Help deciding setup.

 

New member
Username: Smokeit

Ft worth, Texas

Post Number: 1
Registered: Jun-04
ok guys new to this forum so take it easy. i have a 2000 honda civic and the batterry is like 410 cca. alternator is pretty small. i have a 1.25 cap and a directed 1100d mono amp. i was looking into getting an optima battery but the only gel battery made for my car is from interstate and it is 500 cca. so should i run a secondary battery in the trunk or get a bigger battery and place one battery in trunk and illiminate the front battery. ( im sure i would have to upgrade alternator) but does anybody see a wiring problem from this.
 

Silver Member
Username: Jonathan_f

GA USA

Post Number: 436
Registered: May-04
Not a good idea. Those battery's would only make the system last longer when the car is off, when the car is running, they won't help at all since the alternator can't keep them up. Doesn't really matter how good the battery is, if the alternator can't charge enough to keep that battery up, then the battery is useless. Even if you are set on having another battery, I'd get a better one and stay with one than add another. If you do add two, you need an isolator to separate the batteries, so the alternator could charge them independantly instead of seeing both batteries as a single load. Not using an isolator could overcharge one battery and undercharge another. Unless you plan on running the system for more than 30 minutes when the car is off, I don't recommend a battery. That capacitor will do fine with power on demand as long as the alternator is able to keep it up.
 

New member
Username: Smokeit

Ft worth, Texas

Post Number: 2
Registered: Jun-04
i know about the isolator but it just had to go buy a new battery because i was messing with the system while it was hooked up for like 3 or 4 mins whilethe car was off and it drained my battery. i bought a damn walmart battery beacuase a few days later it died after being fully charged. i just want everything setup before i do anything else. so are u suggesting using the battery i have now or a bigger battery
 

New member
Username: Smokeit

Ft worth, Texas

Post Number: 3
Registered: Jun-04
oh what about just getting the gel battery it is only 120 bucks
 

Silver Member
Username: Jonathan_f

GA USA

Post Number: 440
Registered: May-04
Before anything, did that Wal-mart battery die later because you ran the system when the car was off, or just gradually die after a couple of days of running the car? If it gradually died, then you need to focus on the alternator FIRST. Honda Civics aren't renowned for putting much of an alternator in a car, some are as low as 35 amp. That Directed 1100 will pull over 100 amps of current. If that battery is draining in a couple of minutes while the car is off b/c your system is on, then get a bigger battery. If you get a gel battery, I recommend isolating it from the other because deep cycles don't give the needed current on demand for starting the car, etc. Your battery shouldn't drain in 3 or 4 minutes, though, even when the car is off, unless it was weak to start with.
 

New member
Username: Smokeit

Ft worth, Texas

Post Number: 4
Registered: Jun-04
the battery that died was the factory. i just put a new walmart battery in it after it died. i have not hooked my system back up yet because i was going to get some subs. i was thinking of adire brahmas or diamond m6. i was going to take that battery back today because the place im getting the gel battery has it in stock now. just woundering if i should get that one or upgrade a lil on the battery instead of wasting that money and then it dying again on me.
 

New member
Username: Smokeit

Ft worth, Texas

Post Number: 5
Registered: Jun-04
i know the alternator is small and is prolly like 45 amps i think. i was also keeping that in mind just wondering if i should do it now or wait. money is not a problem right now i jsut got two fat checks from irs. just want it done right. just different audio shops give me different suggestions and i just wanted an opinion from someone who is going to sell me what ever he can
 

New member
Username: Smokeit

Ft worth, Texas

Post Number: 6
Registered: Jun-04
isnt
 

Silver Member
Username: Jonathan_f

GA USA

Post Number: 443
Registered: May-04
I suggest the alternator first. That's your weak point, even if the alternator was 60 amps (that's wishful) that 1100d can pull over 100 amps of current, and the car's accessories themselves will pull close to 30 amps. So you only have 30 amps of reserve for an amplifier that can pull 100+ amps of current. Deep cycle batteries generally aren't good starting batteries since the cranking amps aren't as high as an equivalent wet cell of the same size. The only reason you see additional isolated deep cycle batteries in competition cars is because they play all their music when the car isn't running, and a deep cycle has more amp/hours than a wet cell does, so it's really only better if you listen to music when the car is off for long periods of time. That's not even considering the fact that an additional battery on that stock alternator would stress it even more, possibly (maybe even probably) to the point of failure. For the size of the deep cycle, you could get a wet cell with 750+ cold cranking amps, possibly one with closer to 900, not that you need many cranking amps at all to turn over a tiny 4-banger anyway. Since you already have a capacitor the deep cycle battery won't make any difference, at least not when the car is running. A good high output alternator and your capacitor will more than supply the power demands of that amp.
 

New member
Username: Smokeit

Ft worth, Texas

Post Number: 8
Registered: Jun-04
ok thats what i was thinking but someone told to put a new red top gel in the back w/isolator and then some one told me just to eliminate the battery in front in run a cable all the way to the back with a bigger battery but either way it seems like i will need a better alternator.
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