Ho alternator disadvantages?

[leonsv 10+ year member]

hey guys i'm looking to maybe get an ho alt (200amps) now i heard that there were some disadvantages of getting one such as more strain on the engine and robbing hp and such. Are these true? and what other ill effects can an ho alt cause?

thanks

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[CJL 10+ year member]

hmm i never heard of that before but the only thing i can think of is price //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

[knukonceptz 10+ year member]

I suppose you could have a slight hp loss compared to stock if you change to a smaller pulley, but were talking 1-3hp, nothing the seat of the pants dyno will notice. The only real disadvantage is you do lose some low end charging to gain more in the 1500-2000 rpm range

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

Takes power to make power. There will be a loss of HP. How noticable it is will depend on the car and the loss is proportional to the load placed on the alt. If the system is crankin' you'll lose more power than at lower volume. A big alt on a little 4-banger with a big system can have about the same effect as running the A/C.