What is the purpose of having a Capacitor? Pros and Cons ? Please explain.

 

BTW, I'm running 2, 4-channel amp and each is 400 watts. Can I just go with 1 capacitor?

 

ANyone? .

 

What makes you think you need a capacitor for your system? Do the lights dim heavily on bass notes?

Having a capacitor is only useful if your current power delivery system is capable of keeping up with the current needs of your amplifiers and the rest of your vehicle. Batteries are good for storage, but lack the extremely fast delivery that a capacitor offers. Also, batteries do not create power, they only store it. Your alternator is the heart of your system, and the only thing in the car that creates power.

Yes, you can use a single capacitor to feed both amps, but it's only needed for the fast transients of the amp powering subs since mids/highs are not going to draw the same amount of power instantaneously. If you're running true 400 RMS watt amps that run about 65-70% efficiency, you're drawing about 85 amps, which is quite a bit. Your alternator is rated for 100 amps (most GS), so you're way past the 45% mark of available power if you're running them at full RMS - which I doubt.

Bottom line - no dimming = no cap needed. If the dimming doesn't go away after installing 1 F/1000 watts of RMS power, your alternator isn't keeping up. Spend the money on an upgraded alt first, then a cap if it's still dimming the lights.

Big Mack

 

Thanks for the insights Big Mack, I knew you would chime in on this one because you are very knowledgeable on this. So if 1 amp gives 400 watts, that would use up about 40% of the amp from the alternator. I think I should stay like this then, correct?

 

Thanks, mang. I try.

You want to stay below the 45-50% threshold, since the alternator does need juice to run the car, but like I said, I don't think you're running everything at full tilt all the time. If your listening habits mean that you're not ground pounding all the time, and your lights aren't dimming, you should be okay running both amps. If you feel the need to drop bottom on occasion, you should still be okay, but if they dim, grab a cap for those times.

Big Mack

 

^ Nice guy..