choosing a cap

hey guys I was wondering if anyone could help me with choosing a cap. Like what to look for in the stats and stuff. I'm gunna be running 1000 watts to a sub and I herd rule of thumb is for every 1000 watts it's 1 fared. What else should I be looking at since not all things are created equal

save your money and forget the cap.  Upgrade the Big3 and then add a battery or HO altenator.

i really dont want to upgrade the big 3 cause i dont have the crimper for a 0awg wire and i really dont feel like paying someone a butt load of money to do it for me. i figured my buddy has a cap laying around i just wanted to know about the stats this way i can check if its any good or not.
its a 2000 silverado with a optima red top already in it and i really dont want to upgrade the alternator either. so i figured that a cap would hold me over

No... It won't. The cap is a band-aid on a bullet wound, and will do you NO "good", and will in the long run cause more issues than it solves short-time...

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It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."

well it won't do anything

damn, so basically big 3 or bust? anyone know where i can buy the 0-4awg crimper?

Yep... A cap doesn't make power, and it has to get the energy stored within itself from OUTSIDE... The alternator and battery. What's that make it? That's right - a "load", just like the amplifer.

It's called a "hammer", or sometimes a "vice". If you have a reasonably high wattage soldering iron, (say... 75 to 100 watts) you can even crimp it lightly to hold it, then solder it. That's actually the preferred method, anyway.

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It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."

haemphyst wrote:

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Yep... A cap doesn't make power, and it has to get the energy stored within itself from OUTSIDE... The alternator and battery. What's that make it? That's right - a "load", just like the amplifer.

It's called a "hammer", or sometimes a "vice". If you have a reasonably high wattage soldering iron, (say... 75 to 100 watts) you can even crimp it lightly to hold it, then solder it. That's actually the preferred method, anyway.

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the hammer method doesnt really work all that well. i had a friend who we did the big three on and the crimp end(hammered) ended up coming off eventually. i have a butane powered soldering iron. gets pretty hot but not hot enough for the 0awg wire and crimp. is there any other way? like is there something i can buy that will make a better crimp in a vise?

You can't get it hot enough with a butane soldering iron, something is wrong.
Burning butane by default is hot as hell (1,970 degrees CELCIUS)(https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/flame-temperatures-gases-d_422.html)

With the hammer method, take a nail and electrical tape it to the crimp on with the wire in it, then smash it into oblivion, should give you the split indention that is there to help hold onto the wire.

Or check out the Upgrading the Big Three for tips on how to accomplish this

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Greed is for amateurs.

Disorder,chaos,anarchy now THAT is fun!!

if you want a large gauge crimper, go to partsexpress.com.  They have all kinds of parts and tools to help the do-it-yourself'er.

First off, I NEVER use the connector that is marked X size for X wire... My connectors are either chosen one or two sizes smaller than the wire (i.e. a #4 connector for a #2 or 1/0 wire) or I custom make my own from several layers of heavy sheet copper. This ensures a perfectly snug fit to start, and once crimped, there isn't the typical "smash-fray" behavior in the end of the wire. Generally though, I solder.

But like jazz says, if you can't get it hot enough with a butane torch, you ARE doing something wrong, or simply not allowing enough time. I use a $19 dual heat 50/100 watt Radio Shack soldering gun to solder all my connections, and it works flawlessly, even all the way up to 2/0. (That's the largest wire I've ever tried to solder with it, but it did go, is my point.) Yes, larger cables take longer, but they DO solder eventually.

Also, if your end failed, it was because you didn't crimp it adequately. It may have FELT good enough, but apparently, it was not. A proper crimp will be a "cold weld", and will be as strong as the wire itself... This is a fact. Absent a proper cold-weld connection, one should ALWAYS solder their heaviest connections, and really ALL connections.

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It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."

Here's another option:

https://www.fastenal.com/web/products/detail.ex?sku=0710584

The idea is you place a closed end lug upside down in a vise.
Apply flux to the wire. Place the solder pellet in the lug.
Heat both lug and wire together, inserting the cable slowly.
Use a propane plumbers torch. This is a sealed moisture free bond.

A big enough bench vise works very well. I insert a screw driver shaft in the middle of the crimp part of the lug. Let the lug mold around it, then crimp sideways to crush the sides together. I found this works better than the hammer the crap out of it method.

so basically spend the money on getting better wire to upgrade the big 3 is what your all saying.

also i was looking at the wire sizes i should be running and was thinking to run a 3awg wire instead of a 4 awg for that 1000watt amp. its going 17ft away from the battery. i really dont want to buy and run 0awg wire and the 3awg is half the price. will that be enough?

I'd say run 4/0 and be set for life

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Greed is for amateurs.

Disorder,chaos,anarchy now THAT is fun!!

Again Rockford recommends 1/0 AWG with a 250A fuse. If you buy Welding Cable and not some marketed BS wire the cost isn't that bad. 17 feet @ $4 is $68.00. Run it once with the right wire and fuse and be done with it. You want that amp, this it what it takes.