boxman420 Posted September 5, 2011 Report Share Posted September 5, 2011 (edited) hello forum! this is my very first post on here so hopefully this is in the right section and i dont break any rules. i drive a 2001 monte carlo with a diehard battery. i have 3 amps hooked up 2 alpine mrp-500s and a mrp-f300 for the mids and highs. i have two alpine type R-12s. and i was driving home last night and my volts went down to the mid 10s ... basically what im wondering is, will that much of a drop cause possible harm to my system? i want to buy a XS power 3400. but i was waiting to buy it since its a little expensive but if it will blow amps or something like that then im going to order one today. anyways thanks to anyone that responds! im looking forward to spending alot of time on this forum! Edited September 5, 2011 by boxman420 Quote 2001 Monte carlo 2-Crescendo BC5500 Bass, Crescendo 1600.2 and crescendo 1100.4 mids and highs clarion-702, 4 ZVX 15s walled, RF 360.3, knukonceptz, toolmaker, DC power 270xp and DC power 370xp alts, PWX mids, FT1 tweets, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkievlog Posted September 5, 2011 Report Share Posted September 5, 2011 hello forum! this is my very first post on here so hopefully this is in the right section and i dont break any rules. i drive a 2001 monte carlo with a diehard battery. i have 3 amps hooked up 2 alpine mrp-500s and a mrp-f300 for the mids and highs. i have two alpine type R-12s. and i was driving home last night and my volts went down to the mid 10s ... basically what im wondering is, will that much of a drop cause possible harm to my system? i want to buy a XS power 3400. but i was waiting to buy it since its a little expensive but if it will blow amps or something like that then im going to order one today. anyways thanks to anyone that responds! im looking forward to spending alot of time on this forum! Im not sure if the volt drop will hurt you buuuut. Have you done the Big 3 yet? If not you should do it. It is pretty cheap, I think I done mine for under $40. I was running at about 13.4 and droppin to about 11. Then after the big 3 I run about 14.8 and drop to about 12.8. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxman420 Posted September 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2011 no i have been wanting too for the past month but audiosavings has been out of cadence 0 gauge for a long time. and im a perfectionist when it comes to every wire being the same... but i am wanting to do that. i didnt think id see that much of voltage increase with that so thats good! thanks for the quick reply man! Quote 2001 Monte carlo 2-Crescendo BC5500 Bass, Crescendo 1600.2 and crescendo 1100.4 mids and highs clarion-702, 4 ZVX 15s walled, RF 360.3, knukonceptz, toolmaker, DC power 270xp and DC power 370xp alts, PWX mids, FT1 tweets, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkievlog Posted September 5, 2011 Report Share Posted September 5, 2011 no i have been wanting too for the past month but audiosavings has been out of cadence 0 gauge for a long time. and im a perfectionist when it comes to every wire being the same... but i am wanting to do that. i didnt think id see that much of voltage increase with that so thats good! thanks for the quick reply man! Im running 4 Gauge so the results may be dif for you. I need to clean my battery up XD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gotloud555 Posted September 5, 2011 Report Share Posted September 5, 2011 The big 3 doesn't increase volt but It help keep the voltage up. You should upgrade it because volt drop are bad for you entre electrical in your car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melky Lebron Posted September 5, 2011 Report Share Posted September 5, 2011 I have the big 3 and my voltage drops really low. :/ Quote 2004 Melky Toyota Scion xB Kenwood Touchscreen Headunit 4 15" Kicker CVR 4 6" Audiopipe 6 8" Audiopipe 6 Tweeters Audiopipe 1 Rockford Fosgate T2500.1 bd 1 Lanzar 3000 1 Audiopipe 1500 2 Optimum YellowTop Batteries The Big Three 19" rims and more.. http://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/topic/119197-build-log-scion-xb-4-15-kicker/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxman420 Posted September 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2011 (edited) no i have been wanting too for the past month but audiosavings has been out of cadence 0 gauge for a long time. and im a perfectionist when it comes to every wire being the same... but i am wanting to do that. i didnt think id see that much of voltage increase with that so thats good! thanks for the quick reply man! Im running 4 Gauge so the results may be dif for you. I need to clean my battery up XD i do have alot of 4 gauge laying around but i think ill wait till i get my hands on some 0 gauge. thanks for the help man! The big 3 doesn't increase volt but It help keep the voltage up. You should upgrade it because volt drop are bad for you entre electrical in your car. okay this is what i was looking for! iknew it couldnt be good cause my volt gauge dropped off into the red and it started flashing and beeping.. I have the big 3 and my voltage drops really low. :/ well judging by your SIG you have quite a bit more power in the trunk then i do.. mine drops alot worse at night. but during the day i still get dimming lights on my dash. its frustraiting. Edited September 5, 2011 by boxman420 Quote 2001 Monte carlo 2-Crescendo BC5500 Bass, Crescendo 1600.2 and crescendo 1100.4 mids and highs clarion-702, 4 ZVX 15s walled, RF 360.3, knukonceptz, toolmaker, DC power 270xp and DC power 370xp alts, PWX mids, FT1 tweets, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PandorasCustoms Posted September 5, 2011 Report Share Posted September 5, 2011 Im not sure if the volt drop will hurt you buuuut. Have you done the Big 3 yet? If not you should do it. It is pretty cheap, I think I done mine for under $40. I was running at about 13.4 and droppin to about 11. Then after the big 3 I run about 14.8 and drop to about 12.8. Voltage drops are actually pretty harmful for all electrical components. Remember this... Lower Voltage = Higher Amperage per Watt. Higher Amperage = MORE HEAT! So, if you are running 1,000 watts at 14 volts, that is just over 71 AMPS, but if that drops down to the 11 ~ 10 range it changes to over 90 AMPS. Plus, I think an automotive battery "dies" when it drops below 10.5 volts... As stated previously, a BIG-3 upgrade will help with running voltage, but do you only see drops at night? The problem may just be the fact that your alternator is not capable of keeping up with your amplifiers (Most likely the case). I am currently only 800 watts, and at night while my headlights are on, I see small drops on heavy notes. My alternator is only a 95 Amp, and I remember reading the headlights & fog lights alone eat up near 40 Amperes. So, I know that doesn't leave exactly enough for the 60+ Amperes being requested by my amplifier. A battery is a good solution, ONLY IF YOU PLAY MUSIC WITH THE CAR OFF. A battery will keep you running a little longer, but ultimately the alternator is where the power comes from. If your alternator can't keep up, your battery will never get fully charged; and you could prematurely kill it. I had a friend who ran an optima yellow top, and every time he got to where he was going, he had to sit and rev his engine for a few minutes before he could turn the truck off. Simply because, the alternator couldn't keep his amplifiers juiced, so the battery had to help fill in. Quote Chris - "The Apprentice" - Pandora's Box Customs 1994 Ford Explorer - "Midnight" - 4.0L SOHC SoundStream PCX-1000D & Kicker S12L5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjN Posted September 5, 2011 Report Share Posted September 5, 2011 It wont nessecarily hurt, but it does hurt the output of your amps, your amps arent putting out as much power as they can. Id get a battery asap though. Quote 2x sundown audio sa 12's Crescendo BC2000 kinetik 1800, 1400. Rockford punch 5,25 component set MB QUART ONYX 4.80 Mechman 270a alt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gotloud555 Posted September 5, 2011 Report Share Posted September 5, 2011 I have the big 3 and my voltage drops really low. :/ You probably have alots of resistance somwhere. It too much to write on my hands.. The nore amps you put into your car the more electrical draws. The real solutions to it, to install h/o alternator because that's where all the juice power come from not the battery.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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