"The big three" upgrade?

Question

I am running 1400 watts rms with a 2 farad cap. I can see my lights dimming with heavy bass, with 1000 of those watts are to my subs, and the amp is at about 75% gain. I was told to upgrade my "big three" and I am sure on everything but this... "Using 4 gauge all around, what size fuse should I use between my battery and my alternater?"

Answer 1

You don't "need" to run a fuse between the alt and battery but, like said before, a fuse is never a bad thing.  The only thing I would change about what was said before is what size fuse to use.  You want to use a fuse that is just below the current capacity of the wire you are using.  For example, 4 gauge wire can handle up to 150A so you want to use a fuse just under 150A.  

The link below will help you do the big 3 upgrade.  This can greatly help your charging system but it may not get rid of your light dimming problem.  With that large of a system you will probably need to get a high output alternator as well.

http://www.the12volt.com/installbay/foru...

Good Luck!!!

Answer 2

capacitors are a waste of money man, really.

but regarding your question about the big3

try gettin the thickest cable you can find, usually all the big3 wire upgrade i do on customers i use 1/0 gauge. this allows a much better current flow all around with less restrictions.

the big3 is just upgrading, not replacing,

-the + on the battery to the alternator

-the - on the battery to the chassis

-the - on the battery to the engine ground

about the fuse... i would Highly recommend you spending on one. because in any case the wire touches something hot and melts the plastic jacket.. sparks will start coming off and can start a fire. the guy that said dont add one obviously doenst know his stuff. its always better to have 1 more fuse.. they are not expensive at all... and can save your vehicle from catching on fire due to a short.

about the amp size on the fuse.. this depends on the actual alternator been used. find out what amp rating the alternator is and add no more than 10amps to that number.

for example:

if your alternator is 70amps.... then you could use a 80amp fuse.

if the fuse is too small, it will keep blowing constantly. if its too high, it will not blow incase something goes wrong or if theres a short.

Answer 3

sick and ididntdoit are both correct- and an extra fuse wont hurt anything (they don't cost much and if there is a problem that $5 spent on the fuse could save you thousands in the long run if there is a problem)

Answer 4

idk

Answer 5

Do wat that 1 guy said and go with the 0 ga. wire, anything else i could say would repeat.....

Answer 6

no fuse......

the existing wire doesn't have a fuse... why would you add one?

all you are doing is repalcing those three cable with bigger cable OR adding another cable with them to supply more power.

and I would definatley spend the extra money and go with 0 instead of 4 guage.

EDIT: I don't know what i'm talkin about because I said NOT to add a fuse in between the battery and the alternator?

If you know what your are doing there couldn't possibly be a problem between the alternator and the battery.