Big 3 upgrade

[WishComeTrue]

Ok before I begin doing this i figured I would ask you guys to make sure!

So 1st question.. could i use Zero gage wire on all 3 of these?
1) alternator positive to battery positive, 2) battery negative to chassis, and 3) engine ground to chassis.

2nd question.. Whats a good battery? I sold my friend my power compacitor and just noticed you could get a:

Kole Audio KCELL-400 Car Battery with Built-in 4 Farad Capacitor 400 Amp CAPCELL

So that would be like a 2 in one! kinda neat but i dont know much about batterys so would this one be a good choice?

Last question... What kind of after market altenator should I get? Im shooting for 14 amps and other than that i dont know much about them.


Thanks a bunch!

[Sponsor]

[ChrissyL]

The Big 3 ground wire mod can surely be done with 0 gauge wire, but it seems like overkill to me. 4 or even 8 gauge should be plenty thick enough.

I've never heard of the Kole Audio battery/cap combo, so I've got nothing for you there.

As to alternator capacity, that will depend on how much power you plan to draw with your ICE; do your research and your math (X watts/12.8 volts*=Y amps) to determine the amperage you'll need for your system and your car's own electrical functions. Then you'll have a better idea of the amperage you'll need to get out of an aftermarket alternator.

Good luck with your mods!

* 12.8 volts is a nominal voltage for 12-volt batteries in good condition; a properly operating alternator can push the voltage up 1 to 1.5 volts over nominal. I was taught to do the calculation based on nominal system voltages so as to give a good margin of safety when the operating load is placed on the electrical system.

[SPIman2.0]

Originally Posted by WishComeTrue

Ok before I begin doing this i figured I would ask you guys to make sure!

2nd question.. Whats a good battery? I sold my friend my power compacitor and just noticed you could get a:

Kole Audio KCELL-400 Car Battery with Built-in 4 Farad Capacitor 400 Amp CAPCELL

Battery wise, I would stick with Optima. I run a Yellow top deep cycle and It has NEVER once failed. I even made the stupid mistake leaving my lights on for 4 hours at work one day and it started right up. (I'm not sure if that was the battery or pure luck... but either way, It made me trust them.)

Plus, they have the advantage of working upside down, sideways (how I have mine mounted) or otherwise. They ARE a bit expencive.... mine ran almost 200 bucks, but they last forever, and if it fails, even with a good bit of I.C.E., within 5 years, they'll replace it for free.

Just my personal opinion. Kole's products aren't bad, but they are an audio company, not a battery company...

Hope I helped a bit.

Oh yea, and to the Addiction bro!!!
-Daniel.


P.S.- If you ever have any questions on I.C.E. or the Zetec side of things, Mail me!

[YellowJellyBean]

Do not use 8 gauge wire for your big 3, unless you're just adding to the existing OEM wire. You want your big 3 to be AT LEAST the gauge of your amplifiers wiring, and the bigger the better, especially for grounds. There's a concept called grounding theory, it's not completely understood, but everything electrical just runs more efficiently with more grounding. So go ahead and use 1/0. Everywhere I've seen has actually suggested you use it if possible.

[djblackout]

Im running 3000 watts [1400RMS] on a 4 gauge big 3. works fine.

im running 0/1 gauge from battery back to the amp

[YellowJellyBean]

I'm not saying it won't work, I'm just saying that most people suggest going bigger than your amplifier wiring. Why are you running 1400 watts rms? SPL?

[djblackout]

just because you know of people that recommend it, doesnt mean its always right.

some people recommend putting under glow lights on the focus......

anyway, 4 gauge is more than adequate. and why do i run 1400RMS? because i can.

[YellowJellyBean]

lol I'm not questioning your right as an American to run 1400w RMS (America ftw!). I was just wondering what you're running.

Anyway, to OP, pics when done?

[andrewsfm]

The big 3 is outdated. Car body materials have changed.

I originally used 4AWG when I started with an aftermarket stereo on my old car but upgraded later. Just go big the first time and skip to 1/0, so when you get too used to how loud your existing system is, you can upgrade easier, and for less money cause your wiring won't be sub par to support the new system.

I ran 3000W in subs plus 500W full range (RMS cause it's the only number that matters) off a single 1/0 gauge run with another 1/0 return run back to the battery negative in my old car. The more and the bigger, the better.

No chassis body grounding for me. Too many mixed metals and composite materials, possibly plastics and shoddy welds, not to mention possible rust that could get in the way of a good ground from front to back.

Why not have copper, the second best conductor, both ways as opposed to sheet metal steel/aluminum mixes?

In addition to the two runs from front to back, you put 1/0 wire from the battery positive to the alternator positive (just like in the big 3), and then you do another run of 1/0 between the alternator body and the battery negative.

[YellowJellyBean]

^^ I don't understand why you don't trust factory ground locations, which is where you attach the big 3 upgrades. Treat the surface where you're going to ground so that you're attaching to shiny metal, and your ground should be fine.

Side note, why don't you have any loom on those wires in your engine bay?