capacitor ?'s

[Blizze 10+ year member]

i have been dealing with car stereos for a while now...about4 years...i am still a little shaky on a couple of areas. One of those areas is capacitors. With my other vehicles i did not need any capacitors, cause i had older trucks with huge batteries and alternators, and my system was fine. i recently bought a new truck(2003 s-10) and i bought a new system to go along with it. until i hook up my new system i hooked one of my older systems in my truck. my lights were dimming (inside and out) so i now i need a capacitor now..but my real question is... i got 2 amps

1440W a peice. so i need two 1.5 fared caps...do i need to hook one to each amp or do i need to get one 3 fared cap and hook up both amps to it.?!?!? any insite will be greatly appreciated...thanx........blizzle blizz

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[iceteebone 5,000+ posts]

i have been dealing with car stereos for a while now...about4 years...i am still a little shaky on a couple of areas. One of those areas is capacitors. With my other vehicles i did not need any capacitors, cause i had older trucks with huge batteries and alternators, and my system was fine. i recently bought a new truck(2003 s-10) and i bought a new system to go along with it. until i hook up my new system i hooked one of my older systems in my truck. my lights were dimming (inside and out) so i now i need a capacitor now..but my real question is... i got 2 amps 1440W a peice. so i need two 1.5 fared caps...do i need to hook one to each amp or do i need to get one 3 fared cap and hook up both amps to it.?!?!? any insite will be greatly appreciated...thanx........blizzle blizz

NO, YOU DO NOT NEED A CAPACITOR. you need to do a big 3, make sure you have good ground and proper wire size, and possibly a new battery. a capacitor is not made to solve a week electrical system. it might make it worse. what a capacitor does is charge up so it can realse current at a split second. it only has enough current to last for a second tops. this helps when you already have an adequete electrical system. it comes in handy because it can realse current rapidly on the big bass notes whereas the alt might be slow. it's pretty much for sq so you don't get those muddy bass notes. it will not help a week system.

 

[iagrdshaka 5,000+ posts]

Caps are worthless IMO

 

[ramos 5,000+ posts]

Look at it like this my man.

A cap makes no power.

It just stores power. Meaning it uses power from your allready taxed electrical system. So does adding something to your allready over worked electrical system sound good ? //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[ramos 5,000+ posts]

Caps are worthless IMO

There are uses for them. Just not a band aid for a week electrical system. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[Blizze 10+ year member]

well my battery is new and the electrical systtem is in top form(i also just got a new alternator for the truck, older one was fine but not big enough for me)...it soundded fine with my old settings when i transfered the amp over. when i tweaked it for the new space in my new truck..i just noticed my lights were dimming with my older system and it is about 1/2 the power that my new system is....if i go back to the original settings i t is fine again but the music is too loud over the bass...u can feel it but actually hearing it..it is too low.

 

[ramos 5,000+ posts]

When you replaced the alt , did you also replace the wiring as ice t reccomended ? It makes a big difference //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[Blizze 10+ year member]

i did not do the install my self i was at work, but my friend did it and i kno he knows what he is doing....when i looked at my truck after he was finished i saw new wires on the battery and a couple of other place.......wat wires exactly are u talk about?

 

[tRiGgEr 5,000+ posts]

Use 1/0 guage wire. Upgrade the big 3 with 1/0. Buy a deep cycle/dry cell battery.

If this does not solve the electrical problems buy a High output alternator.

A cap will not keep your lights from dimming.

 

[Patrick Simmons 10+ year member]

Use 1/0 guage wire. Upgrade the big 3 with 1/0. Buy a deep cycle/dry cell battery.
If this does not solve the electrical problems buy a High output alternator.

A cap will not keep your lights from dimming.

Well said.