Flyin11 said:Also, anything that can help out my alternator is a plusI am on a strict budget.
Was doing some thinking though...Maybe I'm going at this all wrong. I'm trying to save the elctrical system after all. What about just getting a good wattage 4 channel amp and running my my front speakers off of 2 channels and my subs off the other 2 bridged? The amp's fuse rating would be pretty low anyways and I would have all my power in 1 amp instead of 2..Would that help out the electrical system or is going with 2 amps the better? Still upgrade the wiring and all
(Still on a budget but that doesn't mean I can't sell the amp I just got again or the amp in my car)
that could work but the ? is do you have rear fill speakers then you would be better to go with a 4 ch and a 2 ch for the subs but it would be best to still go to 4 GA for ether sys remember the less resistance in your wires the cooler your amp or amps will run thus giving you a better sound and less stress on your electrical sys with the small wire it is like trying to suck a gulf ball through a garden hose
You can go 4ch, but not that kind of wattage. I would recommend you stay with class D for subs unless you get something like I have; the kicker 700.5 you can run 3 or 5 channel and the sub channel is class D. D takes less power. In fact I have two 5ch I think I will get rid of. Going active and just don't want to use them. Kicker is 420wrms at 2 ohms on sub, 40-75/ch depending on voltage and ohms for 4ch part.
Are trying to sell that amp?
Just talked to Crutchfield for some more advice and the guy there was saying a cap could hurt or help me cause it takes a while for the cap to charge after that first initial bass hit before it gets to the next and during that time it's drawing more current from the alternator trying to refresh itself. He said though he thinks I should be just fine and not to worry about the fuse ratings too much (Like you all said) cause that's max peak power before the fuse blows and you don't even usually get that high. Makes sense like you were saying jol...He said the same thing at Crutchfield...The Class D will be your most draw while the other won't be doing too much drawing. I won't even have my high amp up at halfway. To be honest it will be way below that. He also said to just defiantly upgrade the wire and all and I should be fine. So I guess I'm still on the 2 amp setup. I don't too any really long driving anyways. Longest drives are maybe 1 hour if that. Most of my drive times are 30min or less.
Oh yeah...He also said there was no way I could do it with a 4 channel amp like I want unless I have 8ohm subs in the back but I got rid of those initial ones I had and got the 4ohms for more power so that's out of the question...
Just talked to Crutchfield for some more advice and the guy there was saying a cap could hurt or help me cause it takes a while for the cap to charge after that first initial bass hit before it gets to the next and during that time it's drawing more current from the alternator trying to refresh itself. He said though he thinks I should be just fine and not to worry about the fuse ratings too much (Like you all said) cause that's max peak power before the fuse blows and you don't even usually get that high. Makes sense like you were saying jol...He said the same thing at Crutchfield...The Class D will be your most draw while the other won't be doing too much drawing. I won't even have my high amp up at halfway. To be honest it will be way below that. He also said to just defiantly upgrade the wire and all and I should be fine. So I guess I'm still on the 2 amp setup. I don't too any really long driving anyways. Longest drives are maybe 1 hour if that. Most of my drive times are 30min or less.
Oh yeah...He also said there was no way I could do it with a 4 channel amp like I want unless I have 8ohm subs in the back but I got rid of those initial ones I had and got the 4ohms for more power so that's out of the question...
hell if you can save money on the cap that's good and crutchfield gave you the right advice like i have been telling you all along go for the wire upgrade on the sunbird i had i had to use a cap but i ran my amps in high current to get more out of a smaller amp but i don't use one on my system now my wire size is so big and i have a 200 amp alt i don't need one + my sub is so close to me and my box is tuned just right i can only turn my sys up half way before it starts to hurt
A 4ch would be 4 ohm load bridged, or 2ch at 2 ohm each. But you are back to AB power that way it's not as efficient. Class D draws less for the sound it makes, the least of any amp.
