The Big 3

[TheUnderFighter 10+ year member]

^ Correct.

 

[Tek18 10+ year member]

:O did not know that!

 

[Fi-brations 10+ year member]

So what does everyone think about adding a second battery, one person says it will help, the other says no, this is confusing...thanks for the responses though guys

 

[Kangaroux 5,000+ posts]

So what does everyone think about adding a second battery, one person says it will help, the other says no, this is confusing...thanks for the responses though guys

I've written out a pretty lengthy response to the pros and cons of it and I don't feel like rewriting it all but here is the jist of it...

Caps are useless when it comes to maintaining voltage because they simply don't have the reserve there to be of much use when you have a long bass line. More expensive caps with higher reserves are just a waste of $ cause you can just get a battery at that point instead.

Batteries are nice because you can at least regulate the amount of voltage drop you are getting. I don't mean this in the sense that batteries stop voltage drop, but if you are dropping down to 12v, and you add a big battery that rests at 13v, you won't drop as much because the battery has a reserve there that will maintain voltage at an acceptable level.

If you are getting nasty drop and running a lot of power, adding batteries will only do so much. Consider upgrading your alternator to something that is made to handle the extra current draw. IMO, it's not worth it to upgrade alts unless you are running 2500+, because batteries will take care of a lot of the heavy lifting for the most part, but remember that the more power you run on a stock alt the more stress you are putting on your system.

And in response to BNGracing, 1/0 is not some overhyped thing. You can get CCA 1/0 for $2 a foot and even cheaper depending where you buy. CCA 1/0 handles 250A of current (that's for a ~20' run, big 3 is 3' at most) and OFC 4g is $1.50 a foot but handles 150A. The big 3 is such a small run that upgrading to the 1/0 shouldn't be a big deal. And if you hate working with 1/0 that much, I think you are using the wrong wire, because the wire I have been using is extremely flexible. What I'm getting at here is the big 3 is such a short run of wire that you don't have to pay much, why not just get the big stuff so you know for certain you aren't holding your system back? Hell I'll only be running 2k for a year or so but I went ahead and did 2/0 for my big 3. Was it necessary? Probably not, but I know I won't have to worry about it now.

EDIT: just realized that I pretty much did write it all out instead of summarizing...oh well lol

 

[esmokah 10+ year member]

ok, i changed my mind, get an alternator that is just overkill. no running wires, no new battery, no cap, just plug that high amperage bastard in

 

[BnGRacing 10+ year member]

And in response to BNGracing, 1/0 is not some overhyped thing. You can get CCA 1/0 for $2 a foot and even cheaper depending where you buy. CCA 1/0 handles 250A of current (that's for a ~20' run, big 3 is 3' at most) and OFC 4g is $1.50 a foot but handles 150A. The big 3 is such a small run that upgrading to the 1/0 shouldn't be a big deal. And if you hate working with 1/0 that much, I think you are using the wrong wire, because the wire I have been using is extremely flexible. What I'm getting at here is the big 3 is such a short run of wire that you don't have to pay much, why not just get the big stuff so you know for certain you aren't holding your system back? Hell I'll only be running 2k for a year or so but I went ahead and did 2/0 for my big 3. Was it necessary? Probably not, but I know I won't have to worry about it now.

First off, the OP has a BMW...you know where the battery is in those right?

Secondly, CCA is garbage. Copper has a tendency to react with other metals and even some insulators...not good.

Third, what the hell is the point of replacing 4ga factory wiring with 1/0 when you can save money by adding another run of 4ga? Two runs of 4ga = 1/0. It's also cheaper & easier to work with.

This isn't directed at you but I still can't believe many of you think you know what you're talking about yet I'm the only person who recommended adjusting the gains & setting a subsonic. That alone could very well fix the issue and cost $0.00.

 

[THATpurpleKUSH 5,000+ posts]

Most people go with 0/1ga because they plan on upgrading in the future so why not spend a little extra now instead of having to spend more in the future and do more work.

 

[FTSFTS 10+ year member]

First off, the OP has a BMW...you know where the battery is in those right? Secondly, CCA is garbage. Copper has a tendency to react with other metals and even some insulators...not good.

Third, what the hell is the point of replacing 4ga factory wiring with 1/0 when you can save money by adding another run of 4ga? Two runs of 4ga = 1/0. It's also cheaper & easier to work with.

This isn't directed at you but I still can't believe many of you think you know what you're talking about yet I'm the only person who recommended adjusting the gains & setting a subsonic. That alone could very well fix the issue and cost $0.00.

as far as I know copper only reacts with oxygen, and i'm not sure what your using but most wiring is made from oxygen-free copper(OFC)or copper clad aluminum(CCA) and also two runs are slightly less efficient because of different total strand counts(if they are same brand) and adjusting gains and setting subsonic don't fix the problem, they reduce the current draw not increase the delivery of power.