Whats to big of a amp for my electrical?

[spokey9]

So I've got a 320 ho, 50ah under the hood, 110 ah in the back, single run of 1/0 ofc going to the back, and 1/0 big 3...I was originally planning for a smart 5k but I've got a chance to buy a bass 8k for pretty cheap...Just concerned it'll need more amperage then I can feed it...

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[metalheadjoe 10+ year member]

Lithium or lead-acid amp hours?

 

[spokey9]

Agm batteries

 

[dragon.breath 10+ year member]

Go for the 8k. You can always just lower the gain till your electrical can handle it.

 

[spokey9]

I've gone as far with the electrical on my Vue as I'm gonna go...i got a smart 3 in it now but if thats the cap then thats the cap...I'm hunting for a 1st Gen astro so I can do a real build without so many space restraints...beside I think they look cool

 

[some dude]

I'd think IF your electrical couldn't handle 8k, an upgrade to lithium would cure that.

Buy the 8k if you have a good deal, you can always adjust the gain to suit whatever electrical.

 

[hispls 5,000+ posts]

Might as well go for the 8K, it's not like you even have enough to support a 5K so it's not like things could get any worse.

 

[spokey9]

Might as well go for the 8K, it's not like you even have enough to support a 5K so it's not like things could get any worse.

I've got a smart 3 installed...if I could go bigger on my electrical I would...I'm just trying to figure that out ...if not then I'll put the saved cash to the side for the right astro...I just don't want to smoke the electrical I put a fair bit of time and money into...there's a lot I've forgotten about this, stuff that's why I asked not to mention wattage and amp draw are so much bigger then back in my 20's...

And honestly I just want to build one last big friggin' system and I'm at a point on the saturn where I can keep tossing money at it and not really have the space to do what I want or call it good and find something with the room to do what I want...

 

[hispls 5,000+ posts]

I just want to build one last big friggin' system

So your first step should be to build a big honking battery bank. Big amps are extremely cheap these days and they don't make power by magic, you need a lot of generators/storage to feed them. Right now you're probably not even getting all the power your 3K is capable of producing. Do you even have woofers that'll take more power without breaking?

 

[spokey9]

So your first step should be to build a big honking battery bank. Big amps are extremely cheap these days and they don't make power by magic, you need a lot of generators/storage to feed them. Right now you're probably not even getting all the power your 3K is capable of producing. Do you even have woofers that'll take more power without breaking?

Right now my subs won't take 3k (im not too worried about the subs, i got 2 armada 12's in there now but I got those so I could move the 15's I had...the current subs are getting replaced when i come across something i like) then again I set the gain to where they sound good and they're wired to 4 ohm...so i know I'm not touching close to max power of the amp...I get a consistent 14.4-14.8v at the amp at running full tilt on the current settings...

The battery bank is the main reason I'm calling it on the saturn...between a good sized bank and amp rack...I wouldn't have a lot of room left for subs and I'd be pretty limited on what I could do...not to mention I don't wanna give up my ac in the commuter for a 2nd alternator...

I get it takes power to make power...there's just too many limitations with the saturn to keep upgrading...to build big i need space for everything that's why the plan for that is a 1st gen astro (that and i like them)...I'd have plenty of space to build a big bank and have plenty of flexibility with subs...

 

[hispls 5,000+ posts]

The battery bank is the main reason I'm calling it on the saturn...between a good sized bank and amp rack.

And a box and subs that would withstand 8KW you would also be at the limits of your suspension. Minivan's aren't the best for dumping weight into but they're known to get loud easy and at least you have space. Dodge Caravan is a popular choice in the lanes as windshield is known to hold beyond 170dB without breaking which is really good for competing in street classes.

 

[spokey9]

I

And a box and subs that would withstand 8KW you would also be at the limits of your suspension. Minivan's aren't the best for dumping weight into but they're known to get loud easy and at least you have space. Dodge Caravan is a popular choice in the lanes as windshield is known to hold beyond 170dB without breaking which is really good for competing in street classes.

I figure it's easier to beef up a suspension than trying to add space . Seriously though I'm kinda torn between doing a old school Peavey loudspeaker type build or go nuts on power in an astro ...I'm not trying to chase numbers or even show it off if I'm honest...I just want something big, stupid, and most all fun

The taramps 8k was just an opportunity I had and almost jumped on but if I can't really run it now and I may not need it later...there's really no point in getting it...

 

[Bobbytwonames 5,000+ posts]

I've gone as far with the electrical on my Vue as I'm gonna go...i got a smart 3 in it now but if thats the cap then thats the cap...I'm hunting for a 1st Gen astro so I can do a real build without so many space restraints...beside I think they look cool

 

[hispls 5,000+ posts]

I figure it's easier to beef up a suspension than trying to add space

Possibly if you're very good at that sort of fabrication but I doubt there's off-the-shelf upgrades for a Saturn that will really do much and it'll still ride/handle pretty bad if you throw a lot of weight in it. For how cheap full bridge amps are these days I'd be hesitant to buy one used at any price and pass up on getting a warranty.

 

[metalheadjoe 10+ year member]

I
I figure it's easier to beef up a suspension than trying to add space . Seriously though I'm kinda torn between doing a old school Peavey loudspeaker type build or go nuts on power in an astro ...I'm not trying to chase numbers or even show it off if I'm honest...I just want something big, stupid, and most all fun

The taramps 8k was just an opportunity I had and almost jumped on but if I can't really run it now and I may not need it later...there's really no point in getting it...

The only reason to run 8k besides chasing numbers or showing off is that you genuinely want hearing damage.