Official CarAudio.com Big 3 Thread

[fwb_1234 10+ year member]

Actually they already are connected....through the battery terminal.

 

[drwang 10+ year member]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Lot-of-Ten-1-0-Gauge-Ring-Terminals-Crimp-On-0-AWG_W0QQitemZ290120354543QQihZ019QQcategoryZ50549QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Are those ebay 1/0 ring terminals good enough or should i get the silver plated ones that are $4 each terminal crimp?

 

[drwang 10+ year member]

Will be doing the big 3 but need to know what fuse size to go with if I'm going to use 1/0 gauge. I'm getting this ANL fuse holder and it comes with a choice of fuse size.

http://cgi.ebay.com/In-Line-Waterproof-ANL-Fuse-Holder-w-Fuse-1-0-Gauge_W0QQitemZ220112188023QQihZ012QQcategoryZ50551QQcmdZViewItem

choice of ANL Fuse size -60/80/100/120/150/200/250/300

Should I just get the largest size? 300 in this case

 

[phenryiv1 10+ year member]

Will be doing the big 3 but need to know what fuse size to go with if I'm going to use 1/0 gauge. I'm getting this ANL fuse holder and it comes with a choice of fuse size.http://cgi.ebay.com/In-Line-Waterproof-ANL-Fuse-Holder-w-Fuse-1-0-Gauge_W0QQitemZ220112188023QQihZ012QQcategoryZ50551QQcmdZViewItem

choice of ANL Fuse size -60/80/100/120/150/200/250/300

Should I just get the largest size? 300 in this case

I have a 200A on my 1/0. Opinions vary on the benefits of fusing to the wire. I just picked 200A as a compromise.

 

[emd2260 10+ year member]

im going to be running 1 12" type R with around 1000w (Hifonics TX1505D @2ohms) in a '01 taurus.

my question is for all you technologically advanced, would i need to do the big 3?

my lights dim even if i roll down 2+ windows at the same time (not dramatically, but noticable), or would i just need to get a new battery ?

thanks!

 

[blimblam 10+ year member]

im going to be running 1 12" type R with around 1000w (Hifonics TX1505D @2ohms) in a '01 taurus. my question is for all you technologically advanced, would i need to do the big 3?

my lights dim even if i roll down 2+ windows at the same time (not dramatically, but noticable), or would i just need to get a new battery ?

thanks!

lol that *****. i would just do the big 3 then see what happens. if they still dim, you can get a new alt.

 

[swangin68 10+ year member]

so lets see if i got this straight, both grounds are easy but my question is do i leave my existing alt power wire where it is and can i run another 1/0 over the radiator support from the alt to the batt, making it a seperate connection. does it have to be thru the same path as the original or can it be completely seperate. what is the best? and do i fuse it with a 250 amp fuse. so there will be 2 fuses one from the alt to batt and one from the batt to amp

 

[xDeth7 10+ year member]

I have a question about hooking it to the Alternator. I drive a Ford Contour '99.

Here's my alternator:

http://img.autopartswarehouse.com/live/F4000162247BOS.JPG

I just need to know which part I'm hooking my wire into, to be completely safe. If someone could help me out.

 

[canemaster 10+ year member]

Is there anyone in/near Austin, Tx that can do the Big 3 for me???????

I can't figure it out for the life of me and I don't want to **** something up.

 

[wolfman1966 10+ year member]

just wondering, I have 2 RE8 subs on a 300 watt Jensen amp, and will eventually upgrade the amp to a PGXenon 400.1

with this small of a system, will the big 3 make any difference?

 

[thangalang 10+ year member]

Finally did the big three today and my system isn't even in yet, LOL. Can't wait till everything gets here.

 

[Nexson 10+ year member]

bring pictures back!!

 

[roarzorz 10+ year member]

Here's my pics. The vehicle is an '06 Yukon. The stock battery has been replaced with an Optima dual post Redtop. The factory connections are connected to the side post and are all left untouched in the factory condition. Everything was added in addition to the factory connections. These pics are back when I had 1/0 wiring. The battery terminals and fuse holder are Rockford Fosgate. The alternator is the factory GM 160amp.

There are two 1/0 wires coming from each battery terminal. On the positive side, one wire goes directly to the alternator to guarantee full power from it to the battery and the other goes to the fuse holder and on to the back. On the negative side, one wire goes to the alternator bracket to guarantee the alt has a solid ground directly to the battery and the other goes to the factory ground on the firewall which is factory grounded back to the engine. This completes a full grounding circle from battery to body, body to engine, engine back to battery.

