"Big 3" wiring upgrade

[crna1]

http://forum.sounddomain.com/u...12025 this is what I want to do

want to try to stop the lights dimming, going to try a "big 3" upgrade if I can find the wireson a 2003 g35 coupe

Battery neg to ground..easyAlternator to battery..can you tell me where it is and how to hook it upChassis to engine..seem easy, but open to suggestionthanks

Modified by crna1 at 3:11 PM 10/26/2008

[kmckis1029]

why not just get a grounding kit? Dose basically the same thing except it doesn't replace the positive alternator wire...

well i guess the "big 3" is a cheaper route... i say go the whole nine yards and get a grounding kit... and change the positive alternator wire too if that makes you feel better...

Check out SBD's grounding kit here zerothread/345479

This will help with you dimming lights... but if you have some huge audio amp on your car... you need a capacitor.

[SteveTheTech]

Are you interior lights dimming when you hit the brakes? If they are you may want to have the battery/starter/charging systems tested before it gets too cold.

The resistance through the existing wires is so low and the new larger gauge alternator wire will not increase the flow of current from the alternator in any significant manner.

[crna1]

Grounding kit is an option..how difficult to install? As you can tell I am somewhat tech limited since I cant figure out where the alt. - batt wire runsthanks

[kmckis1029]

a grounding kit is not hard to install... i just followed the directions... its a matter of just unscrewing a bolt and screwing the bolt back with the extra wire in place... but i have been working on cars for a good while... but really a grounding kit is an easy install... or get a mechanic to do it for you

[Sentientbydesign]

I replied to your other post on my Fab Market thread too.

Like Steve said, I would point the finger at your battery or some other part of your charging system before doing a big3. Especially since some of the newer Nissan/Infinitis have integrated voltage/current regulators which makes everything a little more tricky.

Since the rest of us aren't having dimming light issues, I would say you have an isolated problem. I would first check the battery, then the factory grounds.

My kit would be 3rd in line. If that doesn't fix it, I highly doubt a beefed up power line is going to fix your problem.

Could you elaborate as to when the lights dim?

[crna1]

I have 2 jl audio amps..500 watts to 2 10inch subs, 500 watts to 6 in car speakers. If I get in the mood and crank it , when subs hit lights dim. if trans is shifting during long bass riff shifts very rough.Power to amps is 2 4g wires off battery, one to each amp. Each amp with 4g ground.At moderate sound levels, or even cranked but not to heavy bass, no problems at all with dimming, shifting(please don't recommend a cap, I'm convinced they are voodoo)thanks

[SteveTheTech]

(please don't recommend a cap, I'm convinced they are voodoo)

Why, if you are drawing more current than your charging system is designed to put out then the lights will dim. A cap stores electricty and is drawn on when demand increases. Get one or not that's your decision but that is your problem.

[Beancooker]

Run a second battery on a seperate circut. That way you always have power to start the car, and one battery for the stereo. You will need to buy an isolater ($45) and the battery and cables. You may not like capacitors, but they are great if hooked up and charged correctly.

I ran an isolated battery and twin one farad caps and was pushing around 3000 watts. You could hear the bass hit from a few blocks away, and feel it at a hundred yards. My lights never dimmed. That was in a Buick that I had also upgraded the alternator to 145 amp. The alternator was a swap from a Chevy Caprice (out of service police car).

[tollboothwilley]

i'm pushing around 2000-2500 watts when i let the music go...no dimming.

I have a gel cell battery with a 1 Farad cap as well as a grounding kit. I am tempted to upgrade the alternator to Battery wire though, as this is the only ground i haven't upgraded yet.

[kmckis1029]

i knew it! An audio system... get a cap and/or seperate battery... i personally laugh at people "beating the block down" and their lights dimming everytime the bass hits...

on another note you might find your self stuck on the side of the road with a dead battery...

[gwilli3272]

SteveTheTech, as a moderator you should know how a capacitor works. Since you obviously do not, then start taking notes.A CAP on an electrical system that is already over tasked is only going to get worse. There is no feasable way an electrical system that can not keep up with electrical current demand a cap is going to make it worse. You need to first get your electrical system up to par before you even think about adding a cap. A big 3 upgrade, a better battery, and a grounding kit you so desire, should 9 out of 10 times get the dimming issues solved. If not that is when you get a high output alternator. THE ONLY THING A CAP DOES IS STIFFEN THE VOLTAGE TO YOUR AUDIO SYSTEM, NOTHING MORE. I have no care as to your inputs on this, as I know that I am absolutely correct on this and you are dead wrong. As a moderator you should have known this and should not have advised someone to add a cap to their already limping electrical system.

