Please help with electrical upgrades for my setup

[Bigpete757 10+ year member]

I will be running a 4 x 100 wrms amp (600 total) to my mids and highs that can each handle about 50-75 wrms. I also will most likely be getting a 1200-1500 amp to power 2 re se's. I have a regular walmart battery as of now, and are looking to find a perfect balance of safety (my car not dying out on me) and saving money at the same time. What are my best options? Here's a few that I've read about.

1) Put in new battery in better than the one I have.

2) Do the big three. But I've read this might not even be worth it if you don't have a h/o alt.

3) Get a cap, but read this is just a bandaid.

4) Get an extra battery.

I am trying to keep this as cheap as possible. I don't want to spend the money for a h/o alt and then to pay labor to have someone put it in because that is probably expensive. I could decrease the setup I have now to a 1000 watt amp or less powering 1 beefy sub, either way just looking for a solution to not have to get to many upgrades. I have a 1999 Infiniti I30 with a 110 amp stock alt, I think. I would really appreciate any suggestions as I know how important this part of car audio is and want to get it right. Thanks in advance.

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[tymoto21 10+ year member]

cheapness right here...

get 1 good batt to run in the back. deka 9a31 would be amazing. do the big 3. just run 4awg wire can do it for like $10. get a digital volt meter and put it somewere you can easilly see it. if you voltage drops low turn it down and let the batts charge up a lil. dont put a cap in.

 

[Bigpete757 10+ year member]

I looked up the deka batt, it seems very good and alot of people use them. Is this the best option or what else might I try. I have seen people using batcap's. Not sure if they are good. I would like to save space in the trunk if possible, but it's not a big deal if this is best/safest way for my setup. Also, I read something about maybe not mixing wet and dry batteries, and are not sure if the deka is wet batt, just wanted to double check that it was alright to mix the two.

 

[loopkiller 10+ year member]

Step 1) Big 3

Step 2) Biggest AGM battery you can fit under the hood

Step 3) Evaluate your voltage with audio at high volume at idle and while driving. If it stays above 13.0v at full tilt, you are done. Enjoy! If it sags below 13.0v, continue to #4.

Step 4) Second battery in the trunk near the amps. Repeat the steps in #3. If still no change go to #5.

Step 5) Upgrade to HO alt.

To be honest, the Big 3 is the most important step. Without it done correctly, all of the other steps would be in vain. Your alt should be good up to about 1500W RMS. Anything past that is going to need either lower volumes, longer drive times at moderate volumes, or an HO alt upgrade.

 

[Bigpete757 10+ year member]

Step 1) Big 3Step 2) Biggest AGM battery you can fit under the hood

Step 3) Evaluate your voltage with audio at high volume at idle and while driving. If it stays above 13.0v at full tilt, you are done. Enjoy! If it sags below 13.0v, continue to #4.

Step 4) Second battery in the trunk near the amps. Repeat the steps in #3. If still no change go to #5.

Step 5) Upgrade to HO alt.

To be honest, the Big 3 is the most important step. Without it done correctly, all of the other steps would be in vain. Your alt should be good up to about 1500W RMS. Anything past that is going to need either lower volumes, longer drive times at moderate volumes, or an HO alt upgrade.

When you say 1500 wrms, do you mean my sub amp or both car speaker and sub amps. Right now I just have the car amp that will be giving out about 65 wrms to my four speakers. I was thinking of getting a 1200-1500 watt amp for subs, but could manage with 1000 watt one to save money on overall electrical upgrades. As far as AGM batteries go, I am assuming I could just go upto walmart and say what is biggest battery you could put in or should I get one from somewhere else. And since I am not too familiar with these, what is the range/numbers/type I should be looking for. Thank you very much for the input as this list is along the lines of what I was looking for.

 

[old_dude 10+ year member]

I was in the same dilemna as you were. Wondering if I should get a bigger $300 Bosch H/O alternator. But my friends and even local experts all said I should get a battery in the trunk instead of a bigger alternator. Besides, I found out the Bosch won't even fit in my car! What I was told is most important to look for in a new 2nd battery is Reserve Capacity. Never mind Starting Power ratings. Look for the ones with the best Reserve Capacity, being Deep Cycle Marine of course. My buddy, who owns an alternator shop, also said I should just run a Continuous-Duty Solenoid back there, which would save me from having to run a battery isolator.

