Argument about the big 3..

[ccab 10+ year member]

Why should we help you win an argument with your clueless friend?

i just want to make sure i know what im talking about..and that i do this thing right.

 

[ccab 10+ year member]

Your not going to solve voltage drop with a cap and 0ga the same way your not going to fix a gunshot wound with a band aid.And stop listening to your friends that think they know everything, they will end up screwing you over eventually, sit I my shoes and here what peoples friend that knows CA says just kind of makes you feel sorry for them sometimes , one of my favorites is "DD I never heard of that it must be cheap s***, lets go back to that pawn shop and get those Legacys there cheaper, and look like there built better" (A.K.A had chrome on them).

What makes your friend qualified for this ?

Yeah i feel ya.

 

[DDeitz 10+ year member]

Look at it like a road...only so much traffic can flow through a single lane. Same with voltage the bigger the wire the less congestion.

 

[I want SExxx 10+ year member]

Stock Electrical wiring is like clogged arteries, the big three is a stint to help the flow of the clogged arteries, a capacitor is cholesterol. Anything that doesn't generate power consumes and/or stores power. Your battery stores power. All a cap will do is store a minimal fraction of power as what the battery does, but guess what its another load on the alternator. So to store the extra power you have to draw more power. Use a good battery and do the big three. Its a 1200 watt amp you shouldn't have anything to worry about.

 

[TKCARAUDIO 10+ year member]

Here Ill Explain this way. I bought a 94 GMC Yukon had 2 L7 Kicker 12s 1500.1 with 0 gauge wire and a stinger 1 farad cap. My volts would drop to 10-11 Volts I did big 3 and now Its steady 13-14 volts

 

[dman4486 5,000+ posts]

so i can do a standard system hookup and then go back and do the big 3?

the big 3 is an afterthought for most of us. do the system and see how bad the dimming is and start the repairs from there.

 

[scottyk 10+ year member]

I'm noticing that no one is clearly answering this straight foreward...

Your friend has told you that you need 0 gauge wire right? Because it helps more current flow to your amp then say 4 or 8 gaue would. This is correct. A bigger wire helps more current flow. Easy concept. Now, where from the very start is that power that flows through that 0 gauge wire that is going to your amp coming from? Your alternator.

That power flows from the alternator, to the battery, through your 0 gauge wire to your amps. Why not also upgrade that wire (which is some cheap, stock wire..you wouldn't use cheap, stock from your battery to your amp, would you?) from your alternator to your battery to allow more current to flow? Your alternator generates power...but going through small, stock wire you aren't going to get all of the juice your alternator can get. Make sense?

 

[ccab 10+ year member]

I'm noticing that no one is clearly answering this straight foreward...
Your friend has told you that you need 0 gauge wire right? Because it helps more current flow to your amp then say 4 or 8 gaue would. This is correct. A bigger wire helps more current flow. Easy concept. Now, where from the very start is that power that flows through that 0 gauge wire that is going to your amp coming from? Your alternator.

That power flows from the alternator, to the battery, through your 0 gauge wire to your amps. Why not also upgrade that wire (which is some cheap, stock wire..you wouldn't use cheap, stock from your battery to your amp, would you?) from your alternator to your battery to allow more current to flow? Your alternator generates power...but going through small, stock wire you aren't going to get all of the juice your alternator can get. Make sense?

Perfect sense. Thank you.

 

[DBBOOM 10+ year member]

lol i got that...was just telling my friend about it and he said whoever said you need the big 3 is stupid..so i just wanted to clarify.

I'm guessing your friend isn't holding any electrical engineering degrees.

 

[350zspl 10+ year member]

your friend knows exactly how to not do it

 

[headless 10+ year member]

Adding a capacitor adds another item that needs to be charged by your electrical system. It's a LOAD on your system, not some magical item that generates electricity. If you add a capacitor but do NOT upgrade wiring for the big 3, then you have made the problem worse - you've added more load (capacitor) but not upgraded any of the paths that electricity must take to get there. If your friend thinks that he can run a 2000watt stereo system on 8gauge wire, then he is a ****ing idiot. Tell him that the car's stock wiring is 8ga OR THINNER, and that since you will be pulling more current than 8ga is rated for, you MUST UPGRADE THE BIG 3 to larger wire. If he argues this point, he truly has no idea what he is doing and has no place attempting to offer advice. Remember, capacitors STORE CURRENT. Thus, you must charge them for them to work at all. Also remember that capacitors have a pathetically low useable capacity - their voltages drop below 12v after only a very small amount of power is pulled from them. If you want to spend $$ on beefing your electrical system, use an extra BATTERY.

 

[nicksredline 10+ year member]

yeah i used to think like that but then i learned... the big 3 is widley accepeted among all forums and on here caps are turned down but in my opinion they also help out but the big 3 is the one that will put the icing on the cake... cap is like the decorations they help it out but wont help as much as the big 3 will.

 

[headless 10+ year member]

Read this thread for some real examples of why it's useless.

http://www.caraudio.com/forum/showthread.php?t=239010