im starting install on my 2008 lmm. The install it should be about as loud as you can go with out a blow through and still keeping the back seat. It will have a jl audio stealth box in center console with one 10 with a 400 watt mono block powering it. Another jl stealth box under the back seat with two tens with a 1000 watt mono block pushing them a large four channel amp pushing new mids havnt decided getting a deal on jl stuff so thats probably what its gonna be. A five farad Cap to keep the alts alive. The head unit will be a pioneer z2x with navi this is all i have planned for now anyone that has done an install on one of these trucks if you ran into anything please let me know thanks guys ill try to take pictures

I wouldn't call that huge but it's a start. Scrap the cap. It will put more strain on your alternator and eletrical system. Upgrade the big three. You have a HD with two batteries. . . just upgrade them to a quality AGM. You'll be better off.

Take a bunch of pictures!

Good luck.

x2. Caps are pointless IMO.

And 3 10s isnt exactly huge or super loud unless you plan on W7s in a crew cab... ive done it twice.

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r58/SandInspiredKustomz/SIK%20DMAX/3JL10W0.jpg

i know its not going to be super loud but like i said im keeping the seats and not doing a blow through. My last truck had 4 w7's in a blow through im keeping the stock seat and not cutting a hole through the cab so maby its not huge but its gonna be a huge undertaking for me i have optima yellow tops already you guys think a cap is worthless? ive had good luck in my past vehicles some more info would help out on that guys ive been told that on a smaller install they take the strain off the system. thanks for the feedback guys

Definately do that big 3 upgrade, search for it if you dont know what it is. Upgrading the grounds from body to frame, engine to frame, etc.

Um i have to disagree about the cap. Put it in your batterys and alternator will thank you.

Um i have to disagree about the cap. Put it in your batterys and alternator will thank you.

Ummmm, I'm with you.. The cap will discharge at a faster rate for the amperage demand than the battery. But I do agree, you should upgrade the batteries and go with a second alternator for that much power..

Um i have to disagree about the cap. Put it in your batterys and alternator will thank you.

Ummmm, I'm with you.. The cap will discharge at a faster rate for the amperage demand than the battery. But I do agree, you should upgrade the batteries and go with a second alternator for that much power..


I do not want to start a war in this thread but these are not true when it comes to a cap. This has been debated until both sides are blue in the face but the truth is that a cap actually hurts the system. If you want a long read, click this link and read the explanation on how worthless caps really are. It is the most accurate one that I have found on the 'net.

http://forum.realmofexcursion.com/showthread.php?t=17970

That isn't a lot of power. JL amps are only current hogs if you run them down to 1 ohm or lower. Use your stock alternator, upgrade your batteries to a quality AGM, and upgrade the stock wiring (the big 3: alt+ to bat+, engine- to frame-, frame- to bat-). Your lights will not dim and everything will be fine unless you blast your music with the truck off for an extended amount of time.

What are you upgrading the "big 3" with? Anything specific, or just heavier gauge wiring?

I read all nine or so lessons and still stand by the following: Not all caps are the same just as not all batteries are the same.

If a power capacitor is so useless, why then do manufacturers put power caps in their amplifiers?

I think you had better do some hard research on what a cap does and how it works.

While the article http://forum.realmofexcursion.com/showth... held true at one time, there are a few things that time has altered. This article was written some time ago and changes have occurred in the manufacturing of capacitors. In the article an ESR of .017 was given, the problem is that caps made today have an ESR of 0.0016 or less which is a far cry from the days of old.

What does this mean? It means the calculations and information now change quite substantially and can no longer be held as true.

That series from Richard Clark was written specifically about a type of very large farad capacitor with ESR ratings that made them useless, and it was never meant to apply to all capacitors. The fact is that Richard Clark was one of the very first people to start using capacitors in competition car audio systems, so I doubt that he'd agree with your arguments here.

Purchase the book of Richard Clark and David Navone's A2TB Tech Briefs if you want to know what they really think of capacitors: http://www.autosound2000.com . If you're interested in learning more about car audio, this book should be in your library.
3 weeks ago
Source(s):
A.A.S. degree in Electronics/Industrial Electronics with 25 years in the mobile audio/consumer electronics field

So you're saying Richard removed the caps when he purchased the Buick from the Holdaways?? If I remember correctly Pat and Eric upgraded the internal caps in the power supply on the 3545s as well..

From SpeakerWorks First used "Stiffening" caps on Audiomobile amplifiers way back in 1982, well before the current hoopla over them now.

Like I said, ". . . blue in the face." Adding a cap is like putting a band-aid on a gunshot wound. All it does is cover up a larger problem. Your batteries and alternator will give up quicker because they are working harder. The energy stored in the cap has to come from somewhere. It does not just magically appear. It is truly a waste of money that he could spend on something else.

I am not going to junk up Lofti's thread anymore.

Sorry for the thread jack.

Good luck. . . and . . .

:nopics:

As soon as i get a day off ill start the install i already replaced my batteries with optima yellow tops and did some searching on the big 3 and will be looking into a high output Alt i already have the cap so i dont think it will hurt to install it. for anyone that has done an install on one of the NBS trucks let me know of any suprises i should be ready for. as soon as i start ill put the pics up thanks again guys .

As soon as i get a day off ill start the install i already replaced my batteries with optima yellow tops and did some searching on the big 3 and will be looking into a high output Alt i already have the cap so i dont think it will hurt to install it. for anyone that has done an install on one of the NBS trucks let me know of any suprises i should be ready for. as soon as i start ill put the pics up thanks again guys .

Sounds like you have a good base for the system! :)

Caps aren't used to create any kind of magical power, they simply allow a secondary storage away from the battery and closer to the amp that when a quick/sudden demand (Large Bass Thump) for power arises the Cap will supply that burst, once the burst is gone yes the Cap has been partially discharged and yes the battery/Alternator has to charge it, but it responses a hell of a lot faster than a battery if it dips into the -12.2v region.

It really doesn't reduce the stress all that much on the alternator but it keeps your battery from having to come into the equation which is when you see the lights dim because the batteries chemical reaction that produces electricity takes time to reach full potential.

I was also a little disappointed in the article with the authors reference to "voltage flow" which goes to show the electrical knowledge he carried to begin with.

I'm by no means saying everyone should have a Cap installed in there system, the Big 3 is always the best place to start, but if you notice dimmin of your headlights you may want to look into installing one. Quick Fix? Maybe but its also the fix used by the electronics industry worldwide, so as quick as it is its also just "The Fix".