I got both: the battery (not the highest Reserve Capacity I could find, but for coolness sake I bought the one with the highest price tag!). I found DCM batteries with Reserve Capacity well over 210, but got a Optima, which only has a Reserve Capacity of 120 (lame, for that price!). I also got the solenoid mentioned. My buddy says all I will need is a little 16g or 12/10g wire to run this setup. I suppose I'll find out! I'm still confused on how this setup gets hooked up, which is why my friend has agreed to show me how easy it is. He claims it takes a matter of minutes!

I'll let you know how this ends up being connected back in the trunk when it's done. In the mean time, I can tell you where I found my solenoid the cheapest ($15)but you can find them locally at most parts stores.

Good luck!

 

[loopkiller 10+ year member]

When you say 1500 wrms, do you mean my sub amp or both car speaker and sub amps. Right now I just have the car amp that will be giving out about 65 wrms to my four speakers. I was thinking of getting a 1200-1500 watt amp for subs, but could manage with 1000 watt one to save money on overall electrical upgrades. As far as AGM batteries go, I am assuming I could just go upto walmart and say what is biggest battery you could put in or should I get one from somewhere else. And since I am not too familiar with these, what is the range/numbers/type I should be looking for. Thank you very much for the input as this list is along the lines of what I was looking for.

The types of AGM batteries you are looking for would not be found at Wal-mart. The popular brands are Kinetik, Deka, XS Power, Odyssey, Hawker, and some others. Any of those brands will be just fine. Find a good deal on the biggest one you can fit under your hood. Your car uses a Group 51 style battery. Some of the exact models are the Kinetik HC1400 or XS D5100. Not all brands make a G51 battery.

 

[SPL Blazer 10+ year member]

The types of AGM batteries you are looking for would not be found at Wal-mart. The popular brands are Kinetik, Deka, XS Power, Odyssey, Hawker, and some others. Any of those brands will be just fine. Find a good deal on the biggest one you can fit under your hood. Your car uses a Group 51 style battery. Some of the exact models are the Kinetik HC1400 or XS D5100. Not all brands make a G51 battery.

^X2, and definitely do the Big 3 first. Then look into the biggest AGM battery you can fit. Optima's are ok, but you can get a lot better and for only a little more $$.

It looks like your talking about running roughly the same kind of power I'm doing. I run 4x110 to the front, 2x105 to the rears, and 1500 watts to the sub. I started out running everything off a stock 105 amp alt, the Big 3, and an Optima Yellow Top and had minimal voltage loss. I upgraded later on to HO Alt and the Kinetiks, but that was because of competitions, not so much because of daily driving voltage issues.

Keep in mind that your system is only going to be putting out that kind of power at full volume, providing you have the power to back it up.

 

[old_dude 10+ year member]

SPL, you're totally right (again!). I only bought the Optima because so many competitors use them. But I went to my local battery company and they had DCM's with almost double the reserve capacity as this Optima I bought, and for only $120 compared to $190.

I'm learning, slowly but surely!//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif

 

[Bigpete757 10+ year member]

The types of AGM batteries you are looking for would not be found at Wal-mart. The popular brands are Kinetik, Deka, XS Power, Odyssey, Hawker, and some others. Any of those brands will be just fine. Find a good deal on the biggest one you can fit under your hood. Your car uses a Group 51 style battery. Some of the exact models are the Kinetik HC1400 or XS D5100. Not all brands make a G51 battery.

I could not find the XS that cheap anywhere, but it seems alot of people carry the kinetik for around $200. Do you know other models that might be good, or will this one be the best for the price. It seems that going up in amps isn't really to expensive, so could I use a kinetic hc1800 for my infiniti I30. I did notice a little bigger dimensions for the 1800, an inch longer and wider, but would love to have the higher amps if its possible. Is the 1800 still a group 51 battery and will its dimensions just be too big. Also, are there 2000 watt agm batts that would fit in my car. I am not sure if having some headroom applies to this issue, but again if it does, I think it would be smart. Sorry for all the questions, I am new to car audio and just want to make good decisions from people who have had the experience. Thanks for everyone's replies.

