Lead Foot

I have a 2001 clk430 with 75k miles. I just added a serious audio system that draws 160 amps of power at full volume. I was just wondering if there is an alternator that would fit on my motor that produced more than 90-150 amps in order to keep the lights from dimming in my car when the subs hit. I did add a second battery and a 3 farat cap that helped a little but i think there is more room for improvement. If i am going about this the wrong way then please let me know. I also dont want to damage the sensative electrical systems in the car. thanx for your help.

PhilipM1

What kind of subs draw that much power that fit in a CLK? I 5 farad Hybrid amp might help. Its smaller then the one you have now, most likley. It will be more efficiant then the one you have now if its not hybrid. Also, depending on how much space you have, you could do a ported or slotted box to get more thump from less volume. Blow-thru system would get the most out of the least.

Another idea, wich is free, is to turn down the bass and achieve an equilibrium in sound reproduction.

Also, depending on the subs you purchased, you might want to look into getting more efficient subs. JL Audio are my personal favorite. The amplifier your using has the most to do with it. Make sure your wires are gauged properly, and that your amp isnt more then your subs need.

Lead Foot

I am using 2 JL 12w6's. They are in a sealed box. I wanted the sealed box because the sealed box gives you tighter bass and the box is a lot smaller than a ported or slotted. The amp is not my favorite but at the price i got it for i couldnt turn it down. Its a Memphis Belle. 1x1000 and 4x75. Total amp draw is 160 amps at max. As far as the wires go, 2awg from the stock battery to the red top and then to the cap, then i sized it down to a 4 to go to the amp. My door speakers and new screen go in this next weekend at which time i am going to run a new power wire to the battery from the altenator and new ground wires. I think the stock is only an 8awg setup but i will step every thing up to a 2awg. I will let you know what i come up. thanx

PhilipM1

JL is my favorite car stereo company by far. W6's are very nice. You could possible do a blow through. And tune the port so it will sound pretty close to the way it does now. Although it wont be at "tight" of a bass hit, it will be louder and more vibration in the cabin of the car, wich normally is the ultimate effect. For most poeple. I used to think sealed was the only way to go, but then i expanded my stubborness. Not saying anything about you.

you would need someone to enginer you a really nice box. Wich can get really expensive. Are you in the states. if so where did you get your wires done? just wondering.

If you have a second battery, and your lights are still dimming, with a CAP, then your just drawing alot of power. THe point of the cap is to store power, so that the lights dont dim. People have 4 W6's and there lights dont dim. so i dont know. They have compition alternaters. you can always google one.

let me know how it comes out. What kind of door speakers are you getting? Are they components?

Moviela

Your battery connection is causing one battery to discharge the other. You cannot connect two battries in parallel. You should get a battery isolator so the SLI (starting, lighting, & ignition) cannot "see" the battery for the amplifier. The 8 AWG wire from the alternator to the battries is plenty. Two 6 AWG leads from the amp battery to the cap are sized right for your 3F cap. Keep these wires under for feet if possible. The wires from the cap to the amp can be a pair of 6 AWG, but must be short at 6 inches or less.

The sealed enclosure is also causing your amp to draw more current than the equalivent SPL (sound pressure level) of a ported enclosure. It may be possible to port the existing enclosure, but you will need a shop with a pink noise generator and sound field analyzer to tune it.

Smoothing out bass frequency response involves locating vehicle "modes" and adjusting the position of the subwoofer or listening positions to avoid the worst modal effects, or perhaps adding a parametric equalizer to pull down the amplitude of an offending frequency. Passenger compartment modes cause areas of greatly increased or decreased low frequency response throughout a vehicle.

A sign that you need to re-set the subwoofer crossover frequency is a dip or peak in the bass response between 80-100 Hz, no matter where you place the subwoofers or make the bass frequency RTA (real time analyzer) measurements. Many subwoofers have a crossover frequency adjustment, which sets the upper frequency response of the subwoofer. When this control is adjusted properly, the subwoofer begins to reproduce low frequencies that fall below the response of the main speakers, which provides a smooth response across the entire audio spectrum. If the frequencies reproduced by both the subwoofer and main speakers overlap too much, you will have “boomy" bass; if the crossover is too far apart, you’ll have a “hole" in the bass response somewhere around 80-120 Hz.

Until you tune your sound field, you are just listening to a collection of parts that make an interesting series of noises.

Lead Foot

The componets are JL XR series 3-ways up front and 5 1/4 for the rears. I engineered the box myself with JL's help only because they designed the speakers. Yes, I am located in the states, MemphisTEN is where i be.

Ported boxes simply require more air space which I dont have, so that is out of the question.I still wanted to be able to to get to my spare tire in case of a flat.

As far as the sound Q goes I got that under control. I guess you could say I am greedy because I want perfect sound Q at 130db. My profession is an audio engineer. I set my sound system with a pink noise generator and with Smart Live(Smart Live-RTA computer based program that we use to set multi-million dollar systems with.)I own a design and build firm that designs and installs small to large format sound systems all over the US. If I told what I did for a sound processor you would probably mess your pants.

My problem is that I simply dont have enough power. I thaught about a battery isolater but once the redtop(amp battery) is drained low enough then I loose the power to my amp. My problem is that I am draining power faster than my alternator can generate. I am going to try the larger wire setup first only because its the cheapest and I had a friend that had the same problem in his mercedes and his improved by installing a larger gauge wire from the alternator. I know that an 8awg will hold 250 amps of current but electricity follows the path of least resistance. So if I can get the power to draw more from the alternator instead of it robbing current from the lights that should accomplish what I want. The down side is that the voltage regulator on my alternator will be running wide open which over time will wear out. I am going to talk to a local guy tomarrow about getting more amps out of a stock alternator and let you guys know what he "says" he can do. If it sounds promising I will give it a try and let you guys know how it turns out. I will also call the guys at Stinger and see what they say they can do. I will post some pics of my install in the next couple of days just for shats and giggles. Be easy till then

PhilipM1

I only worked for Circiut city selling stereo's and watching instals. But I tried to learn as much as possible. You know alot more then me. But maybe a 5farid hybrid cap might help. it may not. But its a guess. I would love to see the instal pics.