Using 1000 watts

[IDSkoT 5,000+ posts]

how do i do the big three ive hear about it but is it different for each car i have a 04 impala

Look at the stickies... and from a quick Google search, looks like you have a 102 ampere alt. That should be good enough. Do the big 3, and make sure you have a decent sized battery. Of course, I'd recommend getting a bigger alt. But, it's not necessary.

 

[IDSkoT 5,000+ posts]

so am i going to need to get another alternator or what?

102amperes x 12volts = 1224 watts, total. So, your 1K watts shouldn't be too bad on your car. Just make sure you do the big 3.

 

[thieves 10+ year member]

you won't need a new alt, the stock one is fine. and doing the big 3 with that amount of power won't make any difference, at least anything noticable, if that's all you're running you are fine without any upgrades.

 

[csu87 10+ year member]

i had a cap back in the day before i did the big 3. big 3 is better than a cap

 

[mistiksky 10+ year member]

thanks guys

 

[jesterjames 10+ year member]

dont ever buy a cap they have never been proven to do anything at all. just do like the rest said and upgrade big 3 and wiring.

well i will state that in my setup it did do something...

lights were dimming and now they arent.... voltage was droping from 14.4 to 11.5 now from 14.4 to 12.6

Caps recharge instantly and discharge alot faster than a battery, caps work just fine for music. If he plans on running test tones he needs to go another route

As for the big 3

its the same on every car, 1/0 running from the alt to the battery, 1/0 from battery to chassis, 1/0 running from engine block to chassis

 

[gunz4me 10+ year member]

well i will state that in my setup it did do something...lights were dimming and now they arent.... voltage was droping from 14.4 to 11.5 now from 14.4 to 12.6

Caps recharge instantly and discharge alot faster than a battery, caps work just fine for music. If he plans on running test tones he needs to go another route

As for the big 3

its the same on every car, 1/0 running from the alt to the battery, 1/0 from battery to chassis, 1/0 running from engine block to chassis

The reason a stiffening capacitor worked in your case is due to the fact that your capacitor is now the bottleneck in your electrical system instead of your main battery feeding your amplifier. My prediction is your alternator will die within a year from constantly having to recharge your capacitor.