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<blockquote data-quote="helotaxi" data-source="post: 2004867" data-attributes="member: 550915">No it usually won&#039;t make an audible difference.&nbsp; But in most cases where the alt is overtaxed, upgrading the alt doesn&#039;t make an audible difference either.&nbsp; Dimming lights is a symptom of a voltage drop.&nbsp; For the amp to run at its best it needs steady voltage and an adequate supply of current.&nbsp; Adding a small cap to the headlight circuit will merely mask the dimming of the headlights, they&#039;ll still dim but it will appear as more of a gradual dimming rather than the typical flicker seen with amp draw dimming.&nbsp; Adding a larger cap to the charging system will allow the votage regulator a moment to catch up with demand without the voltage dropping appreciably thus providing the amp with the stable voltage and adequate current that it needs to work its best.If you shop around and give eBay a shot, you can get a couple farads of capacitance for not a lot of money.&nbsp; The old style round electrolytic capacitors (not the square style carbon or hybrid type) have a very low ESR and as such are about as close to 100% efficient as anything could be.&nbsp; Finally, your car is one giant parallel circuit.&nbsp; As long as you have taken proper measures o ensure that you have minimal resistance in the power and ground paths (the first thing that you should consider when installing an aftermarket system anyway) it won&#039;t matter where the caps are mounted in relation to anything else.&nbsp; The effect will be seen all through the charging system.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="helotaxi, post: 2004867, member: 550915"] No it usually won't make an audible difference. But in most cases where the alt is overtaxed, upgrading the alt doesn't make an audible difference either. Dimming lights is a symptom of a voltage drop. For the amp to run at its best it needs steady voltage and an adequate supply of current. Adding a small cap to the headlight circuit will merely mask the dimming of the headlights, they'll still dim but it will appear as more of a gradual dimming rather than the typical flicker seen with amp draw dimming. Adding a larger cap to the charging system will allow the votage regulator a moment to catch up with demand without the voltage dropping appreciably thus providing the amp with the stable voltage and adequate current that it needs to work its best. If you shop around and give eBay a shot, you can get a couple farads of capacitance for not a lot of money. The old style round electrolytic capacitors (not the square style carbon or hybrid type) have a very low ESR and as such are about as close to 100% efficient as anything could be. Finally, your car is one giant parallel circuit. As long as you have taken proper measures o ensure that you have minimal resistance in the power and ground paths (the first thing that you should consider when installing an aftermarket system anyway) it won't matter where the caps are mounted in relation to anything else. The effect will be seen all through the charging system. [/QUOTE]

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