big 3 upgrade

[mitchellc123 10+ year member]

Will doin the big 3 upgrade make my system louder? And do i need to have 0 gauge to do it?

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[LosIsATool 5,000+ posts]

It will make it more stable. 1/0 is a good idea

 

[mitchellc123 10+ year member]

Okay thanks ill consider it if it seems like i need it

 

[LosIsATool 5,000+ posts]

You always need it when you add current pulling equipment

 

[Danometal 10+ year member]

Louder? No, not unless your voltage is dropping so low that your amps are choking.

Big 3 is just a bandaid for a lack of alternator power, but it does reduce electrical resistance, which optimizes your current alternator. However, it's a necessity if you do run a HO alternator.

BTW, skip the run from engine block to frame. Connect one end to the alternator case bolt, and the other to your batt negative termination point close to the battery (or the batt negative terminal). The alternator case is the true electrical ground when the engine is running. No sense forcing the current to go through the block to get there.

 

[Sketchup 10+ year member]

All it will do is let ur alternator get more power out with the bigger cables. if you are going to do it you might as well go 0.

 

[mitchellc123 10+ year member]

Okay so it looks like I need to do this to save my alt so what exactly do I do? So far ik I have to connect 0ga wire from the bolt on my alt to the neg terminal on the battery...what else?

 

[Nonten03 10+ year member]

http://www.caraudio.com/forums/wiring-electrical-installation-help/152355-official-caraudio-com-big-3-thread.html

 

[mitchellc123 10+ year member]

So I go from positive on alt to pos on batt to pos on amp and the same thing with ground except how do I get the ground to the amp? Do I just leave my current ground where it is

 

[LBC]

Louder? No, not unless your voltage is dropping so low that your amps are choking.

Any amplifier will see a significant efficiency increase if the voltage were brought up significantly. Going from say 12v to 14 volts would be huge and would definitely make it louder.

Big 3 is just a bandaid for a lack of alternator power, but it does reduce electrical resistance, which optimizes your current alternator. However, it's a necessity if you do run a HO alternator.

The big 3 is not a "bandaid". It is necessary with or without a HO alt for aftermarket accessories. As stated it reduces the series resistance in the chain and allows whatever alternator that is installed to get the most current to the devices needing it. Without the big 3, you are unnecessarily choking your equipment.

BTW, skip the run from engine block to frame. Connect one end to the alternator case bolt, and the other to your batt negative termination point close to the battery (or the batt negative terminal). The alternator case is the true electrical ground when the engine is running. No sense forcing the current to go through the block to get there.

The frame is where all devices are grounded within the car. Alternator case to chassis would be one of the most important grounds. The starting battery doesn't do much of anything once the vehicle is started. The lower the voltage the larger the toll that series resistance takes so acting like the starting battery is the main thing to focus on is off the mark.

I know I quoted your post and corrected you but I don't mean to be insulting. I'm just trying to help.

 

[Danometal 10+ year member]

Any amplifier will see a significant efficiency increase if the voltage were brought up significantly. Going from say 12v to 14 volts would be huge and would definitely make it louder.
Not staying at 14 volts is choking the amp. Staying at 14 volts is not choking the amp.

The big 3 is not a "bandaid". It is necessary with or without a HO alt for aftermarket accessories. As stated it reduces the series resistance in the chain and allows whatever alternator that is installed to get the most current to the devices needing it. Without the big 3, you are unnecessarily choking your equipment.

I mentioned, "but it does reduce electrical resistance, which optimizes your current alternator."

The frame is where all devices are grounded within the car. Alternator case to chassis would be one of the most important grounds. The starting battery doesn't do much of anything once the vehicle is started. The lower the voltage the larger the toll that series resistance takes so acting like the starting battery is the main thing to focus on is off the mark.

Not focusing on the starting battery. I said, "Connect one end to the alternator case bolt, and the other to your batt negative termination point close to the battery (or the batt negative terminal ***Assuming the short ground to chassis is upgraded***). The alternator case is the true electrical ground when the engine is running. No sense forcing the current to go through the block to get there.

 

To add, when the engine is NOT running, the battery is now the true electrical ground.

I know I quoted your post and corrected you but I don't mean to be insulting. I'm just trying to help.

Same here. Peace.

 

[sacsking916 5,000+ posts]

where do u come up with these questions?

 

[LBC]

Same here. Peace.

Yeah the reason I commented was that what you were saying had some things wrong with it. Nothing is done to your alternator so you can't really optimize it. You can help the current it puts out to flow with less restriction.

As for the ground location: You specifically mentioned the battery, which is pretty insignificant. You didn't mention the chassis at all which is why I posted. You're absolutely correct though to try to circumvent the engine block if possible, but circumventing going DIRECTLY to the chassis is a problem. The power comes from the alt and it needs to get to the chassis. So, going from alt to chassis is the best way. If you want to connect your batt there so be it. That's all I was trying to say. I didn't want to insult or start a back and forth. I'm sorry I just thought I could help in some way. Have a good weekend.

 

[miker 5,000+ posts]

where do u come up with these questions?

By not knowing what you're doing, not doing any research what so ever and not understanding the basics of an electrical system.

 

[sacsking916 5,000+ posts]

By not knowing what you're doing, not doing any research what so ever and not understanding the basics of an electrical system.

Was more rhetorical and sarcasm but thank you lulz. Its sad when people are so lazy to check the stickies