The Big Three

[SaltySteve]

Hey guys.

Has anybody done "The Big Three" upgrade? I just had amp/speakers/sub installed and am having some big time dimming issues. The installer told me that dimming would probably occur without upgrading other components like the big three, alternator, or battery. Getting a capacitor could be a possibility. I wanted to see how bad it was going to be before throwing cash at it. I see I see said the blind man pissing in the wind. I figure I'll start with the 3 and work my way up from there if necessary.

Anyway, the thread from that link seems to explain it in great detail but I thought I'd check to see if any of you guys had any Corolla specific advice or experience with upgrading these cables. My searches didn't render any results. Any knowledge thrown this way would be much appreciated. Thanks all.

[Drumm3rKiDz]

can you go more indepth about the "big 3" i know a fairly good amount on car audio but idk about big 3 lol

[SaltySteve]

Quoted from the link I posted:

"Definition: the "Big Three" upgrade means improving the current capacity of three cables: 1) alternator positive to battery positive, 2) battery negative to chassis, and 3) engine ground to chassis."

It all seems pretty straight forward. Just looking for input.

[TFCommanderBob]

Click the link he provided and you will see what it is.

Basically the connections from your battery to ground/alternator and engine ground.

The big 3 could definitely help before you start doing alternator and battery stuff. Capacitors might mask the symptoms but don't take care of the problem. The dimming means you are taking more energy than the battery can supply, or faster than the alternator can refill it. I believe that a better battery would probably be the easiest solution after you do the big 3. I haven't needed to do it for mine yet....

[Drumm3rKiDz]

Originally Posted by TFCommanderBob

Click the link he provided and you will see what it is.

Basically the connections from your battery to ground/alternator and engine ground.

The big 3 could definitely help before you start doing alternator and battery stuff. Capacitors might mask the symptoms but don't take care of the problem. The dimming means you are taking more energy than the battery can supply, or faster than the alternator can refill it. I believe that a better battery would probably be the easiest solution after you do the big 3. I haven't needed to do it for mine yet....

+1 i havent experienced this problem yet either and im running a 1000 watt amp to my two 12" subs and a 600 watt to the other speakers, planing on getting a new head unit though but if this happens to me first thing im upgrading is the battery.

[Dimaoala]

When I read the title, first thing I thought of was Intake, Header, Exhaust

[SuperchargedMR2]

Originally Posted by Drumm3rKiDz

+1 i havent experienced this problem yet either and im running a 1000 watt amp to my two 12" subs and a 600 watt to the other speakers, planing on getting a new head unit though but if this happens to me first thing im upgrading is the battery.

The wattage of the amp can be high like yours is but what is the current rating? Current is what drives a speaker, not wattage. Amps are a measure of current, that's why an amp is not called a wattifier. It's much better to have high current than high wattage, & make sure that distortion is low too.

[ChancreScolex]

I believe someone here did the big 3. His username is trunks something.

[diablo2184]

Did you guys do this?

[Dimaoala]

I didn't, never had any dimming in my car and I've swapped all my speakers, added a 12" sub & 2 amps. Never had a problem with dimming.