Yes I am selling that amp, just that it is in my car right now and I don't have time to mount the other stuff in so I'm not taking it out yet. Bought it last spring. Have another that is a little smaller, 300wrms on sub and 55w/ch or something highs. I'll likely toss them on ebay when I swap amps.
I would put a cap on any small alternator car, but I'd get a cheap used one and not spendy on it. I use mostly used amps and never had a problem. In fact I just bought a broken one and can't find anything wrong with it....
Yes I am selling that amp, just that it is in my car right now and I don't have time to mount the other stuff in so I'm not taking it out yet. Bought it last spring. Have another that is a little smaller, 300wrms on sub and 55w/ch or something highs. I'll likely toss them on ebay when I swap amps.
I would put a cap on any small alternator car, but I'd get a cheap used one and not spendy on it. I use mostly used amps and never had a problem. In fact I just bought a broken one and can't find anything wrong with it....
I have 1 more real quick question...I was trying to find out the size of the opening on a fuse block for the input and output of the wires and the lady came back saying the input is 1/2" and the output is 1/4". I was like what the heck??? Anybody know what this is in AWG size? I'm trying to find a fuse block that takes 4 guage and has 4 gauge output...
Too bad we don't have a chat room around here LOL
Too bad we don't have a chat room around here LOL
Flyin11 said:I have 1 more real quick question...I was trying to find out the size of the opening on a fuse block for the input and output of the wires and the lady came back saying the input is 1/2" and the output is 1/4". I was like what the heck??? Anybody know what this is in AWG size? I'm trying to find a fuse block that takes 4 guage and has 4 gauge output...
Too bad we don't have a chat room around here LOL
parts express .com part #263-611 $31.89 streewires FBR24A
and yes we need a chat room lol
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_wire_gauge is the actual sizes, the hole would be larger than the wire of course....but hard to say. They don't know the size?
I can only give you my opinion from what I know; that is they don't make your sub go louder but should help your alternator live longer if you are working it hard. They may add to the audible sound and/or help your amp run cooler but I have seen no proof of that, just good theory. So I figure for $15 I am putting one in my car because I have 700w or more running on a stock battery and alternator. The battery is new and I don't abuse it that much and hardly ever at night. I also have a secret weapon, lol, I have a 12v battery out of a portable jumper I will use if needed because I don't want another heavy battery in the car. My car has a 130A alternator. The lights dim a little at night, but not bad.
all i can say is it helped me once never needed one again but like i said before i have a 200A alt in my truck and 2/o wire and a red top bat. if i was you i would go for at least the 4GA and see if your lights dim at the level you play your system at to see if you are going to need a cap because on ebay you can find one any time + the site you you posted for the wire kit will have caps all the time but don't get any thing bigger than a 1farad that is big enough any thing bigger i feel it will be too much for your car and a waste of money
I might need one cause I noticed my lights doing it this morning when I had my heat and rear defroster on. When the defroster is off, I didn't see any issues with the lights though. I might try and talk to my brother about seeing about getting a alternator upgrade when I get some tax money back in Feb-March but that's all I can do right now...
Don't forget to add a ground from your battery to the body. When you ground the amp to the car it has to get back to the battery, and a lot of the stuff on the car already uses that little stock ground wire.....like maybe your headlights.
Yes, I think if you have enough alternator and battery you don't need a cap. A battery is way better than any cap, and an alternator just will or wont supply what your system and car need. I'm going to use one because I don't like the weight of my 4 12s let alone a second battery. When I get to it going to try two 15s instead.
Yes, I think if you have enough alternator and battery you don't need a cap. A battery is way better than any cap, and an alternator just will or wont supply what your system and car need. I'm going to use one because I don't like the weight of my 4 12s let alone a second battery. When I get to it going to try two 15s instead.
