amp and subs installed today

[flyboyy 10+ year member]

Hi everyone, I installed my amp and sub today into my 2003 bmw 530i

amp = alipine mrd 605

subs = 10inW6v2

and I used a digital multimeter and was testing the power it was drawing

I turned up a bit and I was getting readings from 12.4 - 13.7

here comes the fun part that I want to know about...

I did some research and found out that with a multimeter i should be getting 13.5- 14.5 reading thats normal for the battery when car turned on.....

my question is....with my amp installed and I am getting ranges from 12.4-13.7 does it mean that my alternator is weak ? and should I be upgraded to a more stronger alternator ? recently my alternator died and I had just replaced it with a OEM....

also with my multimeter how can test power rating ?that I am getting from my amp ? thanks...

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[BASSINMYSUBS 10+ year member]

just sound like voltage drop to me. upgrade front bat and do the big 3 and you should be good

 

[flyboyy 10+ year member]

sorry I am new at this.. what kind of battery should I upgrade to ? and also what do you mean do the big 3 mean ? thanks... it should like you are speaking french to me lol...

 

[BASSINMYSUBS 10+ year member]

maybe like an optima redtop for what you are running and here is the thread the explains the big 3

http://www.caraudio.com/forum/showthread.php?t=152355

 

[rickymac21 10+ year member]

search big 3 on here.. its extremely common.. its just a method to increase your chargeing system effeciantly and really cheap.. just buy some 0 gauge wire. positive from alt to postive on battery.. then battery negative to chasis.. then engine block to chasis.... use 0 gauge on all 3 of those and you will notice a significant difference in power.

 

[thevic24 5,000+ posts]

sorry I am new at this.. what kind of battery should I upgrade to ? and also what do you mean do the big 3 mean ? thanks... it should like you are speaking french to me lol...

big 3=

1. larger ground wire from battery to frame

2. larger ground from motor(i like the alt bracket) to frame

3. larger charge wire from alt to battery +

dont use anything under 4ga, 1/0 would be best if you plan to upgrade in the future. 4ga will work fine with what you have now though.

as far as a battery, ive allways had great luck with optima but iam shure others will say diffrent. imo if they make a yellow top to fit your ride, thats the way i would go.(iam still running a red top that is almost 7 years old and it is still going strong.)

-vic

 

[ejschultz 10+ year member]

as far as upgrading batteries, i recommend optima. as the previous poster said, others will say different things. i've got a red top under my hood and a yellow top in the trunk. red tops are great starting batteries, but that's about it. when it comes to audio, they're like any other starting (regular) battery out there. when you're going to be pulling extra current and need a strong battery, yellow or blue tops are great for that. both yellow and blue from optima are designed to be deep cycle batteries, but can also be used for starting batteries. with your setup i'd recommend a yellow top up front. that way you can listen with the engine off if you'd like. you'll get a lower voltage doing that, but the option is out there. with a conventional starting battery, i'd strongly recommend leaving the engine running when you turn it up.

oh, and nice amp by the way... mine tested at 638 watts rms at 14.4 volts. unless you get a watt meter, which is pretty much a cross between a voltmeter and an amp meter, you won't be able to measure the wattage from the amp. if you do a google shopping search, i'm sure you'll be able to find one that's not too rough price wise. a lot of them are going to be well into the hundreds, but i believe there are some you can use for about 50 or 60, although i may be wrong. i'd also recommend getting one that will go up to a kilowatt, if you decide to get one. there may also be a local shop in the area that could test it for you.

 

[Fiercetimbo17 10+ year member]

The battery in that car is huge, you could probably drop a kinetik 2400 in.

 

[rickymac21 10+ year member]

The battery in that car is huge, you could probably drop a kinetik 2400 in.

not necessary for his set up though. lol. at least i know i wouldnt spend that mucha on a battery for the power he's running... buuuut it does mean a yellow top or somthing equivilant could go in there.

 

[bones22 5,000+ posts]

just buy a better battery. i would never use optima myself but they are decent and cheap so that would be up to you. as for the Big 3. it wouldnt hurt but the small amount of power youare running its extreme overkill unless you plan to upgrade to far more power.

i have NEVER done the Big 3 on any of my vehicles and have never had any issues. if i had done it i may have had a little higher voltage. ive always done just fine without though.

 

[Enellz 10+ year member]

Get a optima redtop and do the big 3

End thread

 

[MmatsDude 10+ year member]

xs 1200 or 3400 would be perfect, i wouldnt get the optima.

edit - i'd get this over that optima

http://mechman.com/store/product_info.php/cPath/1/products_id/317

just buy it

 

[IDSkoT 5,000+ posts]

Hi everyone, I installed my amp and sub today into my 2003 bmw 530i
amp = alipine mrd 605

subs = 10inW6v2

and I used a digital multimeter and was testing the power it was drawing

I turned up a bit and I was getting readings from 12.4 - 13.7

here comes the fun part that I want to know about...

I did some research and found out that with a multimeter i should be getting 13.5- 14.5 reading thats normal for the battery when car turned on.....

my question is....with my amp installed and I am getting ranges from 12.4-13.7 does it mean that my alternator is weak ? and should I be upgraded to a more stronger alternator ? recently my alternator died and I had just replaced it with a OEM....

also with my multimeter how can test power rating ?that I am getting from my amp ? thanks...

Are you sure your car isn't stock around 12.4-13.7? I know a lot of cars are stock around those levels. Not ever car is 14.4v.

 

[ejschultz 10+ year member]

Get a optima redtop and do the big 3

End thread

Yellow top

 

[CobraStang98 10+ year member]

Kinetik 1400 or 1800 would be perfect for your setup. Also can't believe no one has said it yet, but FAIL for no pics of your setup installed.