are all amps tested at 14.4?

[optimusprime 10+ year member]

or around there and i thought everything in a car stock was at about 12 volt if so why in the world would it be tested to 2+ volts higher and rated that way for rms? isnt enough that they label half of it with the peak watts not even the supposed rms? anyway back to my real question do cars electrical systems run at 12 or 14 volt and if its 12 then why do they test at 14?

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[Kangaroux 5,000+ posts]

Batteries hold a charge of 12.8v, that is, if the car is off. When the car is running the alternator kicks in, and the alt usually charges between 13.8v and 14.4v, depends on the vehicle.

A lot of the big name companies test their amps at 14.4, whereas the smaller ones test it at 12.8, 11.9, 10.9, etc. This is why sometimes a lot of the mainstream company amps don't seem to put out rated, if you're using an amp rated at 14.4v for 1000w, and your alt only puts out 13.8, you won't get the full 1000w.

 

[-01limited- 10+ year member]

to inflate ratings and trick the buyer.

Your alt charges higher and when running it can be in the mid to higher 13's but with the car off batteries rest at about 12.7 or so.

 

[Bettr n' Revrse 5,000+ posts]

Cars run at 12.8 when the car is off and run at 14.4 when the its running so that is why they can rate them either way... Some companies such as DD even rate at 11.9...

 

[subzero 5,000+ posts]

most alts charge at 14.4 that is the peak on most. so the amp has to handle that. but many amp companies rate up to 16v to be safe. and the others that have more emphasis on 16v make their amps capable of handeling 17-18v. IMO I think...

 

[Buck 5,000+ posts]

They do that simply to inflate their RMS ratings. My amps are rated at 12.5v, which IMO is where all amps should be rated at.

 

[Bettr n' Revrse 5,000+ posts]

They do that simply to inflate their RMS ratings. My amps are rated at 12.5v, which IMO is where all amps should be rated at.

Yep!

 

[09civic 5,000+ posts]

op, please tell me you didn't go and make your name that becuase you saw the movie last night....

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

The alt must run at a higher voltage in order to charge a batt that's resting voltage is 12.8. Hence, alts generally operate at 14.4. IMO, either rating is fine, since system voltage is not static. Its only an issue if they dont advertise which voltage they are rating at, as that make realistic comparisons to other amplifiers very difficult.

 

[optimusprime 10+ year member]

no 95saturn thats not why this is my name. it was kind of a joke before my son was born we couldnt pick a name and everyone kept asking so we told everyone that we were naming him optimus prime. it popped in my head while i was creating an account on here so i used it. also i loved the transformers as a kid.

 

[Wingman0121 10+ year member]

Crossfire amps are rated at 12.5v, old-school MTX. old school US Amps and old school Orion HCCAs are also rated at 12.5v