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Silver Member Username: Safa19Post Number: 189 Registered: Apr-05 | i drive a cavalier and from what i have read my stock alternator is 105 amps. And i will soon be adding my subs, and 2 amps, for a total of 1600watts rms and i found a 160 amp alternator for my car for $170 and i was wondering if that would be enough power? thanks in advance. |
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Gold Member Username: CarguyPost Number: 5084 Registered: Nov-04 | If you can get 200A+ then get it. However, 160A is better than your stock. It won't be enough but you won't be disappointed. |
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Silver Member Username: Safa19Post Number: 190 Registered: Apr-05 | that was the highest i could find for a cavalier do you know any good sites where i can find one? |
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Gold Member Username: Chaunb3400Huntsville, Alabama U.S. Post Number: 3216 Registered: Jul-05 | http://www.excessiveamperage.com/ http://www.4alterstart.com/ http://www.ohiogen.com/ |
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Silver Member Username: Safa19Post Number: 192 Registered: Apr-05 | sweet thanks. one more question... are all alt. universal or do they have to be made for each individual type of car? |
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Silver Member Username: Safa19Post Number: 193 Registered: Apr-05 | hey Isaac would this cut it for 1600watts rms and what the rest of my car need..... http://verizonsupersite.com/4alterstartcom/pages/store/skudetail.nhtml?profile=h ighoutputalternators&uid=10108&returnURL=http%3A//verizonsupersite.com/4altersta rtcom/pages/common/sitesearch.nhtml%3Fquery%3Dcavalier&catuid=10013 that is the highest alt. i can find for my car (180 amps) |
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Gold Member Username: Chaunb3400Huntsville, Alabama U.S. Post Number: 3219 Registered: Jul-05 | Quick guide http://www.the12volt.com/info/recwirsz.asp |
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Silver Member Username: Safa19Post Number: 194 Registered: Apr-05 | ok so going by that i would need over 188amps just for my system since it doesnt go up to 1600watts rms, then what about the rest of my car? since it has a stock alternator now would that mean that it needs 105 more amps on top of that cause that would be around 350 amps and i've never seen one that big made for a car like mine... How do people power systems that are alot bigger than mine, like a 5000watt system... how would anyone power that? i dont get it. |
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Bronze Member Username: N2audioLawrence, Ks USA Post Number: 34 Registered: Mar-04 | That guide is ridiculously misleading. If you're running 1600rms off a 14v system you've got 114A @ 100% effiency - 190A with a/b amps (~60% eff), and about 150A with class D amps (~75% effient). But that is assuming two things - 1) you're listening to low frequency test tones, and 2) you're listening at full volume all the time. Music requires roughly 1/3 the current of a sine wave, so, real-world - you're looking at 63A at the MOST. At normal volume probably 30-50A to power your "190A" system. If your sub amp is class D it's even a bit lower than that. There are people out there successfully running ~2kw off ~100A alts. I'm running ~1200w with a 110A alt with no problems what-so-ever. To make a long story longer - the 160A alt would be MORE than enough, and it's quite possible your stock alt would get the job done if you're not slamming non-stop. |
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Gold Member Username: CarguyPost Number: 5089 Registered: Nov-04 | Joe that 180A alternator is a good one. The price is very reasonable. I got mine from them too. If your car comes with 105A stock alternator, it means your car will use 65% - 75% of that by itself. I have never seen a car manufacturer give anything for free. Therefore with 180A, leave around 70A for your car. 110A is still enough to give you over 1000w rms. That may not sound much, but with the right system and installation, it will certainly rattle your windows and neighbours. Optidriven, you can run 2000w rms amp off of 100A current. That however, doesn't mean you are getting full power. If you never listen to music loud, you can even get away with 30A. I have a question for you Optidriven. Where did you get the notion that music is 1/3 of the sine wave current? Were you referring to peak power by any chance? There is no way 63A will translate to 1400w RMS. Maybe you might want to clarify on your statement/analogy. |
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Silver Member Username: Safa19Post Number: 195 Registered: Apr-05 | thanks guys its wierd that you both have different opinions on how much power i need but i think that i am going to go with the 180amp alt. cause it is more than i can afford right now. so what about a battery? optinum yellow sound good? and what about a cap? do i need one for 1600watts rms or no? thanks |
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Bronze Member Username: N2audioLawrence, Ks USA Post Number: 36 Registered: Mar-04 | Issac - it's a known fact. It's called duty cycle. Actually 1/3 is on the high side. One of the electronics professionals at carsound actually posted a chart of several different types of music he'd measured. The range was 9% to about 20% if I remember correctly. I wouldn't have posted if I didn't know it to be factual. Go to carsound, do a search on duty cycle or crest factor -- learn something. |
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Silver Member Username: Safa19Post Number: 197 Registered: Apr-05 | what about a battery and cap? |