thanks for all the replies guys! im gonna go ahead and install the alpine amp with the polk speakers first...no way that amp will drain any power to cause lights dimming...im probs gonna hookup my subs and sub amp sometime in the spring when its warmer and when i can afford to buy a cap for my mono amp. i was looking into the 2 farads...i have a interstate battery with 720 CCA which was a big step from the ****ty ACdelco i had from 2006! i have experiences hooking up amps and speakers but have never done a cap before are the difficult to wire?

 

Save your money bro, if your lights are dimming then a cap isn't the answer.

 

if the lights do dim whats my options?

 

id get a small battery over a cap, caps "help" but they are rarly appliable, only when your barley at your limit, a small battery would be your best sure thing option.

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...N-SK-BT20.html

that little bad boy can fit anywhere and would work great. you really wont need this, quit worrying. i run 1800 watts rms and i dont dim, granted i have tons of upgrades :P



caps and batterys are both wired int he same way, just wite it in parallel with the power lines to the amp.

 

well my montes stock everything except for the exhaust and looks now, but what kind of upgrades do u have to help the dimming issues? i was just going to get the Big 3 done...any ideas of how much that job would even cost?

 

Neither adding a second battery nor upgrading your primary battery will stop dimming...

A capacitor will only help if you are on the edge (IE: Your alternator usually can keep up, but once in a while there is a small dip and associated dimming)... in all other cases, it actually makes things worse

Assuming you have done the big three and your battery, alternator and wiring are in good working order (and done correctly)...

The ONLY way to get rid of dimming is a High Output alternator...

BBEngineer

 

I think you should make sure your battery and alternator are in good working order first, then upgrade the big 3 (cost is dependent on the size and type of wire you use) and make sure to use the same size wire for your amps power and ground as you used for the big 3 to ensure ur amps are getting the most current possible. If you still have dimming after that then youre more than likely gonna need a high output alternator.

 

yea high ouput alternator is the answer. but maybe you should deal with the problem when it arises, because you are not even sure it will dim. My lights dim but only when i really pound my system, and it pounds hard. So all I do is turn it down so that my lights arent dimming and my nose doesnt tickle as much and my ears dont tingle lol...

and even turned down some, it still pounds without my lights dimming and im pushing a decent setup. but in the end it depends how much bass you want, and if you want to have all that juice you have to have the right alternator and gauge wiring to keep up with it.

dont be cheap on the wiring kit either, make sure you get some real good stuff. usually from my experience the better the brand, the more wire inside the cable. more wire=more bass

 

i got 0 gauge wire for the sub amp and 8 gauge for the speaker amp...both as directed from the manufacturer

 

What I meant was make sure to get a good brand of 0 gauge, of whatever gauge you need. some brands out there are 0 gauge as far as diameter goes, but if you take a closer look you could have a half inch of rubber surrounding 1/4" of wire (thats somewhat exagerrated but you get the point). I use kicker myself, they have a high thread count of copper wire. But rockford fosgate and streetwires are a couple that also have good quality wire with a high thread count. so yea the wire is spendy, but its because of the amount of copper thread within the cable. so if you want the absolute best in sound, do not skimp out on any part of the setup. even though the other brands will work you wont be running your setup to its optimal potential. hope that helps you out