Bigger battery

[Kully E220 Coupe]

Hi,

I'm thinking about putting a bigger battery in my car to deal with the extra draw from electric seats and a big stereo. I noticed on my mates CE convertible that the battery is physically bigger than the one in my car, does this mean it can hold more charge???

- Kully

 

[Bolide]

In simple terms the AH (Amp-Hours) rating determines how much energy the battery can store

Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk

 

[television]

And do make sure that your alternator can supply the current needed to keep it charged, if not keep the same size

 

[wireman]

If you are not using the car as a mobile sound system whilst it is not running there is no need at all to do any changes to your battery capacity.
If the unit is to be run when stopped i suggest that a second battery is installed then if you flatten the battery by entertaining for too long the car will still start on its own battery.

The alternator supplies all the electrical power on the car whilst the engine is running it is the output capacity of this that could be a problem to a high electrical loads user.

Unless there is a requirement for lots of time operating your high power audio stuff without the engine running leave it alone and dont let the kids wind the seats up/down/back/forth etc all day since the seats mechanism will get worn out.

As to the power demand of a high power stereo unit this is usualy a lot less than most folks think, a 100w per channel amp will not normaly be delivering anything like 100w on average, music has a bit of loud peak and lot quietish bits so the average value of output power would be less than 10% (and thats for loud boom boom stuff) the actual power draw is at a guess is going to be 20w per channel at full flat out max volume.

At any other lower settings the power draw will be much much less due to our ears having a very wide range in which they operate satifactorily, this could be as low as 1/10w per channel and your stereo would work all week off one charge of the battery at that level.
To determine the amount of power drawn measure the current drawn by the stereo and multiply by 13.8v to get the actual watts of DC power that the system is consuming.

If you do flatten the battery to the point of tricky to start make sure that the battery is fully recharged on a mains powered charger asap, it could take several days for the alternator to full recharge a dead battery, using a battery frequently in a partialy charged state will shorten its life.

 

[kth286]

the convertibles have a more powerful battery and charging system to cope with the electric hood mechanism which is very heavy on current on that model.

 

[Xtractorfan]

The second battery option is the wisest, another thing u could do is carry a mobile power pack these can be bought for as little as £20 and believe me some of these cheaper ones are as good as the expensive ones...you have to ensure it is charged at least once a week to keep it topped up

 

[Kully E220 Coupe]

The second battery option is the wisest, another thing u could do is carry a mobile power pack these can be bought for as little as £20 and believe me some of these cheaper ones are as good as the expensive ones...you have to ensure it is charged at least once a week to keep it topped up

I carry one of these in my boot I will stick a second yellowtop battery in the boot dedicated soley to the amplifiers. The only reason i want to upgrade the battery is i get very bad light dimming when i play a really Bassy song at night, all the interior lights and the Headlights dim, even the rpm fluctuates (when the car is stationary at traffic lights) soon as theres a very low note that needs lots of power from the amps.

Thanks for all the info.

 

[television]

I carry one of these in my boot I will stick a second yellowtop battery in the boot dedicated soley to the amplifiers. The only reason i want to upgrade the battery is i get very bad light dimming when i play a really Bassy song at night, all the interior lights and the Headlights dim, even the rpm fluctuates (when the car is stationary at traffic lights) soon as theres a very low note that needs lots of power from the amps.

Thanks for all the info.

Just couple them up with a large diode, then the is no feed back

 

[bigasotonuk]

Hi,
Have you tried using capacitors?
Check the link below;

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fli-1-Farad-A...oryZ1498QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[Parrot of Doom]

A capacitor won't store enough charge to power anything in the car, even a 1 farad job. Smoothing the output yes, powering a device no.

It would make a very impressive mess of anything that shorted it though

 

[Bolide]

The only reason i want to upgrade the battery is i get very bad light dimming when i play a really Bassy song at night, all the interior lights and the Headlights dim

Have you done The Big Three? And are the power & earth cables to the amp big enough?

Have a look here for info:

http://talkaudio.co.uk/vbb

Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk

 

[Kully E220 Coupe]

Have you done The Big Three? And are the power & earth cables to the amp big enough?

Have a look here for info:

http://talkaudio.co.uk/vbb

Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk

I'm using Zero gauge wiring for the Amp powering the Subwoofer and 4 gauage for my amp powering my Components front and rear plus i got a 8 guage power going to my Head unit (it requires a dedicated power as it will toast the power that comes form the ISO) I've tried Caps but they help for a short while then the lights dim again. I will try the battery in the boot option and let you guys know how i get on.

Thank you for all your advice

 

[Silver Arrow]

Are you anywhere near a Marina or yacht basin?

These sort of problems tend to have been solved by boat owners who spend time away from their base and need their diesels to re-start. (You can't push start a boat!).

George.

 

[Bolide]

i got a 8 guage power going to my Head unit (it requires a dedicated power as it will toast the power that comes form the ISO)

Something's wrong then. The HU shouldn't require more than a couple of amps at most

Have you got a 0 guage earth for the bass amp and have you done The Big Three?

Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk

 

[Kully E220 Coupe]

Something's wrong then. The HU shouldn't require more than a couple of amps at most

Have you got a 0 guage earth for the bass amp and have you done The Big Three?

Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk

Yup Zero gauge Earth drilled in with a self tapping screw.