i just bought 2 JL 1000/1,2 solar baric l7 15" subs,2 power acoustic 2 farad caps, and and pioneer DEH-P7700MP and need to know wut size alternator i should upgrade to. and wut size wiring i should use 0 guage or 4 guage.
Hrmmm...What would I need for an alt. if I add a Cerwin Vega EXL-1000D, and I have something else to add to this...It's really confusing me.
I've emailed the common H/O alternator sites that are usually given on this forum, and I never get responses, and I do exactly what they say, help please, as I will need a new alt in the future. Also, I have a friend who's certified mechanically/electronically in car tech. He told me being that my car is a 6 cyl. that the engine, unless I idle a lot, should be able to produce plenty of power for my current system as is. He said just to extend the life of the alternator a bit more, a cap would be necessary, but really, unless I idle, the alternator shouldn't see too much stress, and the cap would also help extend the life of my subs. My friend's won countless SPL/DbDrag/Boom&Zoom competitions, and if I'm not mistaken, was for a while, sponsored by StreetWirez. Could someone clear up this small conflict for me about caps? I've read that BCAE site, but still, I don't know who is right, since all opinions seem to vary.
First off, I got my alternator from dominic iraggi. he is also a spl competitor. crazy enough to enter with like a bunch of 5.25 subs. anyway the "amputator" line i got from him is a 220 amp alt that runs 170 amps at idle. i could have gone higher, but it would not have provided the same power at idle. as for your friend's advise, just do the math: 1000watts/14volts plus the load of your car's everyday usage (probably around 50 amps). that will give you about how many amps you need from your alternator. but the cap is not going to bennefit an inadequate alternator at all (a capacitor's voltage parallels that of the circuit voltage).
"He told me being that my car is a 6 cyl. that the engine, unless I idle a lot, should be able to produce plenty of power for my current system as is."
Engine size doesn't have anything to do with it. If anything, a 6 cyl would be worse because they idle lower and they require more current to operate due to more ignition and computer control required. 1 hp=746 watts. At 14.4V, that 1hp will generate close to 52 amps of current, say 40-45 to be conservative and compensate for efficiency losses. Either way, I think any engine has 2 or 3 horsepower to spare.
A capacitor can only aid if your charging system is up to par. To quote Glasswolf's tutorial on caps:
A capacitor WILL: -Act as a filter for AC ripple effectcaused by the imperfect rectification of the AC current produced by an alternator, and rectified by a DC voltage regulator. -Smooth the demand curve for current on the alternator, thus extending (theoretically at least) the alternator's lifespan, and, on a not so good note, this can also help to mask the symptoms of an insufficient alternator by smoothing these spikes that also cause the more obvious signs of a weak charging system, like dimming headlights when the bass hits. -Reduce propagation delays in current supply for brief, spiked demands by the amplifier from the amplifier, and response to this by the electrical system. Amplifiers have to provide a very dynamic and quick response many times. A capacitor can assist in this if the rest of the charging system is up to par.
A capacitor will NOT: -make your system magically sound 10 times better.Many people believe that a capacitor adds NO real benefit to an audio system, and this is why you never see before and after demonstrations, or factory capacitor company vehicles at car shows. -Replace the need for a larger, high-output alternator and/or a deep-cycle battery or batteries. If your electrical system is inadequate, the ONLY way to fix this, and again I repeat, the ONLY WAY to fix this, is to replace the alternator if your voltage rails are sagging to below 12 volts while the car is running. This is the SOLE source of electrical current for your car when the motor is running. The car's battery is in parallel with the alternator, and while the battery will help to stablize voltage at 12VDC, the alternator puts out a higher voltage, and if your voltage rails are dropping to 12 volts, you're already overdrawing the alternator's capacities, and if your voltage rails sag to below 12 volts then you're also going beyond the abilities of the battery or batteries to stablize your voltages. Both of these symptoms will result in battery and alternator damage. A capacitor only masks these symptoms, in much the same way as regulating voltage to your headlights so they won't dim as bass hits, when voltages can fluctuate between 14.4VDC and 12VDC.
78.571428571428571428571428571429 - There's what I got mathematically if I inclue the CV amp I want to get. 57.142857142857142857142857142857 - There's what I get with my current system. I didn't factor in the new HU though, is it a big thing?
"just butting in here .. how much did that alt cost you mike? does the price vary that much from vehicle to vehicle?" he has his own store on ebay. he has a large range of alternators from which to choose. i opted for the higher end "amputator" series because when i spoke to Dom, he admitted that he puts extra effort and better parts into the alts with warranties (as he doesn't want to have to replace them if at all possible). the amputator comes with a 1yr warranty, but i paid an additional 100.00 for the lifetime warranty. can trade even if i get a new car dif from my expo. at any rate, i paid 359 + 100.00 for the extra warranty. glass has heard a couple of ill stories about folks wih iraggis though. i'm supposing they didn't opt for the extra warranty. i don't think you should have to, but it's worth it for me. at the time, a comparable alt would have run me 5-600 bones. not in my budget.
thanks dude.. i will also be running 2 1000/1's and 1 300/4... so im gonna need some power for em... itl be a while till that though, just wanna get an idea for price when the time comes