should i get a 20 farad Cap?

[Pineapple 10+ year member]

Current System: stock battery, stock 130amp alternator. JL 500/1 amp, JL 450/4 amp. 950w rms total. plan on upgrading (not anytime soon) to a JL 1000/1 with 13.5" W7.

Do i really need a Cap (for my current system)? My friend says that when you turn up your system, the bass will be cleaner and louder because a cap gives the amp that extra burst of power it needs to hit those powerful low notes.

I can get a Soundstream 20Farad Cap for $180, should i get it? It wouldnt harm my system in any way right? Like if it sucks too much power from my stock battery. Or would i be better off getting a new alternator or battery?

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[pw91686 10+ year member]

new alternator

 

[johnecon2001 5,000+ posts]

actually it could hurt your charging system. Go an invest your money in a HO alternator. Caps are overpriced overrated pieces of crap. Your friend is wrong about the "cleaner bass".

 

[M@nJo 10+ year member]

does your friend work at circuit city too??

caps can help achieve the maxium watts of your system. most amps claim there xxxx rms @ 14.4v and in order to get that full rms watts, your obviously gonna need a stable 14.4v electrical system right? i believe cap(s) helps keep you at the 14.4v level which is great to get to the max potential of your stereo system. however, it also helps prevent dimming but not gauranteed. yes it can also hurt your system as well because it requires more juice as if you didnt have a cap.

i say dont get it and first try the DIY big-3 upgrade as its the most cost effective solution. its only about $40-50 of materials and an hour of your time and thats well worth it to prevent dimming, strain on electrical system AND voltage drops.

then if neccesary, HO alternator

 

[Pineapple 10+ year member]

ok, so after i do the Big3 , just get a new HO Alternator? Will my system be fine with jsut a new alternator?

Can anyone recommend me a good alternator for a 2002 Chevy Tahoe? how many amps should i be?

 

[monte_carlo97 10+ year member]

The best electrical upgrade you can get is a HO alternator and when you put it in do the big 3.

 

[Mind_nl 10+ year member]

20 farad cap? are you sure that's not 2.0 farad //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/uhoh.gif.c07307dd22ee7e63e22fc8e9c614d1fd.gif

 

[monte_carlo97 10+ year member]

20 farad sounds about right for $180

2.0 farad caps run around $100

But anyhow. Alternator is a better upgrade.

 

[n2audio 5,000+ posts]

I see no reason for electrical mods. 130A is a BIG stock alt, and should be more than enough for a 1000/1 and a 450/4.

 

[Pineapple 10+ year member]

are you sure 130a is enough?

 

[SPL140.2 5,000+ posts]

Have you thought of putting a second battery in such as an Optima? I really dont like caps. just my 2 cents //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/veryhappy.gif.fec4fed33b4a1279cf10bdd45a039dae.gif

 

[n2audio 5,000+ posts]

are you sure 130a is enough?

Would be for me.

I'm running 1200-1300w with a 110A

Dimming is minimal at idle - full volume.

And my car is pretty demanding electrically.

For your set up -- Call it 1600w (actual) --

1600/70% (ave. full volume efficiency) = 2285w/14v = 165A for peak current draw.

For RMS current draw you have to consider the duty cycle of the signal (music) -- I'll use 1/3 as a safe estimate - some music is as low as 1/10.

165(1/3) = 55A

That's full volume for HEAVY bass music. Assuming you turn it down once in a while and don't listen to Bass Mechanik 24/7 it will require even less current than that.

If I had to guess I'd say your 130A is probably good for 70-80A of head room. No reason you should have a problem with that alt.

 

[rideac1 10+ year member]

Where at did you find this 20F SoundStream cap as metioned. I was looking at SS caps and 20F would be awesome for that price.

 

[Pineapple 10+ year member]

so much info n2audio, ill just take your word.

my friend has his own car shop, so he can get it for cheap.