I was told that I didn't need a Capacitor. But Since then, I have added other things like lights that sit under the dash both passenger and driver...and under both seats. I'll try to get pic's later. Anyhow.. now when I turn my volume up.. The lights and my Headlights dim when the bass hits. Will a CAP solve my problem? If so what kind should I get and what size?

 

A cap should help (they store electrical potential that discharges at a rate much faster than the battery). Crutchfield.com has a description of total power and the appropriate cap size. I think its something like 500uF for every 1000 watts RMS. Also see below.

Q: What's the biggest amp I can hook up to my car's electrical system?

A: Your car's alternator ampere rating determines how powerful an amplifier you can install. Multiply the ampere rating by 40%, and you'll get a rough idea of how much power demand your car's system can handle. An alternator capable of producing 55-65 amperes is usually adequate for systems up to 350 watts RMS. A Japanese car with a 35-amp alternator can accommodate around 125 watts of power, while a German car with a 90-amp alternator can handle a 500-watt system. A capacitor can help if your system is drawing a little too much power. Car audio competitors often replace their vehicle's alternators with heavy-duty upgrades to accommodate big power demands.

 

An optima battery will help as well. I have one of the yellow tops installed in my p5, and I have a 1000 watt sub amp, with a 500 watt mid amp running. Lights dim just a little at night, nothing major. Hopefully when i get my cap it'll help that too. Actually Phoenix Gold recommends a 1 farad cap for 1000 watts, and I would tend to listen to PG over Crutchfield anyday. I wish Phoenix Gold would make an alternator for our cars, I remeber I had one for my Escort (first car, I know its a POS), and that thing was freakin awesome. My lights would never even think about fluttering with that thing installed. I'm still trying to find one that will fit our Protege's.

 

So how hard are they to put in. I mean is it something that I can do or should I have someone else do it??????

 

They're pretty easy to install. The only thing you gotta do that's really important is charge the cap up slowly on the first charge. You do this using a resistor usually suplied with the cap you are purchasing. Hold your power cable to one end of the resistor and the other end to the positive terminal of the cap. Of course you'll want to have the cap grounded before you do this. Other than that its a fairly simple parallel connection of the cap in between the battery and your amp. Ground to ground, power to power.

 

caps are not hard to install but you have to be careful when charging them and be careful not to mistakenly discharge one into yourself I trust the 1 farad per 1000 watts ratio.

 

Caps hold energy for rapid discharge, they are designed to breif transient amp power requirements like a sudden bass note, but not for big long thud thud thud stuff. They are fast to charge, and as fast to discharge.
A large battery will help, as it allows a larger pool of reserve energy. You do need to figure the amp load though.
I am always amused when I hear " So my lights dim at night with the air on, the lights on, and the amps sucking juice". Truth is the amp of a Mazda puts out only limited amps, exceed this load with too much hardware, you are pulling more than you are making.
SO- the large battery will help, but don't pull more than you prouduce too much of the time, or you will bet to recharge that battery. If you plan on playing a bettery to death, I.E. deep discharges, then get the yellow top, deep discharge and recharge is what it is designed for- it has zero other inherent advantage to car audio.
If you do get into the need for recharging a yellow top, go to Optima's website and READ how to charge one- using a plain jane charger on one will shorten it's life in terms of how many cycles it can stand. They have specific charging rates, and their are companies that produce chargers to meet those rates, but they are pricy.
Otherwise, a red top Optima will work. You are looking for CCA here, cold crank amps, the reserve of the batttery. Interstate makes some fine heavier duty conventional batteries that have higher CCA also that are a little less painful to charge.
So get a cap- they look cool and every person into tunes helps supplement the cap industry sooner or later, and get a larger battery, just make sure to have sometime where the alternator is not underload all the time to help keep the bigger battery closer to it's full CCA reserve.

 

Ok so I need to get a cap, and I need to get a bigger battery!!! Ok...thanks alot!!!!

 

ooooooor, you could look into a batcap. i'm getting one soon so i'll keep everyone posted. my friend (sells it, but doesn't "push" it on me) says it's waaaaaay better than a cap, and all three audio boards (caf, elite, and sd) don't have anything bad to say about it.

it's supposed to be equal to like, 100caps or something. kinda pricey tho.

but the 1 farad to every 1000w is on the $$$.