I thought I would just add to my 3 page prior post, but figured it would be easier to start fresh. I just happened to find a 2 farad capacitor at circuit city last saturday, for 60 bucks. I also picked up 12 feet of 4 gauge wire to install it, and finish my big three upgrade. After installing the cap, at idle, I could only get the voltage to drop to 13.3v, Instead of the 11. something volts I saw before the battery and cap. Hopefully this cure my current draw issues. So after installing my first cap in a system, I have to say they do work. Thanks to everyone who helped me with this. Chris

 

Chris, I had a funny feeling that a cap was just what you needed. I am glad to know that it did indeed solve your problem. I will be busy this weekend installing new custom stereo in my XF now that it is above 20 degrees. I will let you know how it goes, starting w/ all new infinity speakers throughout (all component), 2 caps, and a single 12 to start, may add another one down the road haha.

 

what brand of 12 are you installing? I can't complain about mine. Why do some people dislike capacitors? Hell mine came with a digital volt meter, for 60 bucks. Good luck with your build. and thanks again, chris

What size tires are you running up front? The dealer that I bought mine from had just put on chrome 19"s all around, but only put 215/35/19's up front, which leaves atleast a 1/4" of wheel exposed to gravel and everything else on the road.

 

the main reason why some people dont like caps is because of how fast they discharge under heavy use.. they then become just a link in your system not realy doing much but reading voltage.. they take a small period of time to recharge after they disipate.. (prolly spelled wrong...lol) they are mostly used in small setups like your using single subs or 2 small ones.. many people who compete in spl comps use them for their instant discharge for what is called burping... more or less they play a set bass note that their system is tuned to for max spl.. being that they are only using it for a few seconds it gives them the instant power that they need... i am a fan of power cells.. they are like a battery but they hold much more stored current designed specificly for car audio.. they never let voltage drop before releasing current it is a steady supply just like a battery... i install those for people who run multiple amps with large current drain. one of the best things you can do to help your charging system and keep your current at max is upgrade your ground wire at your battery.. most people forget to do this when they run a system then they get the dim lights and so on.. what i tell my customers is whatever you are pulling from the bat you most ground it as well.. so if you ran a 4awg power then upgrade your gound at the batt also with an additional 4awg.. the factor grounds are always small and not great.. every car i own i always upgrade it even if im not running a system.. also there is called a engine grounding kit, more or less it is a whole bunch of wires connected to various parts of your motor and then to ground to maximise your ground.. and believe it or not most people gain hp from doing this.. not anything huge average gain around 1-2hp. but everything in a car needs power, the better the ground the faster it will charge... also i have seen a lot of do it yourself people not make a good ground connection at the amp.. make sure your ground is less that 16inches from amp to chassis and scrape the paint off the surface to maximise your ground..

hope all this was helpful, and im sure iv said a lot of things that most people already know on here.. but its what i do for a living so i thought i would share..

also caps are great for small systems so dont let anyone tell you that it is a waste.. but if you go with multiple amps then look into a power cell from a company like kinetic or stinger.. have a good one man.. happy installs!!

 

I was liking everything you said until you dipped into the ground kits and hp gains...

 

initially the ground coming off of the battery after install, was not 4 gauge, and the power wire was coming from a distrubution block I guess is what it is called(little black box, right infront of the battery). When I upgraded the battery, I had them upgrade the ground wire, and relocate the power wire directly off of the battery. chris

 

as long as you have it like that now you should be all good.. and yes you can hp from a grounding kit.. do a google search. and read turbo mag or sport compact car or super street.. and also as i said its not on all cars that gain hp but certain ones do like subaru and a few others.. and again its small only like 1-2 hp.. but dont take my word for it.. search for yourself... im sure you will be suprised on what you find.. also if your into searching checkout the august issue 2006 of super street magazing the cover car is a ble sti and if you read the article my name comes up in the props section being that i helped build the car.. not trying to be cocky or a jerk but trust me im no idiot. i have building cars for 13 years and have 22 electronic certs. and one of them is threw chrysler.. being that the company i work for repairs factory wiring for ford chrysler and gm..well now we only service ford being that the other automakers are in big trouble, but i think you get my point.....

 

ppro check out this site this is just one link of the hundreds that are out there about grounding kits...

http://www.passwordjdm.com/uploads/h..._Kit_849_1.htm

 

here is one with more info for ya. again the reason why you gain small power is because the engine runs better because you are getting the max current. so the ecu runs more accuratly making everything work better.. read the article.. if your still not convinced im sure i can find some dyno sheets for ya with before and after.. again im not trying to be a jerk.. i have been a member on here for a little while and i see on here how everyone has a apnion and the second someone says anything on here there is always someone who will try to say something bad or try to make them look stupid.. so i am offering you the proper info on the product that i mentioned so you fully understand what i am talking about before you make more comments about somthing that im guessing you have never used.. trust me i would never talk about internals or building a motor or the how to of tranny building.. but wiring is what i have done all my life and im certified for it by many many companys... so sorry if there was any misunderstandin on anything that i had mentioned in my other replys or was unbclear on exactly what the product i was talking about i think i gave enough info on it know that you can do your own search...



http://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/PROD/12-4199

 

i just wanted to add one more thing.. a ground kit is best used to just inprove your cars current.. but when you have other performace parts installed like ignition from msd or accell or a stand alone like tec2 or wolf you will see a performance gain in doing the ground kit... and yes even certain cars gain hp from doing only this. ie wrx 350z and most hondas. but again this isnt ment as a performace mod and you will gain all this and that form doing it.. but there are benifits from doing it and hp happens to be a common one on most cars thats why i mentioned it. and the factory wiring in cars is usualy not very good. so any upgrade that will improve current flow will help the car to run better.. just remember evrything that a car does comes from a single spark happening over and over again.. the better the spark the better the explosion.. thats why people upgrade spark plug wires and most things connected.. common sence says that if your gaining from better wire there of course you can gain by doing it threw the whole car.... any other questions i would be more than happy to answer and i like helping the do it yourself people out there.. so if there are any other things i can help with let me know.. and for any others if your in the harrisburg area i work for R.T, Grim electronics so if you need car audio video alarms remote starts or custom boxes wiring as so on i can be reached there.. we also do group discounts... 717-761-4113 ext206...