 

[SPL Blazer 10+ year member]

I'm learning, slowly but surely!//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif

Learning is a LONG process. I've only been really into car audio for the past 4 years and still learn a lot. Trying to learn on here is hard though, there are only a few people that really know what they're talking about and hundreds more that think they know what they're talking about. trying to figure out who knows what they're talking about and who really has no clue is hard for newbies. I get proven wrong on some things once in awhile, which I don't mind, it's all a learning process. LoopKiller knows his sh*t, SnoopDan does too, so I'd listen to them. There are others but I won't post the other names.

 

[SPL Blazer 10+ year member]

I could not find the XS that cheap anywhere, but it seems alot of people carry the kinetik for around $200. Do you know other models that might be good, or will this one be the best for the price. It seems that going up in amps isn't really to expensive, so could I use a kinetic hc1800 for my infiniti I30. I did notice a little bigger dimensions for the 1800, an inch longer and wider, but would love to have the higher amps if its possible. Is the 1800 still a group 51 battery and will its dimensions just be too big. Also, are there 2000 watt agm batts that would fit in my car. I am not sure if having some headroom applies to this issue, but again if it does, I think it would be smart. Sorry for all the questions, I am new to car audio and just want to make good decisions from people who have had the experience. Thanks for everyone's replies.

I'd say go out and measure the space you have available for a battery and then look online and find the biggest battery you can fit in there.

 

[Bigpete757 10+ year member]

^X2, and definitely do the Big 3 first. Then look into the biggest AGM battery you can fit. Optima's are ok, but you can get a lot better and for only a little more $$.
It looks like your talking about running roughly the same kind of power I'm doing. I run 4x110 to the front, 2x105 to the rears, and 1500 watts to the sub. I started out running everything off a stock 105 amp alt, the Big 3, and an Optima Yellow Top and had minimal voltage loss. I upgraded later on to HO Alt and the Kinetiks, but that was because of competitions, not so much because of daily driving voltage issues.

Keep in mind that your system is only going to be putting out that kind of power at full volume, providing you have the power to back it up.

What type of agm battery would would you recommend for my setup. All together it will probably be around 2000 watts, between the 600 watt speaker amp and 1500 watt sub amp. This is just for daily driving and would need a group 51 battery. Also, how can I determine what is the biggest battery I can fit. Can I measure something or should I bring it up to car audio place and have them make a suggestion. I would rather bring it to car audio place to be on the safe side, but if it is very simple, I can do it.

 

[old_dude 10+ year member]

WELL, I DID IT! I took the advice of most of you in this forum (and I've ONLY read the threads in the Wiring, Electrical and Installation Help threads since I joined!)...

I just bought an AutoMeter digital VOLTMETER to match my Ammeter (amp current) gauge!!//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/eek.gif.771b7a90cf45cabdc554ff1121c21c4a.gif

So many of you convinced me (while you were attempting to inform others) that this gauge is more important than the one I already have. So I took your advice and ordered one to match. Now I just hope I find room to squeeze it.

(I even changed my Avatar pic so as not to act like I was stuck on Current over Voltage.)

Idvice well-heeded, friends!//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[GMCJimmyslt2000 10+ year member]

Learning is a LONG process. I've only been really into car audio for the past 4 years and still learn a lot. Trying to learn on here is hard though, there are only a few people that really know what they're talking about and hundreds more that think they know what they're talking about. trying to figure out who knows what they're talking about and who really has no clue is hard for newbies. I get proven wrong on some things once in awhile, which I don't mind, it's all a learning process. LoopKiller knows his sh*t, SnoopDan does too, so I'd listen to them. There are others but I won't post the other names.

How are u gonna say there are only a few ppl that no their ****, u haven't even been here that long. And why should he believe u? There are more ppl here that no their **** thAn u can list.

Make sure u run 0/1 gauge, do the big 3, and get a decent batt upfront.

Ur only gonna be running 1500-1800wrms, which isn't that much. With what I listed, u should be a ok.