Power caps

[kr88]

hello

just wanted to ask say if i had a 1000w amp then do i need "1 farad power cap"? or what if i had a 1000w amp and used a "2 farad power cap"with it, would it still work?


thanks

 

[Chris Mac]

everyone has a different opinion on power caps

some say theyr crap and do nothing, however iv used one 1farad in the corsa, and it dramatically reduced my lights dimming under heavy bass

 

[Boydie]

buy a bigger battery

i had a power cap and all it did in my opinion was fill a gap

 

[kr88]

i thought the purpose of a power cap was to prevent the dashboard lights dimming when the bass kicks??

 

[-Pete-]

its been covered before in the ice section so if you search youll find answers on it by myself and others.

its not there to stop dimming lights. its there to attemp to smooth power supply drain but they area waste of money and time. yes theyre a good idea in theory but the 1 farad or 2 farad caps that most use are just pointless and totally useless. money is far better spent elsewhere. if you havent found the old posts covering this ill answer in more detail if you like later.

 

[Chris Mac]

pete iv been reading alot about them, on many different sites

and have got mixed results

i had good results, as many others have aswell

 

[Boydie]

My opinion is the same as pete's if you want confirmation - look at all the competing sound off car's that the likes of AA or SIM do, do they have Power Caps??

 

[kr88]

hello

pete could you get me the link plz?

thanks

 

[-Pete-]

chris mac- i dont doubt that some (a very small number) might have got a very small small benefit but they are flawed and in actuality, pretty useless at what theyre meant to be acheiving. who are all these other people that have had benefits though that you know of? im not trying to be ****ty but just genuinly asking you.



exactly as boydie says, it speaks volumes on top of the fact that power caps are crap. good in theory, crap in use.



kr88- the posts and thread about it i cant find on here but get youself over to talk audio.co.uk, this subject has been covered to death by far more knowledgeable people than myself and proved. if you have questions about it then fire away but if you want something more in depth ill dig you some info up from there.

 

[Chris Mac]

-pete- - im not in any way defending or recommending them, im just saying i had huge problems with headlights and dashlights dimmming at night when the music was turned up abit, so i tried one and it worked for me

has also worked for some people on corsa-c and saxperience i have been speaking too.

kr88 try one and see, if not return or sell it

 

[Boydie]

Chris - get hold of a deisel battery from a VAG and ditch the power cap - you will notice a difference

 

[kr88]

thanks for the replies,

what kind of battery? if i changed the battery then i dont need a power cap right? and how much ruffly does the battery cost? isit a van battery?

 

[Boydie]

what car do you drive?

i found that a battery from a turbo deisel did the job well in my old clio eg from a 2.0tdi golf

you could fork out a bit more money and get the likes of a red or yellow top battery but they are expensive!

 

[kr88]

hello

i drive a VW polo 1.2 52 reg. what is the spec of your battery? is it still a 12V supply?



thanks

 

[Boydie]

yeah - i drive a 2.0tdi so my battery power is ample for the system i am running

when i drove my 1.2 8v clio I stuck a TD battery from a rover in it lol so go to a scrappys or halfords and get yourself a battery suited for a TDI

 

[ossy2004]

Ive a 1.0 powercap for sale if your interested...only looking £20!

look class when light up and tell if your system is getting the right energy feed. being 14.08 being the best and approx 12.40 when on reds.

 

[pablo]

I had one in an old SQ system and I swear it sounded subtly better, just a bit smoother.

personally i wouldnt bother tho if doing it again. As for a battery, measuer yours, go to halfords and get the one with the biggest capacity that will fit in your engine bay.

 

[Boydie]

or relocate a bigger one in your boot!

 

[ossy2004]

which will cost alot as we all know.

 

[pablo]

why cost a lot?

4g cable, 4m red, 1m black
4g distro block
2 x 4g fuse holders
couple of ring terminals

should be fairly cheap that.

 

[ossy2004]

more expensive than £20 LOL

batterys in halfords are expensive in general, even though you get a 3 or 4 yr warranty but still.

 

[pablo]

aye the whole deal will be more expensive but ultimately a better job

 

[buff]

im with pablo on views of a power cap, I had one in my car but only hooked up to the amps supplying the components, no point using them on the sub amps. I think it made the low end of the mids a bit more responsive but not overly noticeable.

as said before a power cap is not intended to stop your lights dimming! it can help but all its doing is covering the underlying problem!

Best way to start to sort your problem (imo)

Go through your engine bay, change all the earth cables from chassis to battery to engine to at least the same gauge or bigger cable your running your system on. Change your alternator feed to the battery to the same cable too.... you might find this cures you lights dimming and will only cost a few quid to do,..obviously make sure all your earth points are cleaned and free from crap before you fit the new cables!

Change the battery to the biggest capacity you can fit in your engine bay, go dry cell if your serious, something like an optima or an exide.

If its still dimming badly (shouldnt be unless your running a major power hungry system) upgrade the alt and add a second battery, truck batteries are a nice option for a second battery

 

[pablo]

also what amp is it? 1000w doesnt mean much could be a true 1000w RMS of a grossly inflated 1000w PEAK or some shat. If the latter then chances of needing to do ANY of the above are slim

 

[Chris Mac]

as buff says, best bet is upgrade the big three, then get a bigger battery, then youve no need to think about a cap