Ok so I'm installing a RF 500BD amp this weekend. I'm going to have it wired to run at 2 ohms 700x1. I've talked to a bunch of people and they are all telling me different things. Do I need a cap or could I get by without it? I have 4 gauge power and ground wire but it was suggested that I step up the battery wires to 4 gauge as well. Meaning the ones coming off the batter to the rest of the car. Am I safe to just run this amp which is my only amp as is on a stock alternator and battery or should I upgrade something. Help please!

 

Upgrade the battery ground wire and the ground wire that goes from the battery ground to the engine block. keep all power cables as short as possible and use as few connections as possible. Also as few sharp bends as possible. Turn it all on and try it for a couple weeks. Then let us know if you have dimming headlights with bass notes.

 

Dont think its really necessary. You'll get A LOT of conflict from people about this, some will say get it, some will day it doesnt do jack If you go over to www.caraudioforum.com and just search you'll see what I mean. They have page after page after page about caps and I still havnt gotten a clear answer about them. Im thinking about hooking one up but not sure if its needed as of yet.
700rms is just fine, some here have will over 1Kw over that.

 

...I cant say I recall ever seening HID's dim Maybe the interior lights

 

Oops, sorry about that. I guess they are kinda like flourescent lights. Or they use an isolated power supply. I haven't really looked into it. They could be the ultimate car audio band aide.

 

Oops, sorry about that. I guess they are kinda like flourescent lights. Or they use an isolated power supply. I haven't really looked into it. They could be the ultimate car audio band aide.

 

i had a cap on my all of my systems and it does work .... and lights never dimmed with high bass... i was running 2000W system 1000W RMS with a 1 farad cap ...

 

OK folks, here goes,

Capacitors were first used in car audio to filter ripple (AC voltage) that
is present on the DC output of an alternator. A capacitor, by nature,
shunts Alternating Current to ground. Excess ripple will cause
what is commonly called 'alternator whine', which is an audible noise you
can hear through your speakers that changes with enging RPMs.

I didn't take long for a few savy competitors to figure out that large caps
would also serve to suppliment, or stiffen, the voltage supply in the car.
A capacitor will charge and disharge ver quickly, which makes it ideal to
suppliment the volrage demands of a music playback system. Early stiffening
caps were composed of multiple small caps wired in parallel. Today's common-
place 1 farad caps were next to nonexitent in the late 1980s. Two figures of
note in the car audio world that were capacitor pioneers are Wayne Harris and
Richard Clark.

So, caps do work, and the noise filtering function is simplynever talked
about these days. Generally speaking, you need 1 farad per 1000 watts.
However, if your alternator (not you battery) cannot delvier the current (not voltage) requried by your amplifier(s), then the stiffening cap is going to
offer very little benefit. Remeber, once your car is running, the battery is simply another load for the alternator to deal with.

Do your lights dim? Sometimes, yes they do, and this is OK. Caps will often cure this light dimming, but it is OK if they do not. Lights dimming does not necessarily mean that you have a problem, other than that your electrical system is being slightly overtaxed.

Have your alternator and battery load tested to make sure they are doing their job 100%. This becomes very important once any cars gets over about 5 years of age. Poor, damaged, or corroded electrical connections can cause problems as well, particularly as cars age. It is time and money well spent to upgrade the stock power and ground wires on your car. These include the main charging wire from the alternator to the battery, the ground from the battery to the chassis/body/engine, etc. As a rule, use 4 gauge wire for everything, unless you have a high-output alternator or multiple batteries, in which case you might consider 0 gauge. Don't skimp on that wire providing power to your amps. If your total system power is over 500 watts, then go right for the 4 gauge power and ground for the audio system.

There is a lot of 'black science' floating around about car audio, particularly when it comes to the electrical system and wiring. All of these types of questions can be answered scientifically, mixed with some good common sense.

Remember, there is no such thing as a dumb question. That is, unless you aks it over and over and never learn.

Jeff T.

 

Allllrighty then... so heres another question, say your pushing in the area of 1500-1600rms (many of us are) what would you say to the need of caps then? Dual 1.0 farad caps? or one? (dont say a 1.5 farad )
Just a curiosity question more then anything.

 

so can hids on 2k2's ever dim since they run on their own powersource? im gonna hook up my 600 watt jbl amp tomorrow and i hope to see no dimming. with my 200 watt rms amp my lights on the speedo dim a little when the car is idling.

 

I dont recall EVER seeing HIDs dim man. Im runnin just a "little" more power then that and I have no dimming what so ever not inside or outside