Capacitor Use?

[Diesel2NR]

I'm plannin my system for in the back of my legacy right now. I'm getting 3 Profile California Series 200s (260 watts max) for the 3 Alpine Subs and a Profile California Series 404 (480 watts max) for the door and deck speakers. Now, being that is a decent amount of power needed, I started looking into a Capacitor to help the alternator and battery out. I'm thinking on a American Accessories 1 Farad Capacitor. I'm not sure of the quality on it though. Would it be better to just upgrade the alternator? I'm not sure how many amps it is right now, or where to find a bigger alt. for my car (2.2 Boxer Engine).

[ScubaSteve]

for every 1000watts 1 farrad is needed

[ssjwizard]

upgrading the laternator will cost about the same if you do it yourself but good luck finding the stupid thing

[sr20de4evr]

Caps only patch the problem, if your amps can't get the juice they desire then you need larger power wire or a better battery. An alternator does a completely different job than a cap

[Diesel2NR]

I haven't even bought the system or built the box yet. I'm just getting a list of components together. I'm going to be running 1/0 Guage for the main power wire, using an ANL Fuse on that wire in the engine bay. I'll also run a negative and use those two wires to hook up a Street Wires 4-amp Fused Distribution box. The capacitor will be somewhere inline on the main power line...I'm unsure as of this moment as to if it would be better if it was placed post fuse in the engine bay or back in the trunk somewhere near the distribution box. I don't really want to replace my alternator, so the patch is alright by me. I also plan on upgrading to an Optima Battery (yellow top) to help. They system isn't going to be THAT powerful, but the capacitor is for a just in case. I'm probably going to be using Polk 12s since they're cheaper and I've heard good things about them. More worth the price than what MTXs are according to those I've talked to, and they preform better than the MTXs I have. I don't know what I'm going to do with my old system. Probably sell it to someone who can buy an amp for it themselves because the 202 was weak.

[sr20de4evr]

Well the alternator keeps your battery full, if your system is too big and it's pulling more current than your alternator can produce it doesn't matter how many batteries or caps you get, you'll still drain the battery. A cap is like adding a 2nd battery, a small very expensive battery that doesn't hold much charge. You won't need one unless you're running 1500rms or more, and even then it would be more worth your money to just get a 2nd battery instead and put it in the trunk.

To answer your question, caps always go in the trunk, they aren't a big fan of the elements.

What did you mean you're also going to run a negative?

[Diesel2NR]

I'm going to run it just like this layout. I'd suppose the black wire goes to the negative side of the battery or a main grounding point that can carry enough of a negative charge to power the system. I'm not even going to be running 1000 watts of power. As I said. The capacitor is for a just in case thing.



Edit: Sorry. I forgot the pic of what I was talking about.

[sr20de4evr]

just make sure the neg cable is short, recommended is no more than a foot long

[Diesel2NR]

Forgot about that. I guess I need to find a main ground point then. I'll probably go with the spare tire bolt for my grounding point.