I've just installed a amp and sub in my trunk and I have a fair amount of light dim. I've got a Alpine MRP-M450 and a JL 10" running at 2 ohm and I'm thinking that perhaps I need to find a better ground. I hooked into a grounding screw on the drivers side of the trunk near the fuel pump reset switch. Anyone else have anything that might work better or could it be something else entirely.
How much power are you running? I doubt a ground would cause a problem as long as your getting a good contact to the chassis.
What he said, if it was a ground issue, your amp would be cutting off. Running at 2 ohm's, you are probably sucking quite a bit of power. It might be a sign that your alternator cannot handle the load or that you may need to upgrade. You hittin some serious boom or wha?
buy a capacitor...no need to upgrade an alternator. Rule of thumb is 1 Farad capacitor per 1000watts look on cruthchfield for Typhoon caps
Thanks for the replies guys, I'll definitely get a cap. Any other brands that you guys would recommend? I was looking at the Power Acoustik models, I'm not sure about the quality but they are priced really competitively.
A capacitor will definately help you out. It may not completely solve your problem, but it will allow your amp to see more current and dish out more wattage.
A capacitor is not going to cure your problem, its only going to mask it and have flashy lights. Check the current draw of the amp against the alternator output.On a bass note it might it be enough to cause problems for the rest of the car.
Honestly, I'd check your factory wiring at the battery. Make sure everything is clean and tight. That car should be able to handle 4x what you have in it bone stock. In my '02 I ran >3000RMS (legitimately) with the factory charging system. A cap will only be a temporary band-aid if there is a shortage of current. If there is a shortage of current, how can adding an additional component (which draws current) allow you to have more current? Magic Pixie dust? Marketing? Get your alternator current tested. BTW, a better ground COULD be in order. The bots that hold in the seats or the seatbelts are good grounds. Make sure you sand/file away any paint that may be between the ground lug and the body/chassis of the car. Hell, I ran the ground in my current car all the way back to the battery. There was less resistance doing it that way = better ground.
I guess when if it warms up a little I'll check my connections and try a different ground. If those don't do it, I'll upgrade "The Big Three" and try a cap if all else fails.
It happened to be pretty warm today (40 degrees F) so I went ahead and supplemented "The Big Three" with some 4 gauge power cable. I won't know if it helped or not till later tonight.
