BIG3TONE

Just bought a new car and thought i'd come on here and ask some questions before i make stupid mistakes.
I'm hoping to run 2 Clarion pxw 1052s, and 2 Clarion PXW 1252s, off of a pair of kenwood KAC-7252 amps that i have. Each amp is rated at 500watts RMS @ 4ohms, and i'm curious of a few things.

1. Will the install (professionally done) void my extended warranty in any way? Obviously the alternator would not be covered, but are there any other area's of concern when it comes to this? Will the added load on the alternator affect the computer system at all? This may be a stupid question, but i'd rather ask it then make a stupid mistake.

2. What is the best choice to minimize the load pulled from the alternator? I've been looking at Kinetik power cells, as well as regular capacitors, but don't have a great deal of experience with the subject.

3. Is there any way to run the power wires totally independant from the rest of the car? Would an aftermarket alternator capable of outputting more amps be beneficial? Could I then run a separate power wire from that alternator?

I apologize if some of this doesn't make sense, but if you can help or need clarification on something to better understand my situation, please just ask.

Any info is appreciated!

n0catchyname

1. Ask your dealer. Different car companies have different policies on warrenty coverage and aftermarket stereo systems.

2. & 3. If you are doing electrical upgrades start with a quality battery and the big 3 upgrade (search function if you are unfamiliar with it). Then, if needed, upgraded alternator, followed by 2nd battery or power cell(s)/capacitors.

Allan74

iTrader: (-1)

If you do a little Google hunting you should find a few articles that prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that a Capacitor can be done without.

In summation - for the possitive effects it has on overall current demand, it can cause voltage drops while recharging under great demand.

Search Google for the whole story.....

BigRedGuy

iTrader: (11)

First of all.....pick one of the pairs of subs and ditch the other ones......mixing subs is a bad idea.....use the second amp to run your front stage.....

1. The added load will only be an issue if it causes large voltage drops....the car needs stable voltage levels to function properly but the current flow out of the alt is a separate but related issue that way.

2. Best way is don't overload it....make sure you have maximized what you have already (ie. Big 3 wiring upgrade) and watch for headlight dimming at high volume levels. If you are drawing more power than your electrical can supply you will have to create more....caps are occasionally helpful for smoothing out levels for short periods of time but are not the long term solution. A second battery is generally used to extend key-off playing time, as far as running your system while you drive it shouldn't make that big a difference.

3. Yes you can....it involves a second alt and dedicated wiring for the system only.....you may need to remove something from the front of the engine to make room to install it tho such as an A/C compressor or power steering pump.

HTH

BIG3TONE

BigRedGuy, why is mixing subs a bad idea? I was concerned about that before, but figured since they seem to be identical subs (aside from diameter obviously), and would be running off an identical amp, i wouldn't run into any issues? Not trying to question the fact, but curious as to why.

And thanks for the advice guys. Would you suggest i use 0 guage wire to do the big 3? Or can any of you make a recommendation as to where I could have this done if i don't want to take it on myself?

brandon_12345

most new cars can handle 1000 rms on the stock alternator just make sure you use the right gauge wire and upgrade the wire connections for the charging system under the hood (the big 3), my rule of thumb is when working on my car that also has a 3 year comprehensive warranty, i never do anything that cant be reversed, if the dealer blames my mods i simply remove them and show that the problem still exists without them,

now as far as your choice of going with 4 woofers of two different sizes and two separate amps, you might want to re-consider. if youre going to go with 4 subs get four of the same, if you mix sizes the two pairs wont be re-producing the same sound and it causes all sorts of issues that can be avoided by going with four of the same sized woofers. now the other thing is are you going to be using this car for spl competitions or just for listening to really clean sounding music while out cruising? cuz as far as my personal experience goes nobody in their right mind would be able to stand listening to that system for more than maybe 5 minutes before they turned the bass down. my last system was a single 12 inch sub with 900 rms and i had to leave my head unit at -9 sub and the remote bass control at less than 1/4 just to be able to turn the volume up to a reasonable listening level, so i spent $900 on a sub and amp that i never even turned up, i could not imagine what it would have been like with four woofers in that car, so basically if youre getting the system to show off then go for it, but in reality for a daily driver one to two subs on just one of those amps would be more than enough to sound great

BIG3TONE

my system will be purely for daily driving, although i do like to turn it up everyone once in awhile, i'm not the guy you'll hear from half way around the block.

If thats the case, would i be better to run 2 12" or 2 10" for overall SQ and volume? I've actually got 3 sets of subwoofers at the moment.
2 pxw1252 (dual 4 ohm 12")
2 pxw1052 (dual 4 ohm 10")
2 pxw1051 (dual 2 ohm 10")
My issue now is my amps can only be run at 4ohms bridged (500watts rms), or 250watts rms per channel @ 2 ohms. So should i run the 2 12's off of one amp, 2 10's off one amp, or 2 10's with an amp each? sealed or ported?

brandon_12345

i would say run the two 12's off of one amp and sell all of the rest of the subs and use the money to buy a really nice pair of components to run off of the second amp for your front speakers and you will have a very nice system that will sound really clear at high volume

n0catchyname

I agree. Since the 10's & 12's have the same handling power, you might as well use the 12's. The 10's should provide slightly tighter and cleaner bass, but I'm not sure how much of a difference you would really be able to notice. So for overall SQ & volume, I'd stick with the 12's.

You could run one amp for each of them, but like brandon said, a nice set of components would be a good compliment to your subs for SQ purposes. Plus, the lack of draw on the 2nd amp -compared to running it on a sub - will decrease it's effect on your electrical system. Also, if you were using 1 amp to 1 sub your subs would likely over power your stock mids and highs and you'd want to upgrade them too, and possibly, add a third amp.

Running the two amps (one for subs, one for components) will save your electrical, be loud when you want it, and also sound very clean.

BigRedGuy

iTrader: (11)

/\/\ What they said....

Personally out of your list I would use the 2 12"s off one of your amps. Sell the other subs to pay for a good ported enclosure for the 12s.

Second amp runs the fronts, something in the way of a decent set of 6.5" comps will run you from $100 to $300 (or more) depending how picky your ears are.

Sent u a PM as well.

HTH