put in an optima battery and maby a grounding kit for the engine
dimming lights
does anybody have a problem w/ there lights dimming when there subs hit? i have 2 kicker cvr 10s on a 800w amp to my factory HU. and when it bearly hits my lights dim out horribly. i was wondering what could be causing this. i had a f150 w/ 1600 watts and 4 mtx 10s that bealy dimmed turned all the way up.
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A larger alternator wouldn't hurt either. You are asking for more power that what is availiable so it is dimming. Just like in a old car when your brushes are going bad in the alternator. Hmm after I said that I wonder how many people even remember those.
Do the big 3 upgrade before anything else, it removed all but the very tiniest bit of dimming with my HCCA amp when on full tilt. The optima will not fix the problem with dimming, but a better alt would. You may find the big3 will be enough though as the ground part of the electrical system is weak to say the least.
I ran 0/1 GA wire to my amps and bought one of the active tuning grounding kits that is only 4GA and I never have a problem with dimming lights. And I'm drawing A LOT of current.bighitter said:Do the big 3 upgrade before anything else, it removed all but the very tiniest bit of dimming with my HCCA amp when on full tilt. The optima will not fix the problem with dimming, but a better alt would. You may find the big3 will be enough though as the ground part of the electrical system is weak to say the least.
What GA wire are you using for power to your amps?
Install an Active tuning ground kit first. Don't waste money on an Optima battery.BlingAlong06 said:does anybody have a problem w/ there lights dimming when there subs hit? i have 2 kicker cvr 10s on a 800w amp to my factory HU. and when it bearly hits my lights dim out horribly. i was wondering what could be causing this. i had a f150 w/ 1600 watts and 4 mtx 10s that bealy dimmed turned all the way up.
Those brushes were to stop cavities right?2tall said:A larger alternator wouldn't hurt either. You are asking for more power that what is availiable so it is dimming. Just like in a old car when your brushes are going bad in the alternator. Hmm after I said that I wonder how many people even remember those.
In any case, are you wired directly to the battery in some manner? Someone who knows something can correct me, but I
would think without a direct power feed from the battery, there could be issues supplying enough
current to the amps and/or current draw away from other parts (e.g., the lights).
Upgrade the big three and install additional grounds. This will fix your problem.
I ran 0/1 from the battery to a distro at the back with 4awg to each of the amps and used 0/1 for the big 3 upgrade as well. This was with my HCCA which was a current hog as I am sure you know. Can't wait to see what this 250.2 does to my electrical system.
An alternator would NOT be my first replacement although I would not completely discard it from the list. My first replacement would be the battery with either an optima or the less expensive but equally impressive Megatron or Megatron +. I then, at the same time, would get a quick charge capacitor. An amp of that size is going to need at least 1.5, and for the price difference, I would go ahead for the 2 ferad. Make sure your equipment is grounded well, check your battery connections, positive & negative, perhaps replace with upgrades. I've installed for over 8 years, and you really shouldn't have to jump on the alternator yet unless it's unusually weak to start with. Make sure your basics are covered, though, I've seen many a good system go down due to bad connections/grounds/batteries.
I hope I helped, and PM me if you need troubleshooting. Another stand-up installer who knows his stuff is tech12volt. Maybe PM him.
I hope I helped, and PM me if you need troubleshooting. Another stand-up installer who knows his stuff is tech12volt. Maybe PM him.
bighitter said:The optima will not fix the problem with dimming, but a better alt would.
I respectfully disagree. The bass draw comes directly from the CCA's of your battery. The reason it draws the lights down is the alt can't recharge as fast as the over drain you just put on an inferior bat. More CCA's from a better bat will help if the rest of your system connections are good. A quick charge capacitor really works the best for dimming when accompanied with a good battery.
I DO believe this is accurate. Something is not quite right here so check your basics. Don't ground to the body, frame is better, keep the ground wire as short as possible, check your other connections at the bat, alt, etc.bighitter said:......... as the ground part of the electrical system is weak to say the least.
I agree....optima battery...1 farad cap....4ga power wire should be plenty
Well considering I have an optima battery, have done the big3 and have 0/1 guage all the way back to my distro I think I speak from a little more experience in the titan. An optima battery alone will not fix the problem.
The biggest problem I see most of the time from people is that they will run 0/1 for the hot lead but use whatever size they want for the ground. The + and ground feeds should be of equal size.
The biggest problem I see most of the time from people is that they will run 0/1 for the hot lead but use whatever size they want for the ground. The + and ground feeds should be of equal size.
Yeah the Big 3 like everyone is say would help alot. I didnt do the big 3 though. I just upgraded the ground on my battery to 2 gauge and put a kinetik car audio battery hc1800 and as my capacator i put a hc800.my voltage doesnt drop below 13.6. I also have 0/1 gague wiring kit and I have a Power T1000.1bd for my t2 12 and a sony 500.2 for my door speakers. but about dimming lights there are quite a few routes u can go to stop them.
I'm not arguing with your reason. I do think you are running more equipment than he is. You are not wrong with your thinking about the alt either. It's just that TROUBLESHOOTING 101 states that you start with the simplest, cheapest thing first and then work your way up to the more complex/expensive things. If he replaces the alt, bat, adds a cap, and still has a bad ground, he's still screwed. You also mentioned this. I think small additions/improvements would suit his particular situation. Reconfirm the basics of good connections, cable size on ground(another good pt from bighitter), length of ground and it's contact and fastening. This is the FIRST thing I would do. Will it solve the dimming? NO. Then, I would look into a higher CCA battery w/ a capacitor. The alt would probably follow if these don't work well, although I think he can get by without that expense. The Titans have good alts already, can't say that for the batteries though. Adequate, at stock applications only, and that's being nice. One more note worthy thing, you can have the right size cable, but inadequate connectors. The ones that come with some off-the-shelf kits are crap.bighitter said:Well considering I have an optima battery, have done the big3 and have 0/1 guage all the way back to my distro I think I speak from a little more experience in the titan. An optima battery alone will not fix the problem.
The biggest problem I see most of the time from people is that they will run 0/1 for the hot lead but use whatever size they want for the ground. The + and ground feeds should be of equal size.
bighitter said:Well considering I have an optima battery, have done the big3 and have 0/1 guage all the way back to my distro I think I speak from a little more experience in the titan. An optima battery alone will not fix the problem.
The biggest problem I see most of the time from people is that they will run 0/1 for the hot lead but use whatever size they want for the ground. The + and ground feeds should be of equal size.
You are exactly right.... the ground needs to be the same size as the power
And if you do plan on replacing the battery Optima should be one of the last batteries to consider. They are overpriced and really do not perform that well. Odyssey and Kinetik are better and can be picked up pretty cheap. Interstate also has a battery that is much better than our factory battery.
Didn't mean to come off as too aggressive there sorry, but I do agree always start with the simple things first and connections and ground would be where I would start. Big 3 would be next, battery is technically easier but more expensive to do. Funny I did my upgrades in your order but suggest what I just said above.
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