For the past couple days now ive been purchasing parts to add a subwoofer in my tc. so far I have bought everything except RCA jacks and a Capacitor.

I have no idea what to look for in capacitors or if there is a certain one that is recommended.

i'll be powering a 1500W mono amp.

I wont be adding any additional amps or speakers.

hope you guys can help me out on this. oh and if any of you can recommend someone to help with the install that'd be great. Not sure if Randode installs audio.

 

The down and dirty....a capacitor stores voltage so when your amps needs to pull power it comes from the cap rather than your battery. My advise...the bigger the better...I have a 15 farad for my install...in most cases a 5 farad is more then enough, for your application I would suggest anything between 1 and 5 farads, depending on the budget.

As far as installs, you can check out Ryan at the Tempe Chronic Car Audio location...SL name frozenpeaz..

 

You could also use a Kinetic battery too. ^^As stated previously, I am sure Ryan can help you out.

 

Well...Do you have plans for any other stuff video etc... If I can find this out I can be more help. Once I have this infromation I can tell you how much your power draw will be and then go from there. But generally I have mixed feeling about caps. I perfer to upgrade the the alt and battery or batteries as the case may be. Let me know.

 

Yeah im only going to have the 1500w amp, nothing more.
dont want to spend too much so whatever is cheaper i'll go that route. for those of you using capacitors, what brand do you use?

 

What kind of amp make and model?

 

My favorate systems are Memphis and MTX and you have reps for both in the Scion community.

Boom12V is in the Audio business and knows it very well. I would trust his opinion.

My honest favorate is Memphis, but I was fortunate enough to win a system from MTX. Both audio companies put out awesome equipment with awesome sound.

 

Its a Rockford Fosgate Power Series 1500.1BD Mono amp
1500Wx1 @ 2 Ohms

just won the auction on ebay today so i dont have it yet

 

Thank you for the nice words.

 

I would probably go with Boom12V's suggestion on the power source.

 

Ok I will figure this out and hit you back

 

Just buy a 5K Generator! Plug into the Power Source of the car. Then you won't have any probs with power? Kidding.. The car audio guys here can steer you in the right directions. I am just trying to get my post count up!

 

I have a 15 Farad Phoenix Gold Cap...I also have a few 1 farad Ixos caps for my other system...like Boom 12v said if you're going all out an alt/batt upgrade is your best bet, Batcaps or a like product is also an alternative. I usually use the caps as a cushion for the rest of my systems. However, given your financial concerns an alt/batt upgrade might be out of the budget.

I'm sure boom will come up with some nice calculations to help steer you in the right direction.

-Chris

 

The general rule of thumb is 1farad for every 1000watts.

From what I have seen . I think 1farad for every 500wats RMS is good.

But also depends on vehicle, battery, alt etc.

I think a good combo is a nice upgraded battery, and a 2 farad cap. Optima is a great choice for the money. But like Dagar said, those little kinetic batteries are great, or I sell the stinger batteries, pricey but well worth it for a great system.

Cap wise just get one from a brand name company not a generic one. And stay away from bestbuy circuit etc. they generally mark there caps up about 150% I saw a 1farad fosgate cap for 230 bucks......

 

As for that amp you can use a 1 farad cap. But here is a good suggestion.

If you are having voltage problems to start with adding a cap will usually make them worse. They are adding more load to the alternator. I would start with a good battery. I use all Kinetiks and love them. I used 2 of the HC800 in the stock location of the tC. I went from a Optima yellow top to those batteries and noticed a big voltage jump. I used the T30001BD in the car for a while and didnt have any big issues. It did pull alot of currrent, and the lights would flicker sometimes, then when I switched to the Kinetiks it got rid of 99% of my problem. I would start with upgrading the grounds in the motor and then see if you have any voltage issues.

Here is a cap from BEST BUY and it is far from $230 bucks and it is Rockford. It is a 1 farad and the new 2007 model.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1174091578878

 

I didnt say all were that price... I simply said watch out for over pricing.. i have a cap same quality as that on i can do for like 75 bucks.. i can get a nice 2 farad for the price of their fosgate.

 

I was hoping to get a cap online, I can get a 2.4 farad from either legacy or acoustik for around $60.

getting a new battery and all that other stuff sounds pretty expensive.
I suppose down the line I could get a different battery and alt, but for now I just want to get something that wont cost an arm or a leg to do.

all my parts should arrive by the end of this week and a capacitor seems like the cheapest way to go for now. paying all sorts of bills right now so whatever works for now i'll settle for.

anyone know if acoustik or legacy are good brands? cap wise

 

I have YET to EVER use a cap. Like BiggJ said, the grounding and battery will do the trick.

If you have already purchased that amp, which it sounds like you have, take the time and do it right. Battery first! Cap last.

.02

 

i got a 2000w amp, but im only running @ 880 currently. Ryan hooked me up with a 2 farad Soundstream cap for my setup. it does its job, and looks great doing it. stainless steel. mmmmm...

 

If your on a budget I would recommend upgrading ground wires and using the the proper (all copper) wire gauge here is a helpful guide http://www.the12volt.com/info/recwirsz.asp I would almost forget about a cap for now. Find a good ground near the frame rail. If you don't feel like you can do the install your self and you want it done right go to soundwerks on scottsdale rd or bell rd