When is a Capacitor Needed? and what size?

[stevo1988 10+ year member]

How do you determine whether or not you need a capacitor? if so how do you determine what size to go with?

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[Prowler573 5,000+ posts]

This is an often-debated topic and those that agree with the use of "stiffening" capacitors generally get flamed unrelentingly.

You'll spend considerably less money and actually aid your charging system more by upgrading your "Big 3" of underhood wiring.

A step-by-step How To can be found here.

But to directly answer your question most people that believe in such things subscribe to the theory that you should have 1 farad of capacitance per each 1,000 watts of continuous amplifier output.

 

[DeViOuSoNe 10+ year member]

Never, And Never...

All a Cap Is, Is a Band Aid for the real Problem, No need for one.

^^ Beat me to it, Exactly what he said...Lol

 

[ultimate157 5,000+ posts]

Never, And Never...
All a Cap Is, Is a Band Aid for the real Problem, No need for one.

^^ Beat me to it, Exactly what he said...Lol

Not true... some people who run competition need capacitors to smooth out the power delivery to their amplifiers. Caps are able to charge/discharge very quickly.

However most people throw a cap in fix a problem, but in reality cause more strain to their system.

A cap should be added after a HO alternator, wiring upgrades, and a rear battery.

 

[grizzly 10+ year member]

Not true... some people who run competition need capacitors to smooth out the power delivery to their amplifiers. Caps are able to charge/discharge very quickly.
However most people throw a cap in fix a problem, but in reality cause more strain to their system.

A cap should be added after a HO alternator, wiring upgrades, and a rear battery.

x2 caps only good after u already have a strong enough electrical then they help smooth out the bumps

 

[Qbenjamin 10+ year member]

Not true... some people who run competition need capacitors to smooth out the power delivery to their amplifiers. Caps are able to charge/discharge very quickly.
However most people throw a cap in fix a problem, but in reality cause more strain to their system.

A cap should be added after a HO alternator, wiring upgrades, and a rear battery.

X3, finally somebody with some sense. If their truly was never a need for a cap, then they would not be made. They are useless without some prior electrical upgrades I agree. Useless nontheless, I disagree strongly.

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

The original caps installed in a car were as power supply filters, not to assist in current delivery. In matters of current delivery caps just don't have enough usable capacity to have a measurable effect. If you have a HO alt and extra batteries, those are what is making your electrical system solid. The cap (even the biggest ones) are nothing more than a drop in the ocean compared to a battery. A 50F cap has a usable capacity of 25 amp seconds of capacity in a 12v system ignoring the ESR losses of the cap. After losses the capacity is effectively zero.