Headlight Dimming From BASS??

[brandonc]

Hello all. First post here so forgive me if i make any mistakes. Im looking to add a little bass to my base audio system. Im going to be adding a Alpine MRX- M110 amp with a Alpine 12 Type R wired at 2 ohms. The amp should be putting out about 1100 watts at 2 ohms. Has anyone installed this amp, or one similar in power to it, and if so how does it do with the stock electrical system? Ive heard mixed things about capacitors, never owned one because people say they are near useless. :shrug: Would appreciate any help at all. Thank yall in advance

Sponsored

 

[15RRGT]

I don't have that amp but just installed the original soundstream reference 700s and 500s in my 15 GT, each running at two ohm which should be around 1100-1200 watts total and my lights don't dim at all, just using the factory battery by itself. I did run 0 awg power and ground wire to the amp distribution block.

 

[brandonc]

I don't have that amp but just installed the original soundstream reference 700s and 500s in my 15 GT, each running at two ohm which should be around 1100-1200 watts total and my lights don't dim at all, just using the factory battery by itself. I did run 0 awg power and ground wire to the amp distribution block.

Thanks for the reply, that's awesome to hear. Seen a few videos on YouTube saying that wouldn't be a bad idea. How hard was it for this particular car? You don't happen to have a thread on it do you?

 

[wildcatgoal]

The headlights we have in these cars are not the type that would dim (at least as easily).

Most capacitors these days (like the 1F can looking ones) are garbage and aren't even 1 F. There was a time when a 5F cap was indeed 5F and it was as big as an amplifier and weight a ton. These gimmick can caps are just that, gimmicks. They are useful for cleaning up the power line in the event it is a source of noise, but that kind of filtering should already be built into your amplifier.

Proper grounding - great contact, direct path through the body to the battery with sufficient "gauge" of body/wire all the way to the battery is what stops dimming. Multiple batteries does not typically stop dimming, just provide longer non-alternator play time. These cars already have an AGM battery so use QUALITY COPPER WIRE not that aluminum fire hazard shit and you should be fine.

 

[15RRGT]

Thanks for the reply, that's awesome to hear. Seen a few videos on YouTube saying that wouldn't be a bad idea. How hard was it for this particular car? You don't happen to have a thread on it do you?

I don't have a thread on it, I may start one because I did photo document most of my install. But running the power wire was easy, if you pull the battery and battery box there is plenty of room to drill through the firewall and run 0 awg power wire. I then ran my ground directly to a seat belt retainer bolt. All of my equipment is in the spare tire well, the two soundstream amps and old school lanzar opti drive 30 band eq and noise gate. Also in there is the power and ground distribution blocks I mentioned.

Don't skimp on power and ground wire size, you only want to run wires once and there is zero harm in running too large of wire, whereas running too small can be disastrous lol.

 

[brandonc]

The headlights we have in these cars are not the type that would dim (at least as easily).

Most capacitors these days (like the 1F can looking ones) are garbage and aren't even 1 F. There was a time when a 5F cap was indeed 5F and it was as big as an amplifier and weight a ton. These gimmick can caps are just that, gimmicks. They are useful for cleaning up the power line in the event it is a source of noise, but that kind of filtering should already be built into your amplifier.

Proper grounding - great contact, direct path through the body to the battery with sufficient "gauge" of body/wire all the way to the battery is what stops dimming. Multiple batteries does not typically stop dimming, just provide longer non-alternator play time. These cars already have an AGM battery so use QUALITY COPPER WIRE not that aluminum fire hazard shit and you should be fine.

This makes me feel a lot better. I had a 2002 stang with the same amp and similar subs and everything on that thing dimmed when it was turned up loud enough. Of course this car is almost 15 years newer than the last and you'd assume it'd be better but I just wanted some reassurance. Will save my money on the capacitors and will def not skimp out on the wiring. Thanks for the info.

 

[brandonc]

I don't have a thread on it, I may start one because I did photo document most of my install. But running the power wire was easy, if you pull the battery and battery box there is plenty of room to drill through the firewall and run 0 awg power wire. I then ran my ground directly to a seat belt retainer bolt. All of my equipment is in the spare tire well, the two soundstream amps and old school lanzar opti drive 30 band eq and noise gate. Also in there is the power and ground distribution blocks I mentioned.

Don't skimp on power and ground wire size, you only want to run wires once and there is zero harm in running too large of wire, whereas running too small can be disastrous lol.

You should seriously think about making a thread! At some point in time I may plan on running a separate amp for the mids so how you mounted everything in the wheel well would be cool to see. Missing a full spare tire and only getting some slime with a compressor concerns me at times, but at the same time it's kinda nice to have that extra room. Lol

 

[wildcatgoal]

This makes me feel a lot better. I had a 2002 stang with the same amp and similar subs and everything on that thing dimmed when it was turned up loud enough. Of course this car is almost 15 years newer than the last and you'd assume it'd be better but I just wanted some reassurance. Will save my money on the capacitors and will def not skimp out on the wiring. Thanks for the info.

You more than likely needed to upgrade the ground from the chassis/frame (or body... whichever you had the amplifiers grounded to) to the battery in the engine bay in order to ensure the negative had enough "space on the wire" so to speak to get back to the battery without causing voltage drop (and heat). Cars a while ago had very insufficient body grounds that just barely handled the load for the car without added amplifiers, let alone adding amplifiers. Now cars have so many electronics they have bigger grounding wires to accommodate the electronic gizmos and most people either don't option the car with all of them or use them all at once. Even with a basic stereo, I'll add a chassis/body ground wire to the battery with the same gauge that I used to power the amplifier. Cheap insurance and have eliminated many problems (alt wine, other noise, and dimming) having done so.

Sponsored