[pfarmer]

SteveTheTech, as a moderator you should know how a capacitor works. Since you obviously do not, then start taking notes.A CAP on an electrical system that is already over tasked is only going to get worse. There is no feasable way an electrical system that can not keep up with electrical current demand a cap is going to make it worse. You need to first get your electrical system up to par before you even think about adding a cap. A big 3 upgrade, a better battery, and a grounding kit you so desire, should 9 out of 10 times get the dimming issues solved. If not that is when you get a high output alternator. THE ONLY THING A CAP DOES IS STIFFEN THE VOLTAGE TO YOUR AUDIO SYSTEM, NOTHING MORE. I have no care as to your inputs on this, as I know that I am absolutely correct on this and you are dead wrong. As a moderator you should have known this and should not have advised someone to add a cap to their already limping electrical system.

I think Steve understands caps. On an electrical system once the CAP is charged then it will not add any additional demand except for its leakage current. When the electrical system has a sudden demand then it will give up its stored energy to the load. Super Caps are actually used on some experimental hybrid cars. On one for example there is a 100 hp gas engine and a 300-400 hp electric. When demand requires the Super Cap will discharge powering the electric motor for a very high performance car.

As far as lights dimming a couple of issues may be present such as a high resistive connection to (and or from as in ground) the lighting circuit. While a cap may help the solution is one often used on very high powered audio systems and that is a separate battery as someone already has pointed out. The trick is the battery works best closest to the load and that means possibly placing it in the trunk. Because of this you should select a battery that will not cause any issues due to leakage or one that will gas off. An isolator is a must.

The cable currently in use is probably plenty for the power cable to the new battery which can be fairly small depending on the need to run the audio system with the car off. Even on these systems a cap can be of benefit to the battery itself and also to the load being driven.

Perry

[pfarmer]

http://forum.sounddomain.com/u...12025 this is what I want to do

want to try to stop the lights dimming, going to try a "big 3" upgrade if I can find the wireson a 2003 g35 coupe

Battery neg to ground..easyAlternator to battery..can you tell me where it is and how to hook it upChassis to engine..seem easy, but open to suggestionthanks

Modified by crna1 at 3:11 PM 10/26/2008

I agree with the article for the most part about being a good upgrade. The only part I disagree on is basically a technical issue about current flow. Electron flow is from negative (excess of electrons) to positive. Current flow is in the opposite direction since it is the flow of charges not electrons.

Depending on the vehicle in question if the current wiring is simply based only on original loads it may need some upgrades to be able to handle the additional loads, especially the ground cable. The reason is that in many audio applications the additional loads are placed directly at the positive battery terminals so you have already increased the capacity for the positive part of this now parallel circuit. On the other hand typically the ground is done to a chassis point close to the new load. While the chassis should have no real problems handling this additional load for a typical audio system (maybe an issue on a plastic car), the path between the negative terminal of the battery and ground may now be undersized.

So basically if you want to try a cheaper route first and assuming all else is properly sized then you may get away with simply increasing the capacity of the ground. If this fixes your problem nothing has been wasted since this may well be part of any other solution anyway.

Perry

[CrackaLackin]

SteveTheTech, as a moderator you should know how a capacitor works. Since you obviously do not, then start taking notes.A CAP on an electrical system that is already over tasked is only going to get worse. There is no feasable way an electrical system that can not keep up with electrical current demand a cap is going to make it worse. You need to first get your electrical system up to par before you even think about adding a cap. A big 3 upgrade, a better battery, and a grounding kit you so desire, should 9 out of 10 times get the dimming issues solved. If not that is when you get a high output alternator. THE ONLY THING A CAP DOES IS STIFFEN THE VOLTAGE TO YOUR AUDIO SYSTEM, NOTHING MORE. I have no care as to your inputs on this, as I know that I am absolutely correct on this and you are dead wrong. As a moderator you should have known this and should not have advised someone to add a cap to their already limping electrical system.

lol, this would be valid if it was "limping" all the time, but it's not