2nd alternator

I want real tested proof though. I know that is the general concensus. But I also know that a lot of people have supposedly "fixed their problems" by adding a second or third battery in the back. How is this possible if it just adds extra strain to the alt?

 
Batteries only store energy, they do not create it. The alternator is what creates energy for your charging system. If your drain exceeds the amount of energy created.... well it doesn't take a nuclear physicist to see what would happen.

Time adds a complexity to the story however. Average power drain over time, and average power creation over time. For example, your stereo does not draw a constant amount of power, it fluctuates according to the material being played (unless you run pure class A amplifiers, which you dont).

People tend to think of power consumption, and power creation, in a 'snapshot' of time, at any given moment. Your stereo may drain grossly more current for brief moments than your alternator may provide, this is where your storage capacity comes into the picture.

As said above, your stereo may draw larger amounts of current from your charging system than the alternator can provide at that moment. The battery will absorb those peaks in demand, allowing the alternator to catch up when the demand decreases (bass note diminishes). But if your demand over time exceeds whats your charging system creates over time by too much or too long, your storage capacity will be depleted.

How much current draw your system requires over time is not only affected by the size of your amplifiers, but also by your listening habits. Do you listen at full blast every time you are in the car and the engine is running? Or are there times when the alt will see less demand and have more time to catch up? This is dictated by nothing we can guess at here, only by the owner/listener's discretion and taste.

All this background info to answer the question, will adding batteries help...? Who knows. Depends on too many variables, many of which we cannot control or predict. If your charging system is close to adequate, adding another batt may be sufficient to keep your car starting every morning. But it wont help keep voltage up when you are running down the road late at night with the A/C on, your head lights, and are cranking the music as loud as you can to try to impress your girl. And if your charging system is not close to adequate, adding more batts will simply delay the inevitable... needing a jump start.

Trying to acheive your 'real tested proof' would involve a long and complicated testing procedure that, in the end, would cause more arguements than solve. If you understand whats happening within a vehicle's charging system, said test is not necessary.

 
most informative post i have ever heard from you audioholic, thanks for that. It puts things better into perspective for me. And as my current high reserve capacity battery is dipping to 11.99v i think i am going to go with trying to find a ho alternator. I think i found one at mralternator.com has anyone here ordered from there? It is for a 2002 corolla which i beleive had the 1zzfe engine in it just like my 06 matrix. But ouch 240 bucks for a 150amp just seems a lil steep to me. I would be expecting 180a for that much lol.

 
You could try a local alternator shop, see if there is a re-spun available for your car/engine.

HO alts are expensive for several reasons. Relatively low demand for them, so many times they are not made on high-speed assembly lines like a stock unit may be. Also, lets face it, copper is getting more expensive every day, and HO alts have more copper in them. Lastly, when we consider the thousands of dollars many of us spend on getting the biggest baddest amps and subs and speakers, why do we get upset over spending a few hundred making sure out chargin system will be beefy too?

Ive never understood the guy that wants to buy some collosal and expensive amplifier, but then doesn't want to spend a few hundred on an alt to power it. To me, when i start pricing out amplifiers 1kwt or bigger, I start including a few hundred bucks extra in the price to allow for an alt capable of supplying it what it needs to give me what I want out of it (and what Im spending my hard earned money to get out of it).

Not saying anyone here is doing this, like this, or annoys me for any of these reasons. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif Just sayin...

 
Lol, yeah i just didn't have a problem with almost the same wattage in my buick and didn't realize my alt was so small in this car. 80 amps is bullshit. 120 and i doubt i would even have the problem and that is somewhat common

 
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