Noob Needs Help with 98 4runner build

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Elnino702

CarAudio.com Newbie
Hey all, very new to car audio as far as doing things myself. I have a 98 4runner that I've been spending lots of money on and still ain't right. Let me describe my system. I'm stock alternator, big 3 all ofc copper, 70ah die hard agm battery with 4 spot d4s terminals, infinity 6.5 2 way components in front doors, 6.5 alpine type r coaxial in the rear doors, 2x sundown e10 dvc 4 ohm subs (newer model) in a custom bandpass box. Mids and highs are powered by a jp84 amp from d4s and subs are powered by a jp8 amp at 1 ohm. 4 gauge ofc for amp power and grounds. (Biggest they would fit)

Pretty much I'm experiencing big voltage drops. I have a 70amp alternator. I ordered a 250 amp singer (160 idle, 270 or 280 peak) alternator a couple weeks ago and should be here within the next few weeks. I'm also going to upgrade to a crescendo symphony s1v2 for the bass, maybe this little jp8 isn't strong enough for these subs at 1 ohm with the voltage it's being supplied.

My question is, I'd like to strengthen my electrical even more but this battery and ultracap stuff is confusing the **** out of me and I'm being told about lithium (lto) from d4s but I'm scared of catching fire because I have shitty luck. Guys...you would probably make fun of me if I told you how much money I'm in this system already...although it sounds light-years ahead of what it did stock... its still not where I want it.

Can you guys recommend what battery or capacitor or lithium setup I could run and how to wire it proper? It's my daily driver and I kind of don't want it to catch on fire...I'd also like the electrical to be stout enough to where I can eventually have maybe 3000-4000 watts rms. I don't play music without the car running. Would just an ultracap like a ioxus uc31 wired in parallel with my die hard agm combined with my alternator be good enough for now? At idle I'll see voltage from bass amp drop to 11.9 with bass heavy songs... on the freeway maybe it will hold 12.8 to 13.2.

Sorry for the long ass post. Just a new guy looking for some guidance. Considering the xs power xp3000 and a ioxus uc31 wired in parallel with my agm up front but I'm reading I would need an isolator or something.
 
Also forgot to mention, the jp8 amp seems to clip a lot with certain songs at 3/4 volume with bass knob all the way up even below half gain...that's why im changing to the crescendo symphony s1v2 for now. Got it cheap. Tuning tips would be appreciated. Thanks guys.
 
Under the hood I have 1/0 big 3. Alt to pos bat, neg bat to chassis, block to chassis. Haven't done any frame grounds yet. Inside the car both amps have a 4 gauge ground to between seat belt bracket and chassis. Paint has been sanded on all grounds. Gains on both amps are set right below half. I feel like the clip light only blinks on certain bass hits at 3/4 volume bass knob all the way up.

Should I just order an ultracap like the uc31 now and wait for my alternator and then decide if I need a second battery or lithium after that?
 
How/ where is everything grounded?
And how did you set your gains on your amplifiers?

New to the whole forum thing. Sorry I didn't hit reply...just posted a response to your question. Gains were set by turning volume up to 26 out of 35 and turning on some bass tracks and looking for the clip light. Bass boost is off, lpf from head unit is set to 80, hpf is set to 120 from head unit also. Subsonic filter I have in the middle between 10 and 50hz.
 
Sounds good. I guess I'll resist the urge to play loud unless I'm on the freeway. Hope this poor little 70 amp alternator survives until the new one comes. It's probably as old as the car.

Had a '90 coupe. I miss that thing. I still have my Singer alt lol..

Adding more grounds wouldn't hurt. Body, chassis, block and exhaust system front and back.
 
I'm being told about lithium (lto) from d4s but I'm scared of catching fire
LTO and LiFePO type chemistry batteries (which most of these folks are selling for car audio) do not experience catastrophic failures like that, but I don't think that's money well spent for you with the sort of power you plan to run. I'd think that the HO alternator would straighten you out and probably a good AGM under the hood if your current primary battery is old. I'd just throw a second AGM in for anything under 2000W and call it a day unless space saving is really worth a lot to you.

I don't think ultra-cap is going to be helping you here either. If you can't articulate a compelling reason why you need those you probably don't need them. They're very niche application and the people who can use them plan around using them.
 
LTO and LiFePO type chemistry batteries (which most of these folks are selling for car audio) do not experience catastrophic failures like that, but I don't think that's money well spent for you with the sort of power you plan to run. I'd think that the HO alternator would straighten you out and probably a good AGM under the hood if your current primary battery is old. I'd just throw a second AGM in for anything under 2000W and call it a day unless space saving is really worth a lot to you.

I don't think ultra-cap is going to be helping you here either. If you can't articulate a compelling reason why you need those you probably don't need them. They're very niche application and the people who can use them plan around using them.

I see what you're saying. My under hood agm is a group 24f die hard platinum I just bought from advance auto parts. It's got 70ah. I like the size of the lithium stuff and eventually I'd like a gately box with 2 dc lvl 3 10's running either at 1 or 2 ohm. I know I'd also need a big amp for that. If I did run lithium and didn't want an isolator for the agm would I still be ok? My 4runner is a 4 cylinder and slow as hell...I'd prefer to save weight if I could. That's what made lithium attractive.

I saw a video of a guy putting a xs 500 farad superbank under the hood and running a cyber 12k lithium in the back... could I do something like that on a smaller scale safely and not need an isolator? The 4runner sees extreme heat in the las vegas summer and occasionally I'm in 3 degree temperatures in Idaho in the winter. Is this bad for lithium?

Pretty much I have an opportunity to pick up 2 down4sound 6.0 LTO batteries with bus bars for like 400 bucks...is this a good deal? They are a couple months old... but I'm seeing mixed reviews on d4s lithium vs xs power titan8 or limitless.
 
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Elnino702

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