Here's an updated pic. I've added a second 200amp alternator and upgraded to RF 2/0 power wire.

 

[WiCKeD 5.9L 10+ year member]

I hear "upgrade the Big 3" in about every other thread I read on CA. If anyone else was not happy with the explanation of "why" we should be doing this, this article is a good read: http://www.superchevy.com/technical/engines_drivetrain/accessories_electronics/0502sc_alt/

The "why" is more of a "what" will happen if you don't. I don't think it addresses why it might put strain on the battery or alternator.

I have a basic understanding of the charging system and could not reconcile how this was supposed to help the alternator or increase performance.

So here is my take on things...

Equipment: Your battery ensures you will always have power, but the discharge rate of a battery is around 12v, while your equipment operates ideally at ~14v. Lower voltage translates to less power delivered and may be noticeable in playback or headlights dimming.

Battery: Your battery operates the same as an oversized cap - it is temporary electrical storage. As long as it is working, your car will still run and equipment operate. However, it has a finite number of chemical reactions and the more it is used to power your car's electrical system, the sooner it will fail. By upgrading the wire from the alternator to the battery, you are providing more direct power to your components from the alternator.

Alternator: If there is a large power draw, the alternator has to work harder to produce power. With a smaller wire to the battery, less of that power is delivered to the battery and the alternator has to work even harder. Additionally, this unused(?) electrical energy results in heat and excess heat causes damage over time to the alternator. By increasing the wire size, it should allow the voltage regulator to release more current to the battery and electrical system, allowing the alternator to run cooler and spin slower.

That's my take on this upgrade anyway. I don't see how the voltage regulator would be able to sense that the wire is upgraded and more current can safely be passed to the battery. Somehow it must be set to only output X amount of current, because otherwise it would burn up the stock wiring. Either that output is variable depending on the wire guage or it is fixed to some maximum amount. If it is fixed, then maybe this upgrade does nothing! How would this do anything on a stock alternator? Someone want to clear that up with some sources?

http://www.alternatorparts.com/understanding_alternators.htm

Edit:

REGULATOR
The regulator has two inputs and one output. The inputs are the field current supply and the control voltage input, and the output is the field current to the rotor. The regulator uses the control voltage input to control the amount of field current input that is allow to pass through to the rotor winding. If the battery voltage drops, the regulator senses this, by means of the connection to the battery, and allows more of the field current input to reach the rotor, which increases the magnetic field strength, which ultimately increases the voltage output of the alternator. Conversely, if the battery voltage goes up, less field current goes through the rotor windings, and the output voltage is reduced.

Okay, so the regulator is able to sense this.

my alt to batt wire is rated for my alt. having it bigger doesn't make it send any more power nor faster nor more consistantly.

True?
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showpost.php?p=3135247&postcount=9

Back when amps were all class A/B and used unregulated power supplies electrical system mods like upgraded wiring, super guage wire, and capacitors helped keep voltage stable for the amps. Now that most sub amps are class D and run off regulated power supplies, all of that is pretty much for not. The amp only needs about 9-11v to put out max power so 0.1v drop over 18ft of wire is chump change and the amp's onboard capacitors make external caps pointless. 4ga is plenty thick for 1-3Kwatts and as long as you have decent terminals and upgrade the ground to negative terminal.
Buy a decent amp that puts out decent power and forget about the electrical system voodoo.

The only affect this type of mod will have is to increase maximum output in an SPL burp sort of contest. For daily listening it may reduce the dimming of your lights but any alledged "improvement" in sound is all placebo.

Interesting...

Automotive starting batteries have many thin plates to provide as many amps as possible in a reasonably small package, and are only drained a small amount before being immediately recharged. Care should be taken to avoid deep discharging a starting battery, since each charge and discharge cycle causes active material to be shed from the plates. When holes form in the plates it results in less surface area for the chemical reaction, which results in less available voltage when under load. Leaving a lead-acid battery in a deeply discharged state for any significant length of time allows the lead sulfate to crystallize, making it difficult or impossible to remove during the charging process. This can result in a permanent reduction in the available plate surface and therefore reduced current output and energy capacity.

 

[Mikey122687 10+ year member]

So if i read this guide correctly.

All I have to do is to "add on" a bigger wire to the Chassis, Alternator, and battery?