Yeah but it doesnt hurt to have both, I have a Cap and am optima deep cycle battery, Sinister, does it make a difference when you replace the battery terminals? I know it wont make a difference but is it worth doing? reason why im bought it cuz i got it for like $3 at work, but I had to buy a longer positive battery cable because the stock cable is too short... so is this worth doing? I looked at it and its a pain in the a$$ to install the battery cable cuz it looks like it runs to the fuse box, alternator and to the starter!@@[:@]

 

You where not drawing 600 amps. You where not even drawing 100 amps.


What you need is a cap. The reason is a cap flattens the current peaks pulled from your alternator. A battery will not do this. Even though the Gel batterys have capacitence they are not even a 1/4 Fared. A cap is the only thing that will eliminate the headlight dim. A better battery or battery bank is only useful if your running the sytem when the engine is off.

Also drawing more then your charging system can put out is only fixed with a larger or multiple alternators. Both a cap and a battery will not help you there. Using a larger cap reduces the strain on the alternator and keeps it at a constant level.

 

Although spirited debate (arguing) can be fun, this is not my intention.
As for basic DC electronics, Yeah, I think that there are alot of members and visitors out there that are afraid to ask the "simple questions" cause they dont want to feel stupid. While I am certain that I am not the only one here with degrees in EE and Physics, as well as a long background in electronics, I know there are those here who just want to learn all they can about getting the most out of their Stangs sound.
I only picked on Sinister cause he seems to have a good sense of humor and more knowledge than just "they are a waiste". I think there is a wealth of knowledge on here and I am just trying to coax some of it out for general knowledge.
Thank you all for your input on this subject. Maybe next I will post about something like specifcations for components and what they mean vs. real world application.
I actually started this thread on this topic because I felt it would be least likely to become a "x company makes the best Damn product cause I say so" type of discussion.

 

that was with a 2 stinger batts in my old car with engine on and a jbl crown

 

if you think a cap will make up for 500 amps that the alternator cant charge for or to take away headlight dimming your absoultely wrong. the only way to make up for 500 amps of current draw is to 1 get alternators that can charge that much and can still support the factory stuff so i would say 2 300amp alternators and then you would need to have a a good battery too. if you have alternators that can charge more than your system draws then you wont ever have headlight dimming but if you just have a stock alternator and a 1000 watt amp youll have headlight dimming. A cap might look like they are helping your headlights not dim its just an illusion cause it still allows them to dim just not rappidly. once a cap is depleated (which is pretty fast) it will put more of a drain on your charging system.

and yes its a great idea to upgrade your terminals and wire from your alternator to your battery and also all your grounds.

 

danbert,
i understand where you are coming from, its hard to make a good informative post on the net anymore without getting into some sort of meaningless debate....

we've forgotten that batteries have reserve....the reason you use them for when the car is off....caps can't do that....i believe we touched on that a little earlier.....

again this topic will almost always come back to what you want to do.....
how many of you have actually competed with a large bank of batteries in db drag or usaci or the such?
have you ever watched a battery recharge itself? obviously not back to a fully charged state....
there are always going to be strong arguments for both .....caps are still made for a reason....not just a gimmick to make money...although thats typically what an uneducated salesman will use them for....a step up sale or something to pad comission
i've competed in spl on and off for the last 10 years so i have a little experience.....lets try to keep this informative for everyone!

 

Wow thats like 13,000 Watts RMS. What size power wire did you have to run for that?

 

i have 4 runs 0 gauge wire

 

So just out of curiosity from your sig, it says u have 2 17"s an 36 speakers how an the hell did you fit all that in your car? [&:]

 

yes i have 36 speakers for highs and 2 17" subs . some of the 36 speakers for highs are hidden but most of them are not.I will put up some pics

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