Hey guys, I am having questions about capacitors.

I know what they do, and shit, but ive been hearing things.
People tell me that there useless, and add loads.
People say alot of negative stuff about them, but my real question is

Do i need one, and if so what farad.
Like with wiring kits, depending on what your MAX wattage, that tells you what gauge wire you need to get, but is that the same for capacitors?
im sure mcor can be of some assistance.

I have Four JBL GT-4 12's totalling the subs at about 4000 watts max
Im running all subs at 4 ohms

and i need help doing the math.
i have a jbl gto601.1 II pushing two subs
and a Boss Chaos CH-700 Pushing the other two

I believe i am pushing about 675 watts RMS
AND about 1800 MAX
(probably fucked up on that but yea)

NEED HELP LOL

so what farad cap should i get, if i need one

 

A capacitor is useful if your alternator already has the capability to fully drive your system. If not, I wouldn't spend the money. Get a better battery up front and upgrade the factory power/ground wiring under the hood and you should be fine.

Its not wattage that determines wire gauge, or whether caps are needed, its amperage. So take the fuse ratings of all your amps, add them up, and see what you get.

And, ill be nice about this: Its CAPacitors.

 

this.. also the MOST people you speak of have not actually dealt with caps so they are too weak minded to think on their own a go with the group.. the same group who bashes on JL etc etc Because it might not be the audio boner at that time...

 

also.. max ratings on things mean nothing.. Nextly the mixing of amps might make the sq go to hell.. to match subs with amps take the rms of the subs and find amps that put that out at the same ohm rms..

 

+1 on what kpr10is said. Couldn't have said it better myself...

 

I'd also agree with all of above. A cap can work well if your existing charging system is right on the verge of being enough. If you put a multimeter on the amp's terminals and it's only dropping .25 - .5 volts at idle when it's jamming a cap might be a decent solution. Any more than that the cap is just not going to deliver enough to make a real difference.
The reason a cap can sometimes help in that specific situation is it's ability to deliver the electricity faster than the battery. The overall resistance of a cap is much lower than a battery plus it's located very close to the amplifier. So in that instant that your system demands more power the cap can fill the void between the battery and the amplifier, until the battery's power gets out of the battery and through the wiring to the amp. The problem is if your charging system is underpowered for the application you will frequently completely drain the cap which then becomes just another load for your alternator to charge.

 

wow, thanks everyone for the quick response.

+1 to all

some of my friends are retarded about audio.
I need a audio expert on speed dial.

can i get a cell number of anyone? i got yours luke
kpr10is?
mcor?

i have a 1993 escort with stock alternator and with a dodge magnum battery in it. (very large)
what alternator should i get

 

oh my.... mixed matched amps.....

Id run more batterys before putting a cap in...... cheaper....

Should be able to get a alternator built for you.. for a decent price.. or check between the years on the escorts of your body style to see if they upped the amps on the newer or older ones...

 

Will's Starter and Alternator at 4695 49th st n is a good place to find out about your alternator. He's built a few for me and always done a good job.
I'm guessing all of your subs are single 4 ohm coils? What i would really suggest is to sell the 2 amps, and get a single amp that works at 1ohm mono. Those amps are so different, and the JBL is such higher quality, i don't think you're going to be happy with the sound you're going to get.

 

thanks guys, and believe me, ive been trying to find another JBLgto601.1 II to run the other 2 subs instead of that boss, or a JBL GTO14001 to run all 4 of my subs.

I stick with jbl because i have yet to be dissapointed with the performance even though you gotta pay a little more.

Im trying to sell my amps :
a sony xm 280 gtx, a black radioshack 110 amp 2 channel (can push 10'' mtxs) and the boss amp.
to purchase a solid amp(s)

also, MCOR can you get a JBL bass knob, i misplaced the jbl bass knob i had (or someone stole it....) before i installed it. i had a link for one on crutchfield, but i lost that to......