they say to improve sound quality of ur stereo, improve brightness of lights, increase in power, etc. so do they actually work? thinking about getting one.

 

Not really... better spent somewhere else....

 

grounding kits dont do anything unless you have a REALLY powerful audio set-up

 

um.. talking about voltage stabilizers.. which are basically capacitors hooked directly to the battery...

just get a good regular cap for your system.

 

i have heard the rule is 1F/1kW but as an electrical engineer i must say that there is no definite 'rule' when it comes to caps...just watch your voltages, if they sink a lot then put a bigger cap in. caps are pretty cheap nowadays anyhow, i have a 3F in mine because i got a good deal on it, and i'm running just under 1500W total for ALL my electronics (screen, inverter, amps). good news is you can never have too much capacitance.

edit: i just re-read your post, and it seems like you think they can actually improve your equipment - this is not really true...as usual, electricity is best described using water:
your car supplies electricity much like a river. during normal operation, your equipment is using water from the constant stream and there are no problems. However, during a large surge (big bass hit), your stuff will try to draw more power than is available. A capacitor is like a big resevoir for the water - it fills up and then when the power is needed, it can deliver it really fast. Any power that was drained from the cap is then slowly refilled during the next 'down time' phase of the song, and it is ready for the next hit. HOWEVER, a voltage stabilizer cannot 'supply' more current then your car can readily give. That is to say, if your alternator puts out 80 amps (just a number out of thin air), and your system is CONSTANTLY trying to get 90 amps, the cap can't fix that. However, by the time we start talking about high output alternators and such, you are most likely well outside the realm of normal consumer equipment.

 

thanks guys. u just saved me from possibly wasting 60 bux! that will go to my s/c fund!