Hello

So my problem is that when playing my system my voltage drops are quite large. I get about 14.4v when idling with my system off. I usually see around mid to low 13s with times when it drops to about 12v and does not get above 12.7v for a while. I know that I need a new battery of some sort. I was just wondering what size/ah I should get. Also would it be better to upgrade my stock battery in the front or add an additional battery in the hatch area. I have upgraded the battery negative to ground and chassis to ground with 4 gauge wire.

My amps for reference:
AudioQue
Sundown Audio - SAX-50.4

Thanks,
Mike

 

Use the "search" button at the top of the page. The subject has been covered with many threads, and you have a lot of choices of better than stock batteries- all expensive.

 

thanks for answering my specific question!

i am in no way new here I have searched and read many threads. If I would have found something I wouldnt have made a thread. I know that the stock alt does not have a very high output and that upgrading it doesnt do as much as it should thanks to our ecu. I wanted to know which would be more beneficial to me. Hopefully someone else with a bit more insight could help me out or if you happen to know it would be nice for you to explain.

 

try kinetik hc800 or yellow top d51r optima batteries

 

Step 1 might be to scrap the 4g wire and use 0g.

 

Yeah I know that would probably help some but I still dont think that would completely solve my problems. Wire isnt all that cheap and then I have to find somewhere to run the larger wire since I already have tons of wire in the floor

 

Unless your dropping below 12 volts then dont worry about it.

 

well i havent seen below 12 but i have seen 12v for a while which cant be good for anything. I blew my sub amp and it was determined that it did so due to low voltage. so this is a problem that I would like to fix.

 

AudioQue
if thats your sub amp look at the specs
Working Voltage 8V---16V
and 12 volts is perfectly fine...

you blew your sub amp from over working the thing and overheating it im sure.

 

hey Im not the one who designed it and im not the one who diagnosed it. The owner of AQ recommend that I upgrade my electrical to prevent any future problems.

 

Of course he blaimed your electrical system....would a company ever blame their own product for the problem....lol

 

Well its not like our stock alternator puts out that much amperage and our stock battery is quite small. My system is not the largest but the music I play puts a lot of stress on the system. I dont think they would lie to me about the problem. maybe it because I feel that I would do in the same situation. They are a small company and have a very good reputation. It could have had a problem from the factory, who knows? I am going to upgrade or add a battery anyway for a piece of mind and because it seems like the right thing to do.

 

AQ's a reputable brand from everything I've seen.

Regardless, does ANYONE know what a good high-powered batt is for the Fit? I'm looking at Optima, Stinger, Kinetik...

 

Does your voltage drop when the bass is hitting, or is it just chilling at 12v for an extended period of time? I ask, because since my Fit was new, my Scangauge will show voltage down to 12v when I'm sitting at a light or cruising. I have 94k miles on the original battery, and no problems yet.

 

im wondering the same thing. Im gonna ask my friend who can hopefully get me a deal on an optima if possible.

It significantly drops when the bass is hitting but once it gets to like 12 something it does not go back up to 14.4 when it is not hitting or even if i turn the music off. If it would only hit 12v and then go back up i wouldnt be worried as much. My battery has also been replaced once before

 

Battery upgrade will do little to nothing. If the battery is not getting enough juice from the alternator its just going to sit there discharged while all the power is being drained it will build up for short periods of time between bursts but will quickly be drained again and again and again. This will place strain on the stock alternator and lead to premature failure. Only REAL solution is High Output alternator which is relatively untested right now as I have seen NO installs yet on a fit. Random ebay trash of course but nothing reliable. The wiring is fine though 4 AWG is overkill as it is until you (actually we since I am at the same problem) upgrade the alternator and grounding straps. In the short term if you've got 30 bucks to blow just buy a capacitor (maybe 2 or 3 farad at the most) and it will take care of the headlight dimming (mostly) it just wont do much to actually improve the power getting to the amp. Get one with a digital voltage display to make it easier to check on the voltage too. With the cap im showing continous voltage around 14.3 and lows of 13.2 - 13.1 durring bass peaks. Im running a similar setup myself 2000 watt peak 1000 watt rms amp with 2 cvr 12s in the back and 500 watt peak 150 watt rms amp in the front with a pair of alpines in the doors.


One scary possiblity though is that you are already experiencing a decline in the stock alternators output...

 

I could be experiencing a decline in the stock alternators output but I really dont have way to test that. I would never buy a capacitor for a car audio install as they dont do anything beneficial other than digitally display the voltage, which my distribution block already does. A high output alternator would be the solution I would ideally want to have along with upgraded batteries, but since at the moment the stock ECU has too much control over it its not worth it.

 

+1 A battery alone is not a solution. Your system will eventually knock out your alternator too. The battery is simply a reserve of power. However, if you can't keep the reserve filled up, you will eventually destroy your battery and loose your alternator. The only real way to build up your system properly is to get a high output alternator, get a high quality battery (such as kinetik), and upgrade your power wires and ground wires. It costs a good chunk of change but that is what you have to do if you want a good system. Also, upgrading your electrical system won't just prevent your system from failing. You will also notice that your system doesn't distort as easily, the bass is a little deeper and hits harder and cleaner, and the clarity of the system will probably improve too.