Do you have to use the same battery under the hood?

[jkok7 10+ year member]

I'm getting a 200 amp Battery Isolator today. I have the Kinetik 2400, but I'm not sure that's the enough juice for that amp. The Mmats 3500.1 draws like 300 amps. I still can't turn the gain more than a 3rd of the way up without getting that hard "Pulsating" action from my subs from the amp. So I think I need another battery in addition to what I already have. Just to fill you in, I have a Titanium Autocraft Battery under the hood the specs are: 875 Cranking Amps, 700 Cold Cranking Amps & 95 Reserve Capacity, Big 3 0 Gauge, 200 Amp Alternator, Kinetik 2400 & an Xstatic Super 100 (35 Farads).

When I try to cut the gain past a 3rd of the way up at 1 ohm, my subs pulsate and my lights dim along with the pulsating.

I called Mmats today and he said not to use a battery isolator as it makes it to where you only charge one battery at a time. First he said that I should run a test on both batteries. Then He said the battery under the hood should be the same size and same brand. Or at least the same type of non-spillage battery wi the the same amount or similar power.

Any help would be appreciated.

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[hornedfrog1985 5,000+ posts]

buy some

 

[RJesus 10+ year member]

No, I don't believe you need to use the same exact battery in the trunk as you do under the hood. Why would you? Its not like their making some different type of electricity. Its just power reserve. If that were true, then your battery cap would have to be the same brand as your battery, and your alternator would have to be the same brand as those. Call that guy again and call him a !@#$ing dumb!@#

If your alternator cannot recharge your batteries quick enough, then you need a new (H/O) alternator, not more batteries. Where did you get your alt from? it may be rated 200, but that might be an inflated number, and its probably at 2k rpms.

If you needed the same battery in the trunk as you do under the hood, then everyone using a C&D is wrong. Because I doubt a single person has them under their hood //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/fyi.gif.9f1f679348da7204ce960cfc74bca8e0.gif

 

[stangman67 10+ year member]

You should use both sealed type batteries. They do not have to be the same brand etc. Problem is one battery could feasibly discharge the other.

 

[bernser1er 10+ year member]

what are you using to set your gains on your aMP?

 

[RJesus 10+ year member]

oh yeah um.... do you know how to correctly set your gains?

a "third of the way up" makes it sound like you think turning the gains all the way up is your goal.

 

[SicAudio 5,000+ posts]

i doubt you need a new alt, the batteries take very little juice to stay charged, you just need a bigger reserve is all, which means more batts.

 

[KTFO 10+ year member]

You should use both sealed type batteries. They do not have to be the same brand etc. Problem is one battery could feasibly discharge the other.

please explain

 

[sexy 10+ year member]

please explain

sealed type generaly a seal jell type it gives off less fumes also which is important if its in your trunk those fumes can cause an explosion and they also eat at the metal parts and other stuff in your trunk. yellow tops or whatever get the jell type sealed

 

[stangman67 10+ year member]

please explain

Just what I have been told my some very knowledgeable people.

 

[AlterEgo99 5,000+ posts]

So as not to shorten battery life, yes, you should use the same battery, from the same manufacturing run if you can. See this thread for more details:

http://www.caraudio.com/forum/showthread.php?t=398527

 

[1hawaii50 10+ year member]

Are you setting your gains correctly/Do you know how to set your gains correctly?

 

[jkok7 10+ year member]

oh yeah um.... do you know how to correctly set your gains?
a "third of the way up" makes it sound like you think turning the gains all the way up is your goal.

I bought it off ebay, the guy I got it from ran his at 2 ohms with the gain to 3rds of the way up.

I appreciate the help, my I'm not one of those dummies who thinks that gain = volume. I know how to set my gains. I'm runnin it at 1 ohm and trust me it doesn't hit like it's supposed to with the gain set that low. My volume goes from 0-60 and I was just testing it at 37. I'll try cranking up the volume a little and adjust my gain accordingly. It could be that I just had my volume too low. I hope it's just as simple as that. I'm still gonna buy another battery though. I think I'm gonna go with a n XS D2700 up front and another XS D2700 in the trunk in addition to the Kinetik I already have. I'm gonna replace the battery up front first and then go from there.

 

[jkok7 10+ year member]

I can tell you right now the batter under the hood is basicly dead. Whenever I shift my car into park a sit for about 5 seconds, the car shuts off and stops running. Now I have know problem starting it right back up. But is seams like it the front battery only has enough juice to start my car and that's it. I think the back battery is doing all the work and I think that's my problem.

The guy at Mmats said that my alternator will power the battery that draws more power, saying that it works like a "spicket". Ex. Say you have to hoses to one faucet. The water's available for both hoses, however the larger of the two hoses is gonna get the most water because it can handle more. Leaving the other hose with less water.

That's the example and explanation he gave me as to why my front battery is drained. And if I work to let my car just sit over the weekend. The more powerful battery in the back (Kinetik 2400) will **** almost all the energy from my front battery up front (Titanium Autocraft that is an Advanced Auto Parts brand).

How does this sound to you?

 

[1hawaii50 10+ year member]

First, it doesn't matter where the guy you bought it from set the gains. The gains are set to your head unit, NOT your subs.

Second, once your car is running, it is running off of the alternator...NOT the battery. The battery only starts the car, then the alternator drives everything. If the car dies at idle, and will not start back up, I'd start with checking the alternator. I know Autozone will check it for free.