Voltage concerns- capacitor/alternator neccessary?
 

I have a 98 civic EX, so far I have a Kenwood unit and two 6.5- I was considering adding a sub or two, my concern is would I need to buy a new alternator or swap out some wiring? One of my friends has a trailblazer with two twelves and his lights dim with the beat when the music's really pounding.

so basically would the capacitor cut it or do I need to swap some wiring/get an alt

also would you suggest one twelve, two tens? two twelves, overkill? I just want some real bass.

-thanks

RE: Voltage concerns- capacitor/alternator neccessary?
 

it all depends how big you go. if it's just a little dimming, a cap might solve the problem, if not, change battery, there is also the big-3 upgrade, then if you would still have the problem, go with the alt.. how big you planning on going with your amp?

RE: Voltage concerns- capacitor/alternator neccessary?
 

It kills me when people suggest a battery to fix light dimming, When the car is on all power is coming from the alternator, the battery just acts as a buffer.

Order of upgrades:
Big 3
Alternator
Battery
Capacitor

RE: Voltage concerns- capacitor/alternator neccessary?
 

i know the best upgrade would be big 3 & bigger alt., but the alt is the most expensive and alot of people don't want to pay that money. as for his situation, if he's not going to big, the cap will fix the problem, cause the cap will take the load then the rest of the load will be taken on the alt.. i wouldn't put the cap at last of the list, i consider it first for small dimming, but don't get me wrong, a cap won't do miracles, after the cap is drained, the load goes on the alt.

RE: Voltage concerns- capacitor/alternator neccessary?
 

how big? I was planning on asking around- obviously i'd like to do the least swapping out possible, the big 3 and cap sound reasonable, i'd like to avoid swapping my alt. considering that, how much power should I be able to get away with? I'm considering a twelve (to save space) or two tens.


-thanks for all your help

RE: Voltage concerns- capacitor/alternator neccessary?
 

by saying how big, i didn't mean the size of the subs, i meant how much watts RMS your amp is gonna have? I'd say you'd probably ok with 1000 watt rms, with the big-3 and a cap. if your going bigger than that, you might need the alt., it all depends how high your going to listen to your system. i'd start off by installing the system, and doing the big-3 (cause it is easy and cheap), then if you see you have a problem with dimming, go ahead and do the rest of the upgrades

RE: Voltage concerns- capacitor/alternator neccessary?
 

There are many ways of going about this. 1st a 1farad power cap (if digital) adds style to your system and makes it more professional. now with a 1000 wat amp it might not be a bad idea to check your alternator, make sure it puts out what it is supposed to. best bet is to insall it and it your lights dim get a cap. if you sill have probs put in a yellow or red top batt just for your system. but with that small of a system you shouldnt have a problem.

RE: Voltage concerns- capacitor/alternator neccessary?
 

[:'(][:@]

If by professional you mean someone who has been lied to by a shop into thinking a cap is the holy mother solution to dimming.

A cap is more detrimental to your car in the long run then simply taking car of the problem. Band-aiding a bullet wound will only help for a short time.

RE: Voltage concerns- capacitor/alternator neccessary?
 

it all depends on how much power hes running, and i dont think its that big that he has to worry about a new alternater..i would just put the subs in and see how they run ,see if it causes and problems with lights dimming and such, if it is..put a cap in, and if your going really big, then go for a new alternator/battery

...you eather like the cap or dont like it, i have one along with a yellow top and its perfect for me

RE: Voltage concerns- capacitor/alternator neccessary?
 

yeah i don't know why everybody's always complaining about caps, they were not invented for nothing, they have a purpose. i know they are not a miracle, they do not fix every problem, but they do help in some situations.