 

ok to sum it up better current transfer, can keep everything running smoother. Sure if your audio system drops your rpm's, your going to lose some performance. Just like running the air conditioner, on a dyno. Don't take it personally. ppro has helped alot, and everyone has an opinion, just like with the capacitor. How much would a custom ported box for a 12w6 cost? The one I have has to sit in the middle of the trunk area, and basically takes up the entire area, but sounds good. chris

 

well the price would all depend on if you wanted it fiberglassed or just wood.. also the design i run in my car takes no trunk space.. i fiberglass a box to the arched part of the trunk so this way i lose no trunk space... the box should be done soon and my car will be at the carlise show in may at the rt grim booth..

and i was not trying to be a jerk with my other post. and i did notice that he has helped many people including me in my wheel search.. i was just giving him some info on a product that i am familiar with so if it ever comes up he would have the info needed to have the convo about it.. i run into a lot of people at work who have not heard of a product or its functions and try to comment on them without info. so i was just trying to help.. like i said you will never hear advice out of me about building a engine or how to build your own turbo and so on.. but electronics is what i do.. and i offer all of my servies to anyone who wants help... and of course it helps business to get a group of people who want things for their car and can go to someone who they trust.. thats why i keep giving out the company i work for name....

 

Has anyone upgraded their grounds on the x yet? I'm running a Memphis belle and could probably use a thicker set of grounds.

Dh

 

I Upgraded Mine Using A 4awg. I Do It On All My Cars.. As Most German Cars The Ground In It Is Weak. It Only Takes About 10 Min To Upgrade It.. Just Buy A 16inch Piece Of 4awg Wire And Some Ring Terminals, Crimp The Rings To Each End Of Wire, The Attach One End To Neg On Batt And The Other To Chassis Ground.. Make Sure Its A Good Ground Location If Needed Scrape The Paint Off Before Grounding. Then If You Had To Scrape I Sudgest To Spray Some Rust Stopper To Avoid Any Rust Or Build Up On The Contact Point.... I Go Above And Beyond On My Cars Being That I Do Wiring For A Living. So I Do A Few More Key Points.. I Make One Going From The Engine Block To Ground. And Also The One On My Altinator. This Will Cover Most Of The Charging System In The Car. You Will Notice Less Dim Lights When Driving At Night With A/c On When The Compressor Kicks On.. Hope This Helps You Any Other Questions Let Me Know...

 

You didn't happen to take any pics did you? If I remember right there's just the one ground coming off the battery. Did you use the stock ground location?

Thanks

Dh

 

sorry no pics right now. im currently working on the car for a upcoming show, so its sitting in the garage at my work... i did not use the factory ground. i scraped and then used a bolt with star and lock washer and locking nut. but you can use factory.. i just like to do all my own grounds... i leave the factorys in place and just do additional ones...

 

Will you post some pics of the box when it is done? I think I know what your talking about as far as location. I was originally suppossed to get one that would atleast slide over to one side, but when I went back to buy everything, they had switched box sizes. The ones for our cars on the net, that conform to the inner wheel well, seems a little high. Especially when I could get a sprint booster for a little more. chris

 

the box that i am building for my car is going to hold 2 8''w3v2 in it with a focal amp in the center all glassed together and wraped in gray leather.. the location is the hump in the trunk. if u look back from your drivers seat its the angled area in the trunk directly behind the seats where it slopes then levels off to trunk floor. this way you have max trunk space. but still have the gain of having everything in the trunk area for optimum sound quality. my guess when its all done will range from 250 to 350 depending on what you want for a finish, paint leather and so on... if you are going to go to the carlise pa show in may it will be in the r.t. grim booth.. the box only takes a couple days to build. but with work as busy as it is right now i havent had the spare time to get it sanded and wraped so i can install it.. so there will be pics but prob not till right before the show being that we have other cars we have to finish for the show along with the regular work schedule... spring is always a busy time for car audio shops...lol....

 

if anyone is interested in the work done by me and the shop i work for you can check out the rtgrim.com web site. its kinda cheezy and old but it gives the company prfile and some pics of fiberglass work that we have done for some car shows and thinga like that.. also i have pics on my myspace of cars that i built when i was in indianapolis. a few colt player cars tony yugo and dillian gandy. also some pics of a custom mustang that i built while i was there with fiberglass.. it can help give you a idea of the work that i do.... and if you are in the harrisburg pa area you can always stop by the shop and check out the cars we are currently building for the upcoming show.. let me know if you want my myspace link...

 

this is something the old guy here had forgotten about. when racing the old cars, we always ran new heavy guage ground wires...just didn't think about it in the later years, but it all makes sense, especially with all the electronics...thanks guys