Anyone here running a seperate battery
 

I was thinking about getting a kinetic cause i hate when my lights flash each time the bass hits. Has anyone done this, is it a good idea or not needed

First you are going to want to do "the big 3" before starting to think about a second battery. If after doing that you are still having a problem than you look at a second battery.

You will beed a battery, some type of strap down method, 4 gauge or much prefered by many 0 gauge wire going from your first battery to your second and the same thickness ground wire. Also a second fuse. Than you might want to look at a bigger alternator after doing these as this will increase the strain on your charging system.

I've done the big 3, and still had slight dimming, a cap fixed it.

Ha! what's the big 3? I have a cap it helped but they still dimmed a bit.

upgrade grounds from Bat to car, power from Alt to Bat. eng to car

The only real reason to add a second battery is if you plan on doing a lot of listen with the car off, or have a SLP system. For SQ and normal use a cap is the way to go, a cap will charge and discharge way faster then a battery, thus doing away with the dimming lights ect, as long as you've upgraded the rest. A second battery will put additional strain on the Alt, which in the long run with hurt the car more, unless you upgrade the Alt too, which in these cars is not as easy as some old no computer cars.

I think I will start with just getting a nice quality cap. The one I have is called power accustics just says pC6C on the back.I think it's pretty old can you guys point me to a really good cap? But affordable

Also the Big3 Is there a kit of some kind I can get?

No kits that i've seen, It's mostly just run an additional ground from the battery to car,the same size as your power wire or bigger. Even this one thing will help, i swapped the stock "wire" for a 4 AWG and added a 0AWG, as that was the size of my power wire. The rest is just a matter of replaceing the stock wire with bigger wire. As for Caps, the Streetwires ones are not expensive, and are one of the quickest charge/discharge ones out there. Also 1 fared is about as big as you want to go. the muli fared caps start acting like batteries thus redusing the charge/discharge time. If one needed more capasitance then you would link together 1 fared caps.
Also swapping to a good battery as i noticed you asked about would also be a good thing.

I use 3 caps on 3 amps on my other little show/race 95 Sport neon, and run a yellow top gel batt. 1 cap for front,, one for fill/rear and one for 2-12 sealed comp kickers with sock alt and never had a problem with any low volts. Cap are a must for amps.

Caps are more of a quick fix and a bandaid rather than a full fix of a bigger problem. They take some of the strain off your electricle system but still put strain on it for charging itself back up. Do it right the first time and omit caps.

Caps offer what "doing it the right way" can't, and that is a fast dischrage for heavy bass notes. i'm not saying by putting in a cap it will fix all of your problems, you have to do the big 3 for that, and if you still have slight dimming then add a cap.

A little reading i found for you,
I've heard the question asked many times before, 'Do I really need a capacitor?' Before answering that question I ask, 'Do you have a high powered system?' 'Does it require sudden power bursts?' 'Is your amplifier being robbed of power?' If the answers to my questions are yes, make every effort to connect a capacitor to your car audio system.

A capacitor is a bit similar to your car battery; it stores electrical energy. But unlike a battery it doesn't produce its own power, it simply stores it. A car audio capacitor will help you get the most from your amplifier. It will store power for release on demand, delivering it to your amplifier just when it's needed.

Your car amplifier requires a lot of power to play loud music, especially when there's lots of heavy bass. Without a capacitor your amplifier will be robbed of power by parts like your lights, engine, and air conditioner.

So what happens when your car audio amplifier doesn't receive enough power?

A common occurrence is dimming lights. In such a situation the light will follow the beat of the music. The light will dim each time a heavy bass note sounds. If you were to turn off the lights, your car stereo system would suddenly sound louder and the music would be cleaner.

Your amplifier is simply trying to use more energy than the electrical system can supply. If a capacitor had been present there would have been enough energy to power your amp. That electrical energy would have already been stored.

When you want to reduce headlight dimming, improve bass response, and increase the power of your amp, a stiffening capacitor is a must. Equipped with capacitor and an adequate power supply, your system will get every bit of current it needs. Voltage drops will be a thing of the past.
Roger Charles is a successful author and publisher of Car Stereos Guide

A second battery isnt always the answer. Do you have a little more info about your install? total wattage used? Depending on your answer the suggestions change. The right way to fix it is a high output alternator. If you do decide that a cap or second battery is the answer check out Kinetik HC800, solid power in a small package.

I am running 2 amps one is 1000 watts the other 75x4

What amps? Im just curious what class they are, If they are A/B thats most likely the issue, they draw a ton of current. Usually I reccomend electrical upgrades if you go over 800-1000 watts especially with high powered subwoofers.

Just looked back at your older posts. Memphis amps are NOTORIOUS for being power hungry. As stated earlier a second battery is really a temporary solution for a bigger problem. A high output alternator is definitely the right approach.

Something else to consider would be the possibility of selling the amps your using and replacing them with something a little more efficient. The JL HD series Arc XXD or Alpines PDX comes to mind.

Gonna keep what I have currently for 1 more year save and then get a completely new system. Prolly mostly Image Dynamic stuff. For now can you recommend a good alternator? So I wouldn't need a cap then if I get the alternator?

I guess if I buy the alternator now at least I will have it for the next system.

As said caps are not the way to go they are a bandaid to larger problems. Alternators will help keep the battery and all from being harmed by the draw of your amps. You may still want to run a second battery after a alt upgrade or need to with those amps.

