what dose Frad mean with regaurds to capasitors? If I were pushing a big amp (1500 watts RMS) would it be a good idea to have a higher frad cap? if so, how high?
Farad is a measurement of capacity (how much charge it holds) Technically, a farad is a stored charge of one coulamb per 1 volt of potential. A coulamb is an electrical unit of charge, basically a very large number of electrons (6.28 x 10^18 electrons), 1 ampere is the passing of one coulamb per second. The higher the better. With a 1500W RMS amp, I'd do 2-3 farads, but ONLY if your alternator is already up to par. If your alternator is stock, it most likely will NOT handle that amp and will need to be upgraded.
In reference to this power situation...I've got a 2001 Escort. I think the stock amp is something crazy like 95amp....
The AMP I have has a 60amp draw......the only option I have on my car is A/C no power anything.
Should I still look at upgrading the alternator? If you're gonna say yes, I might just put all this off until I get my new car... gets expensive when you ahve to start upgrading engine parts.
As long as the car doesn't have trouble supplying the amp (lights dimming, voltage dropping below normal limits) you're ok. If these problems start then you need to look into upgrading.