Celica Forums General Discussion Exterior amp pulling too much?

I only have one amp that feeds about 150 watts rms to two 12" subs and when i turn it up not even half way, my lights are dimming and so is everything else. Should this happen on power this low? And what can i do to fix it without compromising the sound?

get a capacitor

Will a capacitator hinder my sound at all coming out of the subs?

hmmm what exactly is a capacitator used for? Im about to get 2 12"s and either a 600, 800, or 1200 watt amp, will I need one of these?

i have 300 watts rms running so you figure from that my lights are dimming when the bass hits hard, if your going to run more than that, it probably would be a good idea to get one.

Try replacing your battery ground with something a little larger perhaps 4awg or 0awg. If that helps a little, which it should, then also replace the alt pos to batt pos and the eng block ground. This should sovle your problem without costing you nearly as much. Also make sure your amp has a good ground.

I have 600 Watts on my celi and i don't have any dimming...i'd have ur alternator checked and battery...i dont' think it should be doin that...especially with just that many watts

i have a Pyle 3.5 farad capacitor for sale (brand new never installed or used) pm me if you're interested.

They store power, help maintain continuous power to your amp. I think you should get one. Mine is Rockford Fosgate.

IMO, they steal power...but for dialy use it might help...

A few weeks ago I upgraded from a rockford to a JL. When I did this my bass went up dramaticaly but, I now have a voltage issue at high volumes. This is due to the amps amperage draw on the vehicle system. The easiest way to take care of this is with a capacitor which I just ordered and received last night. If the capacitor will not solve your problem then you will need to upgrade your alternator but, you only need to do this if your system is very huge. I had to upgrade my alternator on my last show vehicle because I was running 7 sound stream 500.1 amps...

Oh an if they are just dimming a little I would not worry about it. The only reason I bought a capacitor was because my autometer showed my voltage dropping slightly below 12 volts and that is not good... You need the voltage to stay above that limit...

capacitors don't steal power
you first have to charge them before installing them, and they store electrical power like a small battery, so when you turn up the bass and the battery can't keep up, the capacitor keeps the bass pumping and therefore the lights and other electrical components will still work at their max potential.

capacitors are nice. I have a capacitor it is nice. I like it because of the niceness.