I just had system installed. I put a 12 inch type r. Sounds great have plenty of base at normal volume level. When I turn up the sub control **** it still sounds great but my battery gauge dips with each base hit. I don't need to have it so high but sometimes I might want to. Am I doing any damage to the alternator or any other components when this happens. also what is the big three ? I can change an alternator, where do I get the beefed up one? I can put a optimum battery, Which color do you recommend yellow, red or other? I don't know what the third is of the big three. Thanks

 

Do you have a power cap? (capacitor, 1 farad, or higher)

 

I'll call the guy that did the install and ask him.

 

Basically,

It stops the voltage spikes from getting to the charging system by supplying stored energy when the demand peaks. That in turn will stop the voltage from dropping, or at night, dimming of your headlights when the bass hits.

 

Caps are bandaids for a poorly performing electrical system OR too much wattage for the stock system. People use caps all the time and still have dimming headlights and can't figure out why.
First we need to know what kind of power your putting out...in other words what amp? The second thing is that if the installer didn't use the right diameter power cable and ground then it will do this. By good I mean thick enough wire for the amp. If he used a 8 gauge power cable and ground for lets say a 500watt amp it would do this because it's kind of like sucking a milkshake through a stir straw. 4gauge is generally my minimum cable I use because it leaves room for upgrade even on lower power systems. Most will not do this because it costs more money.
The ground wire for the amp should also be as short as possible. If it is too long then you can have issues as well.
The best upgrades for helping your electrical system perform it's best is a big three upgrade and a solid alternator. The big three are done by upgrading the battery cables...ground and power going to the alternator to at cable that is 2gauge or bigger. Also the chassis ground that goes from your engine black to the frame. By increasing the diameter of the cable used for this you don't get the straw affect mentioned earlier.
The battery is not as big a factor when the car is running because the car is running off the alternator not the battery. A good battery helps in the recharging process or if you were sitting in a parking lot running the radio with the car off or had a megawatt system that needs extra power (this would also have extra alternators). If the battery is old then it may not be recharging as fast as it needs to so it is drawing current off the alternator all the time which will cause issues as well that would not show up until you add things to the chain of electrical components, like an aftermarket amp.
Lastly there is nothing like an aftermarket system to show the age of your electrical system. While your car may be fine with the stock stuff running off it as soon as you put some aftermarket audio in there to suck some amps away from it you will begin to see the weak points in your electrical or components that are starting to show signs of wear.

 

Thanks for the help, I"m running 4 gauge, I will check length of ground wire.

 

What kind of wattage from the amp and what model amp. The reason is that alot of amp companies claim a power number and then it isn't close to that so if I know the model I can more accurately tell you what the wattage is and the amperage your using.

 

Memphis mcd-1000 running @1 ohm. Its dimming the headlights bad when cranked up. The amp guage also moves over 1/4 of the entire sweep.