Do i need to replace my OEM alternator and battery?

[alecrfreeman30]

I'm about to install a 12" Sundown Xv2 D2 1500wrms ran by a wolfram w3000.1(yes, I know the amp way overpowers the sub, but it was free). Just curious if that's considered too much power for an OEM electrical setup. I Was going to do a big 3 (4) upgrade too but wasn't sure if that would be enough. Thanks.

Click to read more...

 

[n2audio 5,000+ posts]

Stock alt size is the biggest factor. Listening habits are a major factor also.
Regardless, even if your stock alt is strong, that's generally because the stock electrical load is fairly heavy too.
What is known is the workload on the alt will increase substantially. Which means more wear and tear (more heat) and a shorter working life. Whether that will be 10% shorter or 75% shorter is the unknown.
They are sized to run at ~50% capacity for ~100k miles. Obviously, if you operate them at 75-100% capacity that 100k will drop fast.

Generally, I say install it and see how it runs. With a 3k amp and a 1.5k sub I wouldn't expect you to be leaning on the amp too hard very often so it may run ok. But be prepared for the alt to fail a lot sooner than most factory alts.