Do I need a capacitor?

Question

I'm running two MTX 7500's strapped by a kenwood KAC-9103D 1800w monoblock amplifier. that is 900 true RMS watts running all together. I have a 1996 chevrolet cavalier with a fully system including DVD 7" LCD screen in dash, and 4 polk audio speakers (two 3.5" and two 6X9) all together running around 1000w of TRUE rms wattage. Do I need a capacitor and how big or farads should it be? Thanks a lot.

Answer 1

now a-days capacitors are basically obsolete. Now the best solution is to get a Stinger or Kinetic dry cell mini-battery. They are about $20-30 more than a regular cap, but they are 100 farad as compared to a 1 or 2 farad. For the money, you can't beat the dry cell batterys, which are specifically made as "cap-killers".

Answer 2

you need 2 capacitors each with 2.0 frad

Answer 3

BenBern is correct.  At this point, they are no longer needed and can in many cases be detrimental to the system.  As stated above, upgrading battery and wiring is paramount.  Think about how many competitors use capacitors today (both in SPL and SQ).

Answer 4

Do your headlights dim?

I'd start by upgrading the wiring under the hood, ground wiren alternator wire, etc... You want a strong battery too, so if the one you have is old I'd replace it with a good one.

A one farad cap in line close to the amp wouldn't hurt, If you plan on adding anything else electronic or just want more power I'd look into a batcap.  They are pretty cheap and perform similar to a cap just with alot more storage cabability.

Answer 5

At least 2.0 farad. I would start off with one and see if your headlights dim. If they do buy another one they are easy to put in-line.

If you dont put in any capacitors or extra batteries your alternator will fry in no time. If the headlights dont dim when the bass hits your good.