ok i plan on getting a second amp in my car. for new subs. would i need one of those deep cycle car batteries to keep from electrical problems? or a new alternator?

 

dude if your worried about the amp stealing all your juice , get a second battery and keep it in your trunk strictly for your stereo,. that is how it should be done, what kind of amp are you planning on getting and how many watts , tell me what you plan on gettign in total and i will try and help you out.

 

well ive never done the dual battiers seperated crap....


it all depends on your amplifiers.... how effecent they are and the total watts....
my stock alt can handle maybe 1000watts... my 1200watts knocks the voltage down to almost not working when full tilt bass output...

but then again i have a fullsize optima yellow top under the hood of my 99 EX civic not sure about where your battery is or the room around yours but with only 2 minor trims on the battery and by removing the battery hold down and flipen the plastic tray...

so not sure if you can fit a fullsize battery under your hood but thiers always a chance it could fit with minor work hopefuly...

also another thing you can do which could help alot....
upgrade your ground wires on your battery and under hood......
upgrade the ground cable from the battery to body and the body to the engine as well, and you can also upgrade the power wire from the alternator to the battery as well to a larger wire.......
that helps ALOT for just about any system and any car!


but if your pushen over 1000watts total id sugest upgrading your alternator to something with mor epower....

thats my next upgrade for myself

 

altenator's dont have a set "wattage" they can hold, they have a certain amperage output. the amplifier efficiency does play a huge part as it determines how much load it pulls from the altenator. usually the factory altenator have a little extra "cushion" for adding extra electrical devices, but not a whole lot.

anyways, a 2nd battery is a great addition IMO, but a high output altenator is equally as important. in my grand am i've got a high output altenator AND a 2nd battery. hooking a 2nd battery is simple, but you need one of these relay , it keeps the 2 batteries from running themselves down. just be sure both batteries are fully charged when you add the 2nd one, or else you increase the chance of killing the altenator (not immediately, but quicker). and be sure and buy a sealed, dry cell if you're putting it anywhere under the hood. you could probably get away with using a sealed battery box, but it'd just be easier to buy the dry cell from the get go IMO. keeps you from having to worry about acid spilling out, or inhaling fumes, or even the fumes catching fire (long shot, but possible).

upgrading the wires under the hood is almost a necessity. i always do it to any vehicle i own. like previously stated, it does help out the charging system pretty dramatically.


if you've got enough cash flow, get both. if not, it's hard to say which route would be the best one for you. kind of a flip of the coin, both have their pros and cons. i personally would probably go with the 2nd battery and isolator (relay)

 

ya just buy which ever you can... but start out with the ground upgrades! with some welding cable is great for this type of stuff.... realy cheap and just as god maybe just alittle stiffer...

id say upgrade it large the first time and youll be great....
i use 1/0gauge wires on my civic and instead of just crimping the wires i always solder them in... its alot beter connection in my opinion.....

and one thing ive always heard if ya get two batteries dont just add one more....... buy 2 brand new batteries! cause the older the battery is the weaker it is.... best to have to realy good new batteries isolator or not! you dont want the older battery always dragen down the newer one....
and also buy the same model battery to match them...

 

mmmmmm dual batts...... yea that'd a good several hours of engine off fun....

If it was me and I was going the upgrade route I'd first get the high output alt, then a larger/drycell battery, then dual matching new batts..... and for cable and connectors I'd go with KnuKonceptz, they've got 1/0 for 3.25/foot (300amp rated) or 1.75/foot (250amp rated) and that's just the power wire.

 

ya i always go big with my wires.... cause i used to start off with the small 8 or 4gauge wiring kit but then wanted more.... so id have to pull them out and buy larger wires and preaty much throw away the smaller wires....
so everytime i do a instal i go big with 1/0gauge wires now! and with my civic since i know im gonna keep it for along time or until its a paperwieght i went real big... 1/0gauge cables for power and ground directly to my batteries....

 

thanks for all the advice. im using this amp now http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1140392384101 with some infinity components. not sure what kind of subs and amps i want yet. i was thinking maybe sticking with infinity? and i still have to buy a new HU cuz my other one was stolen. dont think ill be getting subs till next year. but my birthday and christmas is coming up.......lol

 

i got about 2000 watts going on my stereo and its running on all stock electrical system and i dont have my small yellowtop anymore since they cancelled all those for the honda/acura's.....i do have dimming on my lights kinda bad at night but the voltage never drops bad enough for me to really need to do anything.But i really am thinking about getting a second one just to run the system though.

 

well it might be working fine right now, but take my advice...start saving for a new altenator and possibly even a new battery. from my experience if your altenator heads south it's gonna take the battery with it.

eh, matching the batteries and making sure they're both brand new. some will say it's a necissity and other's wont. the isolator should fix that problem. if you're going to run 2 without the isolator then yeah, go ahead and get 2 new matching batteries. but like i said, i dont buy into it if you're using the isolator.