is it for every 1000w, 1 fare of cap is needed? when you speak of 1000w, do you mean the total MAX or RSM power the amps put out or what?? im so confused about the cap thing. and one last thing, when do i need a 4 guage wire? now i am running 8 guage with one 600x2 amp powering a type r sub. so please help me out

 

one way to tell if you elecrtical system is running low on juice is to...turn on your headlights, heater, and just about max volume on the deck. if the headlights or the interior dash lights blinkwith the bass....then you should think about investing in a cap.

yea the standard is 1 farad per 1000wattss.

600x2? what amp is that? what fuse is on the amp? i like to run 4guage to be safe. bump your system for about 15 mins, if the power wire is warm, you might want to get a thicker cable.

 

is 1000w Max power from the amp or the RMS? my car is only 2 year old and sometimes my dash lights blink a little when the sub is pounding hard. looks like it's a battery related problem?
why would some ppl recommend a new alternator, what is it for?
sorry it's Max 600x1(bridged 4ohm) and 225x2

 

numbers dont mean very much...if your lights are blinking that means that the alternator cannot produce enough juice to power the amp and lights and everything else.

the reason the light blinks is that every time the bass hit, the amp draws a surge of power...in that surge the juice is taken away from the lights...making them blink.

getting a bigger alternator will solve the problem, because there will be enough juice.

but in your situation, i wouldnt spend that much money since you are not running that big of an amp.

get a farad cap. it should do it.

 

im planning on getting a 2 channel amp for the front drivers, so a fare of cap might be needed down the road.

 

I may be wrong here, but I don't think that a cap on an amp going to mids or highs will be effective at all. They help with supplying power mainly from bass hits that require a little extra juice, and so if you need one you should only put it on the amp going to your subs.

 

On a little side note, there's been some debate on whether or not caps are a good thing, or if they do more harm than good. I can see both sides, but just remember that if your electrical system is already struggling then putting another strain on it like a cap may not help much. However, if it needs just a little boost, then a cap could be the answer. I could tell you a story about caps in a minitruck I use to have, but I don't want to bore anyone anymore than necessary.

 

tell us the story...
the best way to figure out if you need more juice... get a voltmeter and test power while you have your stereo up....min car is steady (right above 14 volts) but when im at idle, i make sure to just lower the damn volumne

 

the front drivers wont have that huge surge of power drain like subs do. so getting a cap for that amp is not nesscary.

yea, there is a debate on weather or not caps work or not. from personal experience, the cap did get rid of that light dimmng on my car when i had it.

 

Okay, as per igo4bmx's request, here's my story...keep in mind it's not very exciting, and will probably be way too lengthy:

I used to have a Nissan mini, and had these two amps:

Pioneer Premier GM-X1022
Pioneer Premier GM-X822 (both Class A amps...probably not a good idea on a Nissan electrical system).

Anyway, I fried 2 alternators within probably a year or so of putting the stereo in, and decided to upgrade to an Optima and the 'upgraded' alternator built for AC equipped pickups. After frying another alternator (they were all under warrenty except the 1st one, so just a minor hassle) and even the battery somehow, I decided to go ahead and put a cap in the pickup to try to help things out. Sure enough, that seemed to do the trick, and the bass was hitting harder and deeper. After I put the cap in, though, alternators started frying every couple months...I ended up going through I think I counted 7 alternators before taking out and replacing the Class A amps, and found that the cap hurt more than it helped. Of course, I didn't fully understand amp ratings or anything like that...Anyway, after replacing the amps I realized that my electrical system couldn't keep up, and the cap was the clincher in killing my truck. I put in more efficient amps, without the cap, and didn't have problems with dimming or anything else...go figure.