help- amp sucking too much power??

[rikig]

hey i just got a complete new system. I got a premier 740mp head unit, a kicker zr 600 amp, and a new 12" kicker L7. It sounds ****in amazing but the lights keep dimming. I always thought this shouldnt happen unless u have like over a 1000 Watt amp. Mine is 600. The fuse on the amp is 90A. Is that enough power to dim my lights so much.

I was told it was the wiring. I believe im using 8 guage wiring. Would using 4 guage help this problem a lot? I really dont want to mess up the cars electrical system, so i havent even turned it up to high yet. The headlights will dim at like 1/2 volume.

Another question would this amp sound better pushing a 4 ohm load or a 2 ohm load?? Its pushing a 2 ohm load right now.

Alright thanks a lot,

Riki

[BlackGTS2002]

generally, the higher the ohms you are running , the less chance of distortion you will get. You can run it at 2 ohms, but thats going to draw more power than running it at 4.

You should definalty get 4 ga wire running in your ride. i use 4 ga for any install i do that is over 350-400. you will need a 1 farad capaciter(cap) to stop the lights from dimming, and yes it is normal for them to be dimming. also make sure your ground is as short as possible..and the same size as your power lead as well(obviously)

[rikig]

when the lights are dimming does that do any damage to the car?

[BlackGTS2002]

yes,....you are puttin a strain on the electical system...and you need to get a cap like i said. besides when your lights dim...your amp doesnt have the full power that it wants...so your bass hits are going to distort because they arent going to have hte power to finish....hope that makes sence....you wont hurt your car immediatly if you dont get a cap asap...just plan on gettin one...you wont be dissapointed

[BlackGTS2002]

by the way...i have an audiobahn amp running at .5 ohm and drawing over 2000 watts.at peak....even with my cap....they dim..LOL

[rikig]

damn thats a lot of power. Do you have a special battery or alternator? Do you know how many amps our factory alternator is? By the way, thanks for all the info.

[BlackGTS2002]

i only run it like that (.5 ohm mono) for comp.... i dont know the output of the stock alternator...probably 100 amps or so. i have 3 farads capaciter power and the shi-at still dimms....lol

I usually have it running at 1 ohm stereo(800 x2) and i have a knob to keep the bass up or what not....i usually just adjust it to sound good to my likeing....i hit 146.7 db in my first attempt at the local car audio competitoin..

And you are welcome for the info....any other questions...ask away....car audio is my specialty...

[rikig]

This is just kinda random, but do u have any idea what i would be hitting around with this setup? Do u know what the highest someone has hit w/ a single 12" L7?

[BlackGTS2002]

man...thats not possible to answer...for instance...i have hit 135 with a ****ty pioneer walmart special 12 and a 150 watt RF amp in a ported q logic box.....

It all depends on the position of the sub, the volume of the box compared to the airspace te sub wants/needs, the installation....so many factors....a 12 should get you to about 140 db with that much power easily though..

[celica2k1]

blackgt2002 i got a question for you...what is the best way to position 2 kicker solo-baric L7 12's so that they hit hard bass?????????? I was think about a false floor....but then again I don't know.....maybe you can help me out here.

[BlackGTS2002]

well in the celica i have found that either facing them up (twards the glass) or twards the back of the car will hit the hardest. its all a matter of taste though....sound pressure wise..it may be more...but it may sound bad...you may like somthing totally different..remember..most people do not compete..so go by what sounds best

[J3adSeed]

usually putting them in the floor would be best in our car. because sound waves will reflect. if you're pointing it back, you're going to get the sound wave from the speaker, and then a delayed wave from the reflection off the back of the car. the closer you get to the back of the car the better it will sound because of this. now, then you start to lose output because air pressure. thats why in the floor, they have the most room to breath and basically all the sound waves will be reflected off the glass so its cleaner sounding. at least this is what i've read. that pressure and reflection are the reason box position matters. notice if you roll down your windows your bass hits harder, because it has more air to breath.

as for you amp you gotta use 4 gauge. the max current for a 4 gauge wire is about 100 amps if you use 15 or more feet. the 8 guage wire is adding more resistance and adding more strain than you'd have with a 4 gauge. BlackGTS had good advice, use a short ground and ground to the car, make sure to scratch off the paint, and do it to a solid part of the chassis. If you run in 4 ohms you should theoretically lose half the output, so your watts would be cut in half. this would mean less strain also but less output. it may still be plenty and will sound cleaner. the amp may just not be as efficient as some others and thats why you're pulling more current than some 1000 watt amps. that or its way underrated.

[Impulse]

Also, the more capacitance you have in your system, the longer it will take to recharge thus lowering your effective voltage in your electrical system. The best thing to do is upgrade the charging system with a rewound alt. or a new HO alt. I don't think having anymore than 1 Farad of capacitance helps and it may actually hurt performance.

[J3adSeed]

that may be true. and alumapro caps do not help at all, their ESR is too high to make them helpful. building up the alt is the best way to go.

[rikig]

also i grounded the amp by drilling a hole right under the little plastic thing behind the seats. I also read a post about the gas tank being there or something. Can anyone confirm this? Is my car gonna blow up?

[Impulse]

No flame but if you drilled there without looking to see what was underneath is just dumb. The gas tank IS inder the rear seat. You probably got away with it but you were probably close. It would have been easier to sand off the paint under one of the hooks in the hatch right infront of the package shelf and bolted your ground to that.

[J3adSeed]

maybe you should look. hehehe. i use the bigass bolts that are under the plastic side peices towards the front of the trunk on each side. they connect the bump to the frame. you don't want to ground to a piece that is welded to the car, since you will get some resistance at the welds, but this spot is probably pretty good since it goes to the chassis as well and uses a large bolt.

[BlackGTS2002]

Originally posted by J3adSeed
maybe you should look. hehehe. i use the bigass bolts that are under the plastic side peices towards the front of the trunk on each side. they connect the bump to the frame. you don't want to ground to a piece that is welded to the car, since you will get some resistance at the welds, but this spot is probably pretty good since it goes to the chassis as well and uses a large bolt.

Since your so worried about resistance (not flaming) ,,,did you run a 4 ga ground from your battery to the chassis?.