Do i need an alternator and another battery for this system?

[brybry354 10+ year member]

I just got a KickerZX1000.1 Class D amp and 2 12" L5 Solo-Barics...

Will 4 gauge power/ground wire work, do i need to buy an alternator, and most important...do i have to buy another battery to properly hook this system up?

I was just gonna run the power cable through the 100a Fuse/Fuseholder and hook it up to my 12v battery that my engine runs off of...is this wrong?

and if i do need another battery how would i hook everything up...split the power cable after it goes through the fuse and send one cable to each battery?

thanks for any help...im a noob as you can see haha

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[350zspl 10+ year member]

what car

 

[brybry354 10+ year member]

its an 05 chevy silverado...

i dont think i need another battery and 4 gauge should work fine rightr?

 

[johnbubby5]

just go 0 gauge.... much better!!!! saves a lot o hassle

 

[johnbubby5]

.. A better batt won't hurt

 

[justin smith 10+ year member]

i had a zx1000.1 and that bit** was a hog i replaced my front battery, big 3, and went on ahead and got a 200 amp alt before my lights did not dim any more (very very minimal voltage drop after that ..... stayed in the 14's full tilt)

 

[illbmeubu 10+ year member]

i would say get another batt or a better batt for under the hood. if you get another battery, you def. don't wanna split the power wire. search on how to wire a second batt, its easy. i have a 04 tahoe and the alt it 160 amps, so i think you should be ok with only the 1000.1

 

[brybry354 10+ year member]

So i need to get another battery and an alternator?

 

[7ender 10+ year member]

If you're only goin to run the 1000.1, i'd say youd be fine on stock electrical. Just do the big 3. My friend runs that amp off a 97 camry with an 80 amp alternator and it does fine.

You can use 4gauge, but i'd highly recommend using 1/0 in case you ever want to make any changes...

 

[AlterEgo99 5,000+ posts]

I just got a KickerZX1000.1 Class D amp and 2 12" L5 Solo-Barics...
Will 4 gauge power/ground wire work, do i need to buy an alternator, and most important...do i have to buy another battery to properly hook this system up?

I was just gonna run the power cable through the 100a Fuse/Fuseholder and hook it up to my 12v battery that my engine runs off of...is this wrong?

and if i do need another battery how would i hook everything up...split the power cable after it goes through the fuse and send one cable to each battery?

thanks for any help...im a noob as you can see haha

What is the max amp rating of your present alternator? Also, what battery do you currently have and its rating? What is the max voltage you can presently expect from your current battery? And last, what is the total RMS wattage of your car audio system.

I ask all this as I have been going through the same deliberations and have learned some things (if someone has a different take, please chime in!).

I have an '08 Silverado with an OEM 145 Amp alternator. Always subtract 5% off the value of the alternators capacity for temperature differences. The higher the temp. under the hood, the harder an alternator must work. This means that I have in actuality an alternator of 137.75 Amp capacity. I have the stock AC Delco battery. At 90% commanded duty cycle the max volatage I can expect from the alternator is 15.5 V. 137.75 Amps * 15.5 V = 2,135 Watts. So, I can assume that GM has set me up with the proper alternator and battery combination for the stock OEM electrical system.

Now add 1,000 Watts RMS with my aftermarket audio system. Now my vehicles electrical system, when fully loaded from both the OEM electrical and my audio system, may need to supply enough power for 3,135 Watts. 3,135 Watts / 15.5 V = 202 Amps. That is absolute worse case so I could probably get away with a 200 Amp HO alternator or just go to a 250 Amp HO alternator for future growth. I would then also need to either get a larger starting battery to replace my AC Delco or get a second battery.

It is strongly suggested that if you get two batteries, they be the same. See the following thread about this and how to hook them up:

http://www.caraudio.com/forum/showthread.php?t=398527

I have some of the same questions that you have as I see a lot of folks out here simply say "Get a bigger battery" or "Get a HO alternator" or some combination of both, without really explaining what you need to take into account before you buy. I think you really need to know what your vehicle can presently handle and do the proper calculations to make sure you get the right combination.

Like I said, if someone has a different take on my understanding of this, I'd really like to know!

 

[AlterEgo99 5,000+ posts]

So i need to get another battery and an alternator?

See my previous response. It will require some measurements and calculations to determine the proper setup.