Extra battery question?
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Bronze Member Username: Tdawg30Ohio USA Post Number: 28 Registered: Jun-06 | Would it be ok to use an extra car battery as like a capacitor or not. Run some 4 ga. from the batt. under the hood to the battery in my trunk, then from there, run some more 4 ga. to my amp. And of course ground everything as normal. |
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Gold Member Username: CarguyPost Number: 5577 Registered: Nov-04 | What's your point of having 2 batteries? If you configure it as mentioned above, you'll be using both batteries to power and start the car. If you want the added protection of being able to start without worry, then install a battery isolator. That way, starter will only be used to start and the 2nd battery for the accessories. |
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Bronze Member Username: Tdawg30Ohio USA Post Number: 29 Registered: Jun-06 | alright but i want the volts to be higher than 12v to put more power to the amp and it cant do that unless the alternator is hooked up. |
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Bronze Member Username: Dsmith07Post Number: 55 Registered: Jun-06 | heres what ijust read somewhere else....if you get 2 batteries your alternator will have to work twice as hard to keep both of them charged and also with a cap it has to keep that and the battery charged...from what i read a new alternator would be your best bet |
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Gold Member Username: FandimReno, Nevada United State... Post Number: 1244 Registered: Jun-05 | Trevor Meyers, do you have enough current to adequately supply your first battery etc? Also - adding a 2nd battery wont increase your voltage..unless you wire it in series - which you dont want to do with a standard car audio setup.. (as it would fry your cars electronics, and your audio stuff as well.) If you already have a HO alternator, and just want to help steady the voltage a bit for the periods where your alternator is at idle - then adding a 2nd battery can be a great idea. As for using one as a capacitor.. well.. Yes, and no. No, in the sense that it'll probably have a higher ESR than most capacitors do. Yes, in the sense that if you have it very close to your amps, the distance between your battery and electronics is much shorter, and it will be able to provide a faster response than your battery under the hood can. Here's what you need to remember though - batteries only provide a 12.6 volt current, whereas your alternator provides a 13.8-14.4 volt current normally. If you dont already have a HO alt - get one - it'll be way better than a capacitor anyday. And if you do - well then adding a 2nd battery isnt really a bad thing - even though some people say it just adds to the load your alternator has to charge - because if your alternator is big enough to supply the current required - then it wont need to be charging the batteries in the first place - but this can help at like long stop lights, or a lot of stop and go traffic, etc. |
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Silver Member Username: Scott_debakerPittsburgh, P.A. U.S.A. Post Number: 600 Registered: Feb-06 | gota ? 2 i got my 2nd batterie ready i got a power an ground wire off my bettery up front 2 the battery in the back + an - wires from battery up front 2 back battery an i will be gettin a ho alt. is that how u do it or should i get a insolatur 2? an i will b runnin the big 3 |
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Gold Member Username: FandimReno, Nevada United State... Post Number: 1252 Registered: Jun-05 | You only need an isolator if you plan on running the car with the system turned off. Or, you should also have one, if you're using different types of batteries.. (i.e. wetsell and gel cell) Also - if the battery under your hood is NOT a deep cycle, you should probably run an isolator (the kind that completely seperates the two, even when the car is running.. Not the type that lets them connect when the car turns on, like a relay) that way you wont ever run the risk of draining your starter battery below 12 volts if your car is like idling at a red light with your system turned up. |
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Silver Member Username: Scott_debakerPittsburgh, P.A. U.S.A. Post Number: 603 Registered: Feb-06 | yellow top up front reagual bettery in back |
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Gold Member Username: FandimReno, Nevada United State... Post Number: 1253 Registered: Jun-05 | Why add a 2nd non-deep cycle battery? If anything, this would probably hurt more than help. If that battery gets drained below 12v, honestly, it loses some of it's capacity, and is very easily damaged. Now remember this, if that battery will no longer hold it's normal 12.6 volt charge - lets say you drop it to 11v a few times, and now it'll just maintain a 12.1 volt charge.. Every time you turn off the car, it'll drop to 12.1. Now - why this is bad - is your optima will be sitting at 12.6 - and that means it'll be constantly trying to charge the other battery, futiley - until they're both sitting at 12.1 volts. Also - you might think it's all good, because yellow tops are deep cycle, after all - BUT - you need to keep in mind that even deep cycle batteries have a lifespan, and a very finite amount of cycles. (I believe yellow tops are like 300 before they start losing capacity/voltage). Also - with a normal battery in the back - have you considered how you're going to vent this? Normal batteries *NEED* to be someplace with circulation OUTSIDE your car. It's not recommended - nor safe - to run a normal battery in the cabin, or trunk of your car, without modifying something to take care of this issue. Seth |
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Silver Member Username: Scott_debakerPittsburgh, P.A. U.S.A. Post Number: 606 Registered: Feb-06 | so 2 yellow tops? |
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Gold Member Username: FandimReno, Nevada United State... Post Number: 1267 Registered: Jun-05 | 2 Yellow Tops is a good choice, yes.  |
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New member Username: GreenspiderPost Number: 3 Registered: Jun-06 | Why not a MBR-70 Yellow Top in the Rear and Just run the vehicle when you want to "Pound" on your Subs. I personally went over kill. .5F Cap on Mid Amps, 1.0F Cap on Sub Amp Optima Yellow Top in the Back of the F150 and Regular Battery(950CA) up front. Forgot to mention I also have a Stock(HO) Alternator from Ford that puts out 150 I believe.(Only Guessing but its HO I'm told) Tip of the Day... If you want it done right, don't be cheap on Power because you'll just have more problems that are not cheap down the road. -= Me =- |
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Silver Member Username: MrdarkPost Number: 223 Registered: Dec-04 | so when runnin 2 yellowtops, then no isolator needed??? |
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Gold Member Username: FandimReno, Nevada United State... Post Number: 1268 Registered: Jun-05 | You still need an isolator - if you plan to play the system with your car turned off. |
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Silver Member Username: MrdarkPost Number: 224 Registered: Dec-04 | Seth are these isolators easy to install? any particular brands u rec?? |
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Gold Member Username: FandimReno, Nevada United State... Post Number: 1270 Registered: Jun-05 | yeah they're pretty easy. And if you're talking about a relay-type isolator (like one you'd activate with a switch) I'd say stinger, or tsunami.. they make up to 200 amp relays that I'm aware of. If you're talking the type that actually keeps them on a totally seperated circuit, dont know what brand to really recommend there, as I've personally never used one, and wont give them a thumbs up just from heresay. You can check out www.summitracing.com tho, I know they have some. |
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