This may be true but for someone who is on a tight budget already it should atleast help me out. I just got a new battery and am not going to spend more money on another battery right now. To be honest I find myself sometimes wondering why my bass is not hitting as hard after the music plays for a while and this could help that out as well. All you can do in Car Audio is try and learn from the stuff that doesn't work. I have everything ordered and being shipped on the way now except for the cap as I'm having a tought time on their external site payment page but everything else should be on it's way and I will probably be able to install everything maybe in 2 weeks as I'm on vacation from work then and can work on it all day to get everything up and going.
this might also help you
Recommended Power and Ground Cable Sizes
To calculate the proper power and ground cable sizes, find the distance of the power cable along the top row. If your measurement is between two measurements, use the higher one. Next, find the total RMS power the cable must support on the left. If your measurement is between two measurements, use the higher one. The size listed where your two measurements meet is the recommended cable size.
Also see:
• American Wire Gauge Sizes
Recommended Cable Size by Power and Distance
Total RMS
Power (watts) Distance
4 feet 8 feet 12 feet 16 feet 20 feet
100 10 gauge 10 gauge 8 gauge 8 gauge 4 gauge
200 10 gauge 8 gauge 8 gauge 4 gauge 4 gauge
400 8 gauge 8 gauge 4 gauge 4 gauge 4 gauge
600 8 gauge 4 gauge 4 gauge 4 gauge 4 gauge
800 4 gauge 4 gauge 4 gauge 2 gauge 2 gauge
1000 4 gauge 4 gauge 2 gauge 2 gauge 2 gauge
1400 4 gauge 2 gauge 2 gauge 2 gauge 2 gauge
Current Draw by Power
Total RMS
Power (watts) Current
Amps
100 16
200 32
400 64
600 96
800 128
1000 160
1200 172
1400 188
Power & Ground Cable Specs
Cable Size
Wire Gauge Current Capacity
Amperage (amps)
1/0 350
2 225
4 150
8 100
10 60
12 40
14 25
16 15
* Note: These figures have been rounded off for easy reference. Ground cables should be the same size (or larger) as the power cable. ** Current Draw figures are based on RMS Power of the amplifier with a 50% efficiency rating. *** Although wire gauge sizes smaller than 10 gauge may be acceptable for the amount of current draw, we recommend using 10 gauge as the smallest wire size for any amplifier of 100 watts or more. The goal is to provide as much current to the amplifier as it could possibly need for optimal performance.
Recommended Power and Ground Cable Sizes
To calculate the proper power and ground cable sizes, find the distance of the power cable along the top row. If your measurement is between two measurements, use the higher one. Next, find the total RMS power the cable must support on the left. If your measurement is between two measurements, use the higher one. The size listed where your two measurements meet is the recommended cable size.
Also see:
• American Wire Gauge Sizes
Recommended Cable Size by Power and Distance
Total RMS
Power (watts) Distance
4 feet 8 feet 12 feet 16 feet 20 feet
100 10 gauge 10 gauge 8 gauge 8 gauge 4 gauge
200 10 gauge 8 gauge 8 gauge 4 gauge 4 gauge
400 8 gauge 8 gauge 4 gauge 4 gauge 4 gauge
600 8 gauge 4 gauge 4 gauge 4 gauge 4 gauge
800 4 gauge 4 gauge 4 gauge 2 gauge 2 gauge
1000 4 gauge 4 gauge 2 gauge 2 gauge 2 gauge
1400 4 gauge 2 gauge 2 gauge 2 gauge 2 gauge
Current Draw by Power
Total RMS
Power (watts) Current
Amps
100 16
200 32
400 64
600 96
800 128
1000 160
1200 172
1400 188
Power & Ground Cable Specs
Cable Size
Wire Gauge Current Capacity
Amperage (amps)
1/0 350
2 225
4 150
8 100
10 60
12 40
14 25
16 15
* Note: These figures have been rounded off for easy reference. Ground cables should be the same size (or larger) as the power cable. ** Current Draw figures are based on RMS Power of the amplifier with a 50% efficiency rating. *** Although wire gauge sizes smaller than 10 gauge may be acceptable for the amount of current draw, we recommend using 10 gauge as the smallest wire size for any amplifier of 100 watts or more. The goal is to provide as much current to the amplifier as it could possibly need for optimal performance.
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