. but they do cost some $$$, this would be a last resort option if you are have light problems ect... in the car, in my opinion

 

Whats happening is that your alt is having a hard time trying to keep up with the demands of the sound system AND the car. You have to remember that there is alot of electronics going on in your car. Back in the days the only thing that was electronic was your AM radio. Now you have a comp for this and a comp for that in your car.

What you should is start with The Big 3. Get a H.O alternator. Get one that is for 12v and not one for 16v. When your car is running, the alt is already putting out 14.4v. I would also get a 1 Farad cap and 1/0 wire. You can also run a second battery dedicated just for audio in your trunk.

 

There are 16v batteries, MLA voltage modules, H/O alternators, so many different things you can do to attain the 14v you want from your electrical.

 

Start the car. Your 12v battery can't make 14 volts on its own without a transformer (and when voltage goes up, amperage goes down- because your wattage stays the same).

Yes, capacitors resist change in voltage to stabilize it; however it has been debated as to their effectiveness with big systems due to the high draw.

There is a company that makes batteries with 3 posts- a negative, a +12, and a +16; but your stock alternator obviously can't charge the +16.

No, you already have a bunch of capacitors in the car from the factory- only difference is that car audio capacitors are much larger. Adding a whole sound system is making your alternator work super hard anyways (see for example your old vehicle shutting itself off)- they never intended the car to have current draws of 50 - 100+ amps off an aux source from the factory.

 

for those of you wanting to attain 14 volts or higher, i would suggest a Ohio Generator altenator there up to 180 amps( around $ 500 ) and running a least 1 ga. to your altenator to battery and least 1 ga. to you power location.

on the battery side of things i would highly not recommend caps ( there junk, and are good for sudden burps only ) trust me.. ive been doing car audio since '96 and ive seen these come and go there a waste of your money.

optima batteries are complete junk as far as car audio is concerned, your wasting your hard earned money only for something not worth it.
( a little secret behind these batteries, that they dont tell you is once they have been drained below 10 volts to many times they wont replace it. they will only send yours back to you saying its charged, and oops the next day its died again )

if you want something killer for your money buy KINETIK power cells. you can beat the living ---- out of them and they still keep coming back.

i currently have the OHIO 180 AMP altenator with a underdrive pulley for voltage at low rpms. 1ga. ran to the altenator and trunk power blocks, i always have a least 14.4 volts.

if someone tells you this cannot be done there full of it...
mines been this way for almost 4 yrs and still going strong.