Rep Power: 0

I've been through three Alternators but miss my audio! Right now I have nothing hooked up. I have two 12" subs and a 1600Watt 4-ch amp. What is the best way to hook up my system so I don't continue to fry Alternators every six months? I've been thinking about a 2nd battery in thr trunk but heard that a 2nd battery would cause even more drain on an alternator? Is this true? What about a CAP? I'm afraid to hook my audio back up unless I am confident I won't fry another Alternator. My two fronts are also hooked into the amp but are very small speakers. I had the two subs running in parallel. It all works fine for a while but it's too much draw on my car.

I need ideas and opinions from our Audio experts here!

Thanks

 
Rep Power: 361

A second battery will help if you play your system with the car off.
A capacitor (get at least 1.5, or 2 for that much wattage) will help relieve some of the strain on the charging system.
A High Output Alt would strengthen the charging system enough that you wouldnt need a cap or 2 to keep that amp running.
And an alternator should burn out that fast. It may be grounded poorly or not connected tightly.

 
Rep Power: 0

Well, I never would play my system with the car off so I guess what you are saying is that another battery in the trunk then is basically useless? Hmmmm Now as far as Caps. I've always heard they are good for situations where your bass thumps hard and your lights dim for example, and that a Cap would store enough energy to prevent the sudden loss of power. I don't know too much about Caps to be honest. A bigger Alternator is out of the question, I've already checked into that and every machanic I discuss about this says there isn't one any bigger and even if there was it wouldn't be large enough to make a difference. After all, we aren't driving around monster GM cars with huge Alternators and V-8 engines! Again, this is not fact but a few machanic's opinions. So you see, I am still confused because everyone I talk to or ask this question seems to have a different answer. Some people say well, just drop down in power. Go with one Sub and a smaller amp. Ok, but why can everyone else in the world have much, much bigger systems than I would ever imagine and they don't have issues! Look at shows like "Pimp My Ride" where they stick all kinds of audio in these cars. Kinda makes you wonder how long their Alternators and batteries last! LOL Probably three weeks after the show they break down. Who knows.

Thanks for your input but I'd like to hear more opinions and explainations of what to do. Aren't there any Audio experts here??? Not that you aren't man, just need more than one opinion! Who installs audio for a living and why do you connect them the way you do? I am talking about extra batteries, caps, etc. HELP!

Thanks again.

 
Rep Power: 0

high-output alternator, period. do this **** all the time.

 
Rep Power: 0

high outpust alt. is like $350 for 190 amps

 
Rep Power: 787

high output alternator would help, but the real issue you need to look at is why you are killing alts in the first place... I run as much or more power than you and I don't have a single problem. Find the source of the problem before you decide on a solution.

 
Rep Power: 361

exactly, you are killing alts for reasons other than your system. have honda check the connections and ELD.

 
Rep Power: 0

My original Alternator went bad but who really knows if it was caused by my system or something else. The machanic gave me a bum 2nd Alternator and did all kinds of things before they finally replaced it. After that, all is well. So actually, this is my 3rd Alternator but the 2nd one was just bad and they didn't know it right away.

So, now that I know my Alternator is ok again I can install my audio but I want to prevent it from causing too much drain on my system. I think the cap idea makes the most sense. I agree, a second battery I do not see why that would help while the car is on. I may just get a cap and maybe a distro box to hook everything up properly. Also, I want to redo my ground and make sure that is tight. One time it did work loose and I wonder if that was the start of all my issues? Maybe it shorted out something like a sensor... like the ELD?

 
Rep Power: 0

Hey guys, I'm thinking about installing a 2 farad Capacitor in my setup to help with the drain on my system. What are some good brands and also bad brands which I should stay clear of?

Thanks!

p.s. I love to shop on Ebay unless there are better deals elsewhere.