[GM4WALLS]

Originally Posted by DiMora And while I'm going off, capacitors on car stereos help big time. All they are is reserve power for transients. It us like having a bigger tank on the back of your toilet - it just sits there when not needed, but when you do need it, it is nice to have that big powerflow. It doesnt add any big strain to your battery or alternator. It charges and discharges in milliseconds. Your amps are filled with them. When your car is running, the battery doesnt matter, it simply becomes another load the alternator is charging.

Caps are garbage... they add an unneeded strain on you electrical system, and offer almost no additional benefit. The companies that build them have no regulations on how much power they have to put out in contrast to how much they claim. Go measure a 1 Farad cap for power storage/output... I will wait! Through over 10,000 bench tests, not one cap has done what its rated to do.

Let's look at this from a logical standpoint... with a proper charging system, you have less weight, less cost, less headache, and less failed equipment. If you have additional batteries or caps, you have additional weight. If you are using a slow charging battery and a underpowered alternator, you supplement by adding these items. A cap draws power from the battery as does your amplifier... your amp only pulls power from a cap when the voltage drops... then the alternator has to recover both the battery and the cap.
In the late 90's the mentality was power storage, but now we are smarter and we realize power production is where its at.

I ask you, which weighs less... a single 280 amp alternator and a single battery, or a battery, 110 amp alternator, and a bank of capacitors or additional batteries? Which cost less, a HO alternator and a single battery, or a new alternator and a bank of caps or additional batteries? Which is less likely to fail, two items, or half a dozen?

If a car audio shop charged you for a cap, they saw you coming. Our shop didn't carry them because we knew the truth. Once again 15+ years installation experience as a professional/enthusiast/hobbiest/ competitor... my resume includes a car that peeked into the 170+dB of SPL range, a half a dozen SQ show winners, and two appearances in car audio magazines including a feature in Car Audio and Electronics... the other was a competitor review in Autosound Magazine. MECP certified and I have owned 3 sponsored cars, the most recent by Memphis Car audio.