Need help deciding on a capacitor

[Macincheeselady]

I have 2 amps (one being 1200 watts and the other is 250 watts) and my battery has been staring to feel the strain of them. I heard getting a capacitor could help my battery stay strong and make my equipment output be even better so it’s a win win. But I learned that it’s not a good idea to have 2 amps connected to one capacitor unless they are wired together in one bigger gage power wire, which I would rather not do. My question is would it help to just attach the 1200 watt amp to a capacitor by itself and keep the 250 by itself, or is that a bad idea? Thanks for help! I’m a total noob at this tbh

Click to read more...

 

[metalheadjoe 10+ year member]

Assuming both amps are connected to the same battery, it's all one parallel circuit regardless of where you place a capacitor.

Are you saying you ran separate power wires from the battery for each amp? Why?

 

[JW266]

Your battery is probably on it's way out. If you didn't have voltage drop issues when you first installed and you are now I'd be checking all the + and - connections.

Capacitors for sure sound like the easiest way to fix your headlight dimming problem but upgrading your wiring is so worth the extra time. On top of giving your amps the juice they need the rest of your vehicle will perform better. If it's an older or even newer "commuter" car it'll have the smallest cheapest lowest quality wiring the manufacturer could use to just barely run what came in the car.

You also won't be adding more points of possible failure that will piss you off and in turn cost even more $$ after you throw that capacitor and it ricochet off the driveway into a potted plant and then threw the window of the car your ******* neighbor is always parking in front of your house. He's got cameras and is friends with cops... Just buy the 4ga. From amazon dude.

 

[tommydh 10+ year member]

Before buying a capacitor you should probably invest that money into a new battery and do the big 3 wiring upgrade.

 

[some dude]

I agree with getting a new battery if there isnt a loose connection anywhere.
Get the largest AGM you can fit and it will probably fix your issue.

Why do you say you think your battery cant keep up?

 

[audiobaun 5,000+ posts]

Two good recommendations. Get the largest AGM battery that will fit under the hood and get the Big 3 done in 0ga OFC, That should help out with your supply for the demand in most cases with at least a 120-140 amp alternator. What Vehicle do you have with what size stock alternator?