currently i have about 1600w rms total with a 1.5 farad cap in my f 150 supercreww with no upgraded alternator and my lights don't dim. I still want to upgrade my alternator though. currently i think i need about a 170-180 amp alternator, however, i want to get another 15" x.x.x. soon. So i was thinkin will it hurt my truck's electrical system if I get a bigger alternator now,around 250 amps, to be ready when i do put in that other 15" x.x.x. ????you know, because its going to be producing more power than what i'm gonna be consuming.where will those extra amps go? will they blow up my battery?
i dont think it'll hurt you, i only think itll produce the amps when you need them, im not 100% sure on how they work, glasswolf or jonathan can give you a better answer..
Uhh, no, your battery will not blow up no matter what the amps is. I think the only thing that would fry the battery would be if the alternator was more than like 14 volts or so, but that would make no sense, because all car stuff is between about 12 - 14. It is a very good idea to get a bigger alternator, and I'm suprised that your lights don't dim already running 1600 watts. Don't know if 250 will do it for 2 15" X.X.X.'s though. I have seen people with 300 amp alternators.
Yep, it won't hurt anything. Diesels tend to have a big alternator from the factory, keep that in mind. When you say 1600W RMS, is that the amount of power you're running, or what your amps are capable of? It won't hurt to upgrade the alternator though, the voltage regulator will prevent any surges or current spikes. The voltage regulator sends current to the field of the alternator when it needs to charge, and removes current when you don't need to charge. Without current in the windings of the alternator, no current can be amplified. So basically, it turns your alternator on and off. You'll just be more capable of handling any extra power required if you get a larger alternator.