Hey guys...I replied to an thread on the "other" site and thought I'd share this information here with you. 
Time out X 2!!! Upgraded alternator is not necessary...dual alternators are not necessary...unless you just want to do it...
First of all, the calculation used to be...a one farad capacitor for every 1,000 watts of power...this used to be the old rule, but since has been proven to not be enough power reserve. Even with a one farad capacitor when the electrical system is under a high current draw the voltage can dip below 12 volts, which is where vehicle electrical systems encounter problems.
There are a few companies out there that make 25, 40, 50 and even 100 farad capacitors... I may not be an "expert", but I have designed and owned many high-power stereo systems. My most recent being over 4,000 watts. Believe it or not, with this stereo system, I ran a stock alternator. The only catch was two additional batteries in the bed of the truck and three one farad capacitors. These have to be wired utilizing an isolator to keep from draining the front battery when the vehicle is not running. When you crank it up, the alternator will charge all three batteries and keep spare power on reserve in the capacitors. When I built this system over three years ago, 25-plus farad capacitors were not available yet.
I have not upgraded the system in the SRT yet....but when I do, I plan on utilizing the spare battery tray under the hood for an Optima battery and upgrade the stock battery to an Optima also. The amplifiers will have reserve power by way of a 25 (or more) farad capacitor or maybe a smaller battery no more than 12 inches away from the amplifiers power terminals. Multiple amplifiers would just require the use of a power distribution block. ...btw, there is an awesome small battery out there right now designed for vehicle sound systems called "Kinetik". We just used one in one of our compary cars here at my shop and noticed a substantial increase in low frequencies. If you want to just o the capacitor route for starters, buy one that has a built-in voltage readout so you can see what the voltage is doing at the systems maximum current draw.
Another point to remember...the mistake a lot of shops make is not "designing" the system with the correct gauge of power wire from the source batteries. If you are going to build a "big" system...1,000 watts or more...think about using 1 gauge or possibly a 0-gauge power kit, that way the amplifiers are not starved for power. This would cause the amplifiers to run hot and possibly "burn up".
Hope this helps.
Esh
Time out X 2!!! Upgraded alternator is not necessary...dual alternators are not necessary...unless you just want to do it...
First of all, the calculation used to be...a one farad capacitor for every 1,000 watts of power...this used to be the old rule, but since has been proven to not be enough power reserve. Even with a one farad capacitor when the electrical system is under a high current draw the voltage can dip below 12 volts, which is where vehicle electrical systems encounter problems.
There are a few companies out there that make 25, 40, 50 and even 100 farad capacitors... I may not be an "expert", but I have designed and owned many high-power stereo systems. My most recent being over 4,000 watts. Believe it or not, with this stereo system, I ran a stock alternator. The only catch was two additional batteries in the bed of the truck and three one farad capacitors. These have to be wired utilizing an isolator to keep from draining the front battery when the vehicle is not running. When you crank it up, the alternator will charge all three batteries and keep spare power on reserve in the capacitors. When I built this system over three years ago, 25-plus farad capacitors were not available yet.
I have not upgraded the system in the SRT yet....but when I do, I plan on utilizing the spare battery tray under the hood for an Optima battery and upgrade the stock battery to an Optima also. The amplifiers will have reserve power by way of a 25 (or more) farad capacitor or maybe a smaller battery no more than 12 inches away from the amplifiers power terminals. Multiple amplifiers would just require the use of a power distribution block. ...btw, there is an awesome small battery out there right now designed for vehicle sound systems called "Kinetik". We just used one in one of our compary cars here at my shop and noticed a substantial increase in low frequencies. If you want to just o the capacitor route for starters, buy one that has a built-in voltage readout so you can see what the voltage is doing at the systems maximum current draw.
Another point to remember...the mistake a lot of shops make is not "designing" the system with the correct gauge of power wire from the source batteries. If you are going to build a "big" system...1,000 watts or more...think about using 1 gauge or possibly a 0-gauge power kit, that way the amplifiers are not starved for power. This would cause the amplifiers to run hot and possibly "burn up".
Hope this helps.
Esh