Stinger makes alternators so does kinetik and others you will have to do some research on that as the z has a electronic controlled alternator.

1.Replace the ground strap (cable) between the battery and the car chassis (body) with a 0-gauge cable. This will help correct any voltage loss caused by high resistance in the stock cable. Replace the stock charging cable between the battery and the alternator with a 0-gauge cable from the Memphis Connection line.

2.Alternators: There is no substitute for a large supply of current. Batteries and capacitors don’t produce anything; they are merely a storage medium. Once a vehicle is running, the alternator picks up the bulk of the electrical demand. Check with the vehicle manufacturer concerning the stock alternator ratings. Since it is difficult to provide some type of current demand chart for “X” amplifier(s), we must approximate when deciding whether or not to upgrade an alternator. As a basic guideline, most stock vehicle alternators range from around 60 amps (Honda Civic) up to 200 (ambulance or other emergency vehicle). Considering more Hondas are driven daily than ambulances, you can see the problem beginning. Let’s say you have a 60-amp alternator, and that you are driving in mid July with the A/C on (15 amp demand from the blower motor). Your headlights are on because it’s dark outside (15amp demand), and the wipers are on because it’s raining, so the wipers are on also (15amp demand), then you have just consumed 45 of the available 60 amps from your alternator. Now you turn on the stereo (6 15” subs powered by an 1100 watt high-current, Class A/B amplifier with 50% efficiency). The amplifier, which is playing into a 1ohm load, will require about 80-90 amps continuous for really loud playback levels and much more on peaks. So, you can see the problem. Also remember that the ambulance mentioned earlier probably only has an AM/FM radio, with no external amps. It does have lots and lots of lights, a really loud siren, and some really powerful communications equipment. All of these items need plenty of current! A final consideration is that alternators have hot and cold ratings. In other words, the current capability varies with temperature. The higher number is the cold rating, and the lower number is the hot rating.

3.More voltage: Some alternators are available with variable voltage output. This can be a good thing or bad thing. Most amplifiers can handle upwards of 16 volts on the power supply input (all Memphis Class D models incorporate under/over voltage protection). Since most amplifier power supplies are regulated, the output improvements with higher voltages are minimal. However, higher supply voltage helps to keep current demand under control. Furthermore, current demand (that which is placed on your alternator) increases as voltage drops (remember that only alternators provide a continuous source of current and voltage). This becomes a serious problem as you add more and more high power amplifiers driving low impedance loads. Finally, do not mistake a good (13.6 volts for example) voltage measurement at the amplifiers as an indication that the charging system is OK. Only a load test will indicate whether the alternator is charging properly.

4.Capacitors: Stiffening capacitors are always a good addition. Anything that will supplement the peak voltage demand is good for high power amplifiers. Most people don’t realize that capacitors also filter some of the ripple (noise-A/C that gets past the rectifying diodes inside the alternator) from your charging system. In fact, some early uses of ‘stiffening capacitors’ were for noise filtering, with little thought given to other benefits. We recommend using the Memphis Connection 17-1FCAP and/or 17-1FCAPM from the Memphis Connection line.

5.Multiple Batteries: Great for parking lot listening, and just something else for the alternator to have to deal with once the vehicle is running. While large SPL systems do benefit from multiple batteries, there is still no substitute for a powerful alternator. One trend as of late with SPL only vehicles is large battery banks that are not even connected to the vehicle’s alternator. These battery banks, often 16volts, are charged from an external source. So in this case, the alternator capability is not relevant.

6.Isolating Multiple Batteries: Dual battery isolators utilize large diodes to isolate each battery. This is great if one battery goes down, the isolator will still allow the vehicle to start from the stronger battery. The problem lies in the voltage loss of the diodes in the isolator (as much as 1.5volt drop across the isolator input and battery connections in some cases). Nothing like losing voltage near the source (alternator). Combine this with a typical loss of .5 volts in a 12-20 foot run of 4 gauge cable (from front to back in the average vehicle), and you could lose as much as 2 volts! Ohms law teaches us that current demand increases as the voltage decreases, putting the amp(s) at risk of premature failure. The best method of isolating the main vehicle battery from the secondary batteries is with a large solenoid. This should be wired to connect the main and secondary batteries ONLY when the vehicle is running. This helps preserve the main battery for starting the vehicle. Remember that one weak battery in a bank of batteries that do not isolate the main battery will prevent the vehicle from starting.

Right from Memphis

ok so get a stiffening capasitor forsure, and if I have that do I still get a alternator? Any advice on which one

Thank you by the way great post

Dont feed into the propoganda on the manufacturers website. "bla bla bla we sell caps, buy one! Second battery is bad bla bla !" At least thats How I read it. If your going to go that route just get an HC800. 100 bucks and a run of 0 guage and your set...for now

This is really your best choice, Its a permanent and correct fix. Id look into DC power or Mechman alternators only because in your application you will probably need to have one custom built. If you end up running Image Dynamics amps you will be in the same boat. They are all current Hungry class AB amps, even their sub amps. I honestly think the cheapest way in the long run would be replacing your amps with a single more efficient 5 channel. I bet after selling your amps you would probably have almost enough to buy one outright.

BatCap by Xstatic Home Page

Was running one of these in my 07 Maxima. Running a JL 1000/1 and 450/4. Had a lot of dimming issues until I got that thing. I think it was the 400 model that I had.