by lotas » Sun May 01, 2005 12:05 pm
ive got a XXX getting 1200watts and a jl 300/4 so I have 1500watts on my stock alt, which is 90amps i think, believe me it will not last long. I ordered my HO alternator last week because of all the group buys, its definetly needed. I was in a guys car last night and he had 2 18" RF, not sure how many watts going to them, but it was a Ford Explorer, so probably a bigger alternator than mine, and his lights were dimming like crazy.
If you are getting an XXX, you will *probably* have to upgrade your electrical system. You could start with just the Big 3 and a new Battery and see how that does, before you get a HO alt.
Find out the rating of your alternator right now, take a look at it under the hood, it might say on it, if it doesnt, look online or call up Napa or Autozone or somewhere, they should know. Take the total RMS of your system and divide by 12 ( to be safe) . That will give you a rough estimate (although you should add efficiency for class D and A/B) of how many amps your system will be drawing from your alternator.
You also have to keep in mind your stock alternator wasn't designed with car audio in mind, so about 60% of your stock alternators amps are going to the electrical needs of the car, its probably different for every car though.
Anyways, there's some things to think about. The Big 3 (if you were wondering) is what you call upgrading three wires under your hood. Cant think of what three it is, its the two battery wires, and the ground to the engine block or something, someone will tell you, or you could probably search for it.
For more alt. info, check out the FAQ section, the very first topic is about Charging System and Alternators, that should give you some good info too.
ive got a XXX getting 1200watts and a jl 300/4 so I have 1500watts on my stock alt, which is 90amps i think, believe me it will not last long. I ordered my HO alternator last week because of all the group buys, its definetly needed. I was in a guys car last night and he had 2 18" RF, not sure how many watts going to them, but it was a Ford Explorer, so probably a bigger alternator than mine, and his lights were dimming like crazy.
If you are getting an XXX, you will *probably* have to upgrade your electrical system. You could start with just the Big 3 and a new Battery and see how that does, before you get a HO alt.
Find out the rating of your alternator right now, take a look at it under the hood, it might say on it, if it doesnt, look online or call up Napa or Autozone or somewhere, they should know. Take the total RMS of your system and divide by 12 ( to be safe) . That will give you a rough estimate (although you should add efficiency for class D and A/B) of how many amps your system will be drawing from your alternator.
You also have to keep in mind your stock alternator wasn't designed with car audio in mind, so about 60% of your stock alternators amps are going to the electrical needs of the car, its probably different for every car though.
Anyways, there's some things to think about. The Big 3 (if you were wondering) is what you call upgrading three wires under your hood. Cant think of what three it is, its the two battery wires, and the ground to the engine block or something, someone will tell you, or you could probably search for it.
For more alt. info, check out the FAQ section, the very first topic is about Charging System and Alternators, that should give you some good info too.