So I installed my system and everything sounds good. 1 problem... when I have it turned up and the bass hits hard, it seems to take too much power away and jerks my car a little... kinda like it's running out of gas, but not that intense. Only does it when I'm at a slow speed, like 1st and 2nd gear.

This is my first car I have ever run 2 amps in, so I dunno if the electrical system just can't handle it or what... but I was wondering if anyone has had this problem... will a capacitor take care of this? I hope so because I have spent quite a bit of money on the rest of the stuff in the last few days so I hope I don;t need a new alternator.

Here's my setup (which I wouldn't think would take toooooo much away from the rest of the car)

4awg with inline fuse running to dist. block in trunk

4awg running from dist. block to each amp

8awg ground from each amp grounded to a bolt in the metal behind the seat

JL 500/1

JL 300/4

2 MTX 5500 12's in vented box

This is in a 2003 G35.

Any suggestions would be appreciated very much, thanks!

 

G35's are notorious for this exact problem when putting too much of a strain on the factory battery/alternator - in the past, we've done a battery isolator and added a second battery solely to run the audio system - a capacitor WILL NOT correct the problem - I'm 100% sure of this as I have encountered this problem numerous times and have always corrected it with a second battery and isolator (not a relay, an isolator). Of course, upgrading the factory battery and alternator is definitely the best way to go. You may even want to try one of the new Kinetik batteries, much heavier duty than a factory battery and made specifically for car audio.

And secondly, upgrade the 8 guage ground to 4 guage - the ground is where most of your current is pulled through

 

Was just going to type the exact same thing. Ground wire should always be the same size as the 12v+.

 

What would be the procedure for adding a battery? I have never come across this problem so I have no idea about it... obviously it would need to be grounded, but could it be grounded in the trunk, or would it have to be grounded where the other battery is? And would I run a cable from the alternator to the second bettery to keep it charged, or what? And I am also not familiar with a battery isolator... could you explain that?

Thank you!

 

Also, when replacing the ground to the battery (or doing the big 3) do I replace the wires or leave the stock ones and add to them? I tried a search but it wont search for "big" or "3"!!

 

Before doing anything expensive, one, like has already been mentioned, use 4 ga wire for amp ground. Two, replace the stock negative battery cable with a 4 ga cable as well.

 

Elemental Designs has a video up on how to do the Big 3 upgrade. Link is below. I haven't watched it yet so can't comment on how it is, but probably worth looking at:

http://edesignaudio.com/edv2/ednews/...log.php?id=119

 

hey if you have an escort. you can switch the pilot view to see your vlt = voltage..
i use this
so i see how the bass affects my power! .. go buy an escort ortherwise.. lol

 

ok, So I have added a cap, it helped a little with the dimming, but the car still loses power when driving. I have looked into doing the big 3, and I'm not sure if I will be able to do it myself. The alternator is way down in the front of the engine, and the wire pulgs into the alternator, it's not attached by a bolt.

Would it help any to change my battery to an Optima? Or should that be used as a second battery? And which color? Or should I just look into getting a higher output alt and no new battery, or both?

 

Adding a second battery is going to put an even bigger strain on your charging system. Replacing your battery isn't going to do anything in this situation either. Your wiring is fine as well, I wouldn't worry about it.

I would look into possibly buying a more efficient amp such as the Alpine or Pioneer ICE amps, or upgrading the alternator. In any case, is there anything else putting a drain on your charging system? Aftermarket lights, etc.? Maybe your alternator or battery maybe defective? It's a bit strange that such a modest system could cause your car to "lose power".

Btw, if you want your lights to stop dimming put a cap on the lights

 

when doing the big three, you should leave stock wiring intact and just add more wire to it. That is what I read here on a thread.