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i have an 03 civic and im running a true 1000rms in with all factory equipment. however, i did upgrade my grounding wires and in process of finishing the big-3. (just need to do positive alt to positive batt)

im on a tight budget and i have 2 choices:
a) buy a under the hood battery that will be ideal for my system needs (optima yellow top?...and i can get it right now)

or

b) save up more and get an HO alt (but i will have to stick with the factory battery for few months if i go this route)



my expections from this is to reduce or eliminate the strain my vehicle is getting from my stereo, reduce dimming, reduce voltage drops, and be able to drive the car perfectly safe without worrying about my alt or battery dying.
not that im blaring my system everyday i drive, my cruising volume is 50%. but their are times where i park the car and show it off to buddies and bring it to my BBQ's for music

i was also thinking about a small .5 farad cap for those high bass peaks...are those just gimmicks or actually help reduce voltage drops/dimming?

 
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Save up and get the alternator. It's the heart of your power supply. Then you could get an auxilary battery.

 
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Get the battery first.

 
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megahurtz, i know you're big on car audio, but i want to ask you why do you suggest battery first?

 
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Yeah, i was also wondering the same thing. I thought that 2 batteries can stress out the alternator, and risking the chance of it dying on you?

 
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when i had this problem (battery always dying), i thought it was the alternator. so i replaced it with a 140 amp. it did nothing! the only thing that solved the dimming of the lights and battery always dying was when i bought an optima yellow top. after that i had no issues. good luck.

 
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Your best bet with 1000rms is to get a 1 fared capaciter for now it will help the most on a tight buget. I do custom sound systems for a living so be assured that I know what I am talking about. After that then you need a Yellowtop and you will be fine. A high output alternater is only needed if you also are running alot of mods and system.

 
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i see no need for a cap with that little power

 
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get the batt and just run it in line with your stock batt like put the optuma in the trunk and leav the stck batt up front my buddy had 3 batt in his car 3 L7 and 2 1200x1 asmp and it worked for him

 
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you would still need an isolator for the second battery. The only thing that a second battery is good for is to use while playing your system with the engine turned off. That way you can disconnect the starting battery from your electrical system with an isolator and not having to worry about having enough power to start the car.

 
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LOL... A cap usually puts more strain on your electrical system. Reason for that is because it puts another load onto the electrical system in your car.

I don't think a cap would help out in this situation. A cap is used to provide enough power to your amplifier when needed. Its not used to save your charging system in your car.

I think a cap would probably make your bass sound cleaner. I have cap in my car and I'm only running 250RMS, but I think it makes the bass sound cleaner imo. Bass hits harder and faster with a cap.

 
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I thought about it and I can't remember what my reasoning for going for a batt first over an alt was, but I know at one point I had a reason. I stick by my suggestion though.

 
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i have an amp that puts out 983 rms at 1ohm.. 4ga power wire..

i had it tested at 147.2 db .. but thats not the point..

i got an optima yellow top under my hood , new stock alternator and i dont notice any problems...
no headlight dimming ..

i have an 01 ex 2dr .. 70 amp stock alternator..

ive been thinkin about one of those 150 amp alternators.. seen a few on ebay and good feedback... if i ever get the extra cash ill buy one.. but im fine for right now..

btw if anyone happens to have one of those alternators ( from ebay or somewhere else ... they work pretty good? im thinkin about one but i dont wanna do it if it dont do much more than charge an insane amount back to the battery )

 
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FYI, I am working on getting a line of HO alts produced for our cars. When they come out they will probably be among the best on the market, I might be able to swing deals for forum members.

 
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o really, any specs?

 
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not yet, I'm going to have to make my car a donor vehicle for the guy to look at for a day and we will see how feasible it is to make alts for these cars, maybe we can make a GM small case fit or something.

 
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^keep us updated...id be interested in an 170amp HO alt if i can find one for $250.

 
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dont count on that kind of a price, these will be premium units and they wont be cheap

 
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made in the good ol' usa right?

 
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lol id love to have a ho alternator... ive seen em on ebay but i never bought one..

the space where the alternator fits is decently sized for a bigger alternator but the problem is gettin it there.. it took like 3 hours for me to change my alternator ... plus a couple scratched knuckles