How many watts is a 220 amp alt good for?

[Alpine4life89 10+ year member]

Just an estimate, how much do you think it is good for? And i am talking without a new/extra battery.

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[schackel 10+ year member]

well id sudjest a battery no matter what. its way hard on the alt to be pulled on without. i have a 220 alt and a 93ah batt and not volt drops on my sundown 2000

 

[Alpine4life89 10+ year member]

isn't there some kind of standard? And what is the point of a battery if you have a HO alt?

 

[schackel 10+ year member]

so your amp will be pulling current all the time when your music is turned up. At idle the alt will not produce enough amps, at 3000 rpms your alt will produce more than enough. so a battery balances that out so your amp always has enough.

 

[Strakele 10+ year member]

Assuming it puts out exactly 220 amps and charges your battery to a constant 14.4 volts and your amps are 100% efficient and cause no voltage drop at all, it's good for 3168 watts. Power = current x voltage

You'll probably have voltage drop, and your amps are probably 60-80% efficient, so just subtract from there..

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

isn't there some kind of standard?

Sure. Some guy named Ohm did something or other that was related to it.

And what is the point of a battery if you have a HO alt?

Ever try starting the car with just the alternator?