Alternator question

[rosrock 10+ year member]

I stopped by advanced auto parts and they have a beck/arnley 140 amp alt for my corsica. Model number 186-6144. It costs $140. Right now i have a 105 amp alt. Im only running 1100 rms right now and want to eventually do 1500 rms in a month or 2. Im on a cheap budget and it looks like this is a pretty good price right? So could i run 1300-1500 on this legitly and this be a good buy? and yes i know its not a huge 200 amp alt or anything, like i said im on budget. thx a lot

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[bubbagumper6 5,000+ posts]

What kind of battery bank are you running right now? Going from 105A to 140A isn't much of an improvement...I would shoot for at least 180A if it were my car

 

[The HACKER 10+ year member]

If you want a decent alt with decent power for an okay price check out powerbastards.com. 1500watts/12volts = 125amps of current draw at full tilt more or less.

 

[cthedinger 10+ year member]

Man save up and get a DC Power alt, it will help you more in the long run. Im sure you could get a 180 amp or 200 amp alt from them for under $300

 

[nateberrier 10+ year member]

Powerbastards is the best for the price. I don't think autozone is worth the upgrade. Might as well go 200 if youre spending at all

 

[rosrock 10+ year member]

powerbastards will not work... they charge $300. any others think this would be a good choice?

 

[The HACKER 10+ year member]

Well I did reccomend it for a reason....

Edit: for the price might as well do a HO though

 

[rosrock 10+ year member]

going from 105 amps to 200 seems like a MAJOR difference nateberrier. So i guess i dont undersatnd why ur saying "if your gonna spend money at least go with 200". this doesnt make sense to me... thats a NINETY FIVE amps difference AKA MAJOR change... so i guess i just dont get that at all. Ill just need prolly 150-160 amps to run 1500 watts so instead of speding 300 for a 220 alt i would like to spend max 200 for 150-160. doesnt this make sense...

 

[The HACKER 10+ year member]

going from 105 amps to 200 seems like a MAJOR difference nateberrier. So i guess i dont undersatnd why ur saying "if your gonna spend money at least go with 200". this doesnt make sense to me... thats a NINETY FIVE amps difference AKA MAJOR change... so i guess i just dont get that at all. Ill just need prolly 150-160 amps to run 1500 watts so instead of speding 300 for a 220 alt i would like to spend max 200 for 150-160. doesnt this make sense...

The 140amp alternator minus the 125amps that 1500 watts will draw leaves you with next to nothing for what your car needs to run, ECU, A/C, Head Lamps, and any other factory electrical. If im not mistaken your headlights alone will draw 15amps or somewhere in that range. Not to mention that alt is going to put out 140amps at idle maybe at around 2,000 plus rpms youll see 140amps.

 

[ahole-ic]

How many amps do you think it takes to keep your engine firing? The spark plugs don't magically arc across the gap igniting the oxygen and gasoline. If you want to run more power, you need to supply more power. Matching the alternator's rated output to the estimated draw of the amplifier is fail. You have to match the alternator's IDLE output to the estimated amp draw PLUS ~80% of what the factory alt put out. So you're wanting to draw 125 amps with your amplifier alone? Ok, then 125 + 80 = 205 amps at idle. This means you will always have some voltage drop because even the biggest and baddest alts (300 amps) don't do that at idle. I have a 270 amp alt that does 180 at idle. Something like that is your best bet. Then learn how to turn of ALL accessories when you're playing your stereo. I'm talking about dim your cluster. Turn off your head lights. Turn off EVERYTHING you can. Revving your engine even a little bit gives you a HUGE boost.

 

[rosrock 10+ year member]

Would this fit in a 96 corsica v6 3.1L and would it work good?

Chevy GMC Truck High Output Alternator 160AMP 96-00: eBay Motors (item 360197847594 end time Jun-09-10 19:33:05 PDT)

 

[rosrock 10+ year member]

or this one CHEVY CAVALIER SUNFIRE HIGH OUTPUT 160AMP ALTERNATOR: eBay Motors (item 380057510397 end time Jun-12-10 19:18:11 PDT)

 

[The HACKER 10+ year member]

We have given you our answers bro, your gonna do what you want it seems like so get what you want. Re read the posts at least before you make your final decision. You get what you pay for. 125amps in wattage and another 60 to 80 to run your vehicle. Stress the alternator and it will burn up. Its all about headroom, and playing it safe (when trying to save money) IMO. In the long run your gonna spend more fixing shit cuz you wanted to "save" money.

 

[bubbagumper6 5,000+ posts]

How many amps do you think it takes to keep your engine firing? The spark plugs don't magically arc across the gap igniting the oxygen and gasoline. If you want to run more power, you need to supply more power. Matching the alternator's rated output to the estimated draw of the amplifier is fail. You have to match the alternator's IDLE output to the estimated amp draw PLUS ~80% of what the factory alt put out. So you're wanting to draw 125 amps with your amplifier alone? Ok, then 125 + 80 = 205 amps at idle. This means you will always have some voltage drop because even the biggest and baddest alts (300 amps) don't do that at idle. I have a 270 amp alt that does 180 at idle. Something like that is your best bet. Then learn how to turn of ALL accessories when you're playing your stereo. I'm talking about dim your cluster. Turn off your head lights. Turn off EVERYTHING you can. Revving your engine even a little bit gives you a HUGE boost.

Quoted for truth.

 

[bubbagumper6 5,000+ posts]

If you want a decent alt with decent power for an okay price check out powerbastards.com. 1500watts/12volts = 125amps of current draw at full tilt more or less.

Not to mention the fact that no amp is 100% efficient so it would be more like 155A at full tilt. (Assuming 80% efficiency)