Beefing up electrical

[808skindiver 10+ year member]

i really want to beef up my electrical for my sounds. i want enough power for a aq2200d and about 400 watts for the speakers. right now i have stock electrical and 0/1 gauge running to the aq2200d. i was thinking of doing one of these. which one would be best? thanks

first off i am going to put an optima yellow top up front (group 31 preferably)

- add an auxiliary battery under my truck

- instal an earthquake 2.5 farad capacitor

- instal a 100 farad batcap (dont know much about these)

- beef up wires that connect battery to alternator

- any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated

thanks

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[808skindiver 10+ year member]

hmmm no one knows?

 

[jbizzle 5,000+ posts]

don't even think about getting a cap, do the big3, get an alternator, add some batteries in the back

 

[Blinkrazy 10+ year member]

big 3 and lose the cap keep the batcap or look into the stinger hybrid battery/caps ~180 and worth it.

 

[808skindiver 10+ year member]

how much length of 1/0 gauge wire would i need to do the big 3 on a 98 f150 with an access cab? thanks and also what are the other odds and ends i would need? i just read the big 3 thread and i was wondering why you have to connect the chassis to the engine block. on my truck the battery negative connects to the body and the body is wired to the frame.

 

[Phlipbak 10+ year member]

probably 40-50 ft. to be safe.. and you have to connect the chassis to the engine block so it's grounded.. what do you mean your battery is wired to the body? Of course it is lol.. that's how your battery is grounded.. but that's only PART of the big 3, the other part is changing the positive battery cable to the alt to 1/0g and also the last part is the one you were talking about, just see if your alternator is grounded to the frame or if it's your engine block that's grounded to the frame and whichever it is, swap out that wire with 1/0 also, tada, big THREE, not two lol..

 

[IDSkoT 5,000+ posts]

how much length of 1/0 gauge wire would i need to do the big 3 on a 98 f150 with an access cab? thanks and also what are the other odds and ends i would need? i just read the big 3 thread and i was wondering why you have to connect the chassis to the engine block. on my truck the battery negative connects to the body and the body is wired to the frame.

1. Go get a length of string and go measure it... or guess and add 2 or 3 feet.

2. You need wire, terminal ends / ground posts (if you want grounding posts. You can just screw it straight into whatever you're grounding it to), crimpers, and if you can find heat shrink big enough, heat strink. If not, electrical tape. You can also use some tubing for the wires you're adding onto to increase their life.

3. The power in your car works in a continuous cycle. The ground for your alternator is your engine block. Thus, to complete the cycle, you have to wire your engine block to your ground [which is what your battery is grounded to]. Thus, the battery and alternator share a common ground: the frame.

 

[808skindiver 10+ year member]

thanks that sounds good. can anyone show me pics where you mounted your engine ground, frame ground etc? thanks

 

[jbizzle 5,000+ posts]

yes I have a whole thread on one, i'll look it up

 

[jbizzle 5,000+ posts]

http://www.caraudio.com/forum/showthread.php?t=321997

 

[808skindiver 10+ year member]

thanks bro. is there really an audible difference when you do the big three? oh and on my positive terminal on the battery there is like 20 different wires in one!! they go all over the place man.

 

[808skindiver 10+ year member]

ok cool i just looked at my truck and i figured out hot much wire i need and stuff. i just have a few more questions. does it matter what quality the wire is as long as its 1/0 gauge and also how do you connect the new wire to the positive on the alternator???

 

[audiolife 5,000+ posts]

thanks bro. is there really an audible difference when you do the big three? oh and on my positive terminal on the battery there is like 20 different wires in one!! they go all over the place man.

the difference in most cases really isn't about audible its about maintaining a safe voltage for your amplifiers to operate in which your factory electrical in most cases was not built to handle anything more than the vehicle itself. big 3 will help sustain/raise your voltage by anywhere from a .1 v to a full volt or more under a heavy load. the power you are running it wouldn't be a bad idea to do the upgrade in 0 ga. I would use knukonceptz wire and ring terminals...it is what it says it is and is priced well.

 

[808skindiver 10+ year member]

hey i did it today. all the wires and stuff only cost about $30. i noticed a huge gain in voltage!!! thanks

 

[patotay 10+ year member]

nice..goodluck bud and congrats