Topic: Car Voltage Stabilizers

[DarkSlySol]

I saw a Car Voltage Stabilizers for sale and I was wondering does anyone have any knowledge on theses? They claim to:
1. Improved audio quality.
2. Increased torque and response and power.
3. Stabilized idling and improved engine kick over.
4. Increased headlight brightness.
5. Improved fuel economy.
6. Improved battery life.
7. Help cars Save fuel

I know it basically acts as a capcitor in a way and most of those claim kinda make sense, but how about for the performance claims?

[DeepBlueGXP]

 don't waste your $5

[Smiling Clint]

 

[DarkSlySol]

how do they "work" tho

[Critterman]

Chances are very strong that they don't

[Rogue]

If the voltage stabilizer is bascially a large capacitor it will absorb any voltage spikes and bleed that energy down to a more acceptable voltage. The primary advantage I can see is that it would function as an overvoltage protection device, ie., keep electronic systems like radios from burning out due to the spikes. However...if your electrical system is in good condition and your alternator is functioning properly you should not be seeing any spikes. That job is handled by the voltage regulator in the alternator and the battery serves as your large storage capacitor.

[DeepBlueGXP]

Good for older cars 20+ years, that have aftermarket amps and get a wine noise when you hit the gas.   I bought a noise filter for my son's 1986 Ram 50 that he put an amp and subs in...

[DeepBlueGXP]

oh, and his gas mileage didn't go up

[klipper]

You really only need one if you are taxing the electrical system of your car.  In a previous vehicle, running dual 12" competition subwoofers with some heavy duty amplifiers would cause my lights to dim on each 'hit' of the subs and by the end of a 30 minute ride my headlights were noticeably dimmer.

The cap acts as a 'buffer' for the energy in your car.  If you have a massive system, I definitely recommend it.  If you are pure stock..no worries.

[lil goat]

You really only need one if you are taxing the electrical system of your car.  In a previous vehicle, running dual 12" competition subwoofers with some heavy duty amplifiers would cause my lights to dim on each 'hit' of the subs and by the end of a 30 minute ride my headlights were noticeably dimmer.

The cap acts as a 'buffer' for the energy in your car.  If you have a massive system, I definitely recommend it.  If you are pure stock..no worries.

What you are talking about are commonly called "boomer" caps, they are big and they work in high powered systems they just give voltage storage for power spikes and also act as a noise filter. What he posted about is just junk, and will help absolutely nothing. How do they work, well they don't. It's just a bunch of pretty wire.

[Go-N Def]

It's crap.  Even the stereo caps that were eluded to above are crap!  Completely worthless. 

   They are designed to store energy and release a charge when the voltage gets down to a certain level, i.e. a strong bass hit on a subwoofer.  You may think to yourself, "Well, that sounds like a good thing!"  Let me explain a few things...

Capacitors store up energy.
They release it quickly.
Then they need to be charged again.

   If you've ever read the instructions that come with one of these, they usually recommend "slow" charging it using a resistor for an hour or so after initial installation BEFORE using it.  Even after it's charged and ready for use, it still takes several seconds to a few minutes to fully recharge after a hard bass hit.

   So where does that energy come from?  Your car's electrical system.  If you listen to a song that only has a hard bass hit once every few seconds, (depending on the cap) you can get away with it.  Of course, the majority of songs that you want to crank up at midnight to annoy the neighbors have a few bass hits per second.  Even a "good" cap can only keep up for a few beats and then you are back to relying on your cars constant voltage output.

   The people that say it makes a difference, probably just ended up inadvertently improving their car's electrical system.  This is what the Pro's do in the first place (no cap involved) and it's the least expensive upgrade (that actually works) to do..  It's called the Big 3:

1) Increase the gauge of the battery's grounding wire.
2) Increase the gauge of the alternator's grounding wire.
3) Increase the gauge of the alternator's charging wire.

   All three of these reduce resistance of the electrical flow throughout the entire vehicle.  More flow = Faster battery charging. 

   Now mind you, this only works to a point.  There are some other things you can do if you need more power:

1) Get a better battery, Optima yellow-tops are the standard, but there are other choices out there. 
2) Add a second battery.  (Just make sure they are hooked up correctly.  Don't end up make a 24v system out of your 12v one). 
3) Add a high output alternator. You can get really crazy and even add a second one.



   After reading this, you may say that guy is full of crap. Believe what you want, this is the internet after all, but here's my experience on the matter:

   I had a pretty decent system in my SUV.  I was getting quite a bit of dimming.  I went to the local ripoff shop and they recommended a cap.  I installed it according to directions and got know difference what so ever.  I did some research on an online audio forum (much like this one, only more attitude) and found out about the Big 3.  I removed the cap and tried the Big 3 and it actually worked. 

   I said, hmmm, maybe now I can go bigger and better with the system and added some more bass.  It was still going strong, so I kept adding a little here and there.  I eventually added an Optima battery and increased the gauges on the Big 3 again.  I was up to 1300w RMS (about 3500-4000w peak) and only had minimal dimming.  Granted I think it was more in my head from almost blacking out every time the bass hit! LOL!!!   

   Along came the Solstice and suddenly I had other things to spend your tax dollars (I mean my paycheck) on.  I was going to add another battery and a HO alternator, but ended up giving the SUV to my father...

[Go-N Def]

Oh, and as for a noise filter, save yourself the money.  It's called ground loop effect.

If you keep your speakerwires away from your power wires and use a really good ground for your battery and for your amplifier it will usually eliminate it. 

A noise filter can work sometimes, but it takes away from the overall clarity of the sound.

[spicy3480]

Yea they are garbage!  The only reason to get one would be if you are stressing out your electrical system with higher powered amplifiers for speakers and subwoofers.  In that case, you would get a capacitor, or "cap" as they call it in the audio world.  They are usually mounted somewhere in the trunk, and are nowhere near your motor.  Don't waste your money!

[Go-N Def]

Yea they are garbage!  The only reason to get one would be if you are stressing out your electrical system with higher powered amplifiers for speakers and subwoofers.  In that case, you would get a capacitor, or "cap" as they call it in the audio world.  They are usually mounted somewhere in the trunk, and are nowhere near your motor.  Don't waste your money!

Ummmmm....Uhhhhh.... yeahhh....

Look up!

[Uranium-238]

Actually, the stereo ones do work as mentioned. Thing is, they should already be a part of any good amp. Going back to when I used to do sound tech work, in large amps these caps tend to be huge. The ones in my tube guitar amp are the size of my thumb, and that's for an amp that's not designed for a lot of bass work.