How much power could I run with 230 amp alternator?

Thinking about picking up a 230 amp alt for my ford contour next friday... how much power will I be able to run without any more battery upgrades?

Currently have D35 yellowtop battery.

Also how much are battery isolators so I can keep a yellowtop upfront but have different AGM batteries in the back?

Sorry if this is in the wrong section.

Thanks in advance //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 
nice, well generally the stock alt should provide enough power to run EVERYTHING in the car, and then about 10 extra amps. So your new one should be giving you an excess of ~~130amps.

So with out any battery upgrades you should be good to go for an amp with a fuse rating right around 130 amps. Now of course this is just the ideal way of providing power and making sure you have enough to run everything.

Hopefully someone more experienced with how many watts rms you will be able to support, but I would think at least 2000wrms, with minimal electrical upgrades. Big three (if you haven't done it already) would be a great upgrade to go with the HO alt.

 
You don't need an isolator, you can run a few AGM's connected to the YT up front. With a legit 230a alt and 2 G31 sized batts in back 3-4kw shouldn't be a problem.

I run around 6kw in the daily with a 270a alt and 2 batts in the back.

 
let's consult ohm's law for this.

and we'll address the above post first (not picking on you, you just offered more numbers to use).

let's say you did achieve 6kW of output power and the amp(s) is/are rated 6kW at 14.4VDC.

at 6kW of output power your amp(s) will require just over 7kW of input power (assuming minimum 85% efficiency which is unlikely at full output).

if you were able to maintain 14VDC at this power level, you'll draw 500A. since the alt can't do that (assuming you were not at idle but holding RPM above 2500 to get rated alt output) the voltage will drop to the battery voltage - 13VDC at best which will continue to drop to 12.5VDC or even lower as you sustain this output. as voltage drops so does power output.

to the OP: what you can run on a 230A alternator is determined by many factors. you'll only get that by holding the engine RPM above 2500 RPM. and when you ask for full output the alt will create extra drag since it gets power from the engine. keep in mind that the alt gets harder to turn when load increases.

the alt is capable of providing around 3kW total, full load at speed. but the car needs some of this. how much is actually available depends on the use of other power draws. lights, turn signals, wipers, windows, A/C, fans, etc. are all loads. on a nice, cool day you typically use less than hot, muggy, rainy night. the latter means you just keep the system at a lower volume.

so let's say you are looking for what system you can build that will maintain 14V while at speed, and on a nice day. and let's say your car only needs about 40A or so. that leaves 190A for your system which is around 2600W input power which correlates to around 2250W output power (class D). as you come to a stop the alt output drops to about half, which correlates to you being able to achieve around 1100W of output power while maintaining 14VDC.

that's not to say you can't get more power out of amps, just that the voltage will drop, so will power output, and you'll have to tax the system even further reducing system voltage and power output. it's a viscious cycle. with extra batteries you can maintain 13VDC or less, so you just keep this in mind when choosing and loading amplifiers. extra batteries will not help maintain 14V, but instead are loads which further tax the alternator.

on a day where the car is demanding 70A, at idle you are down to 500W of output.

 
all that can occur, but music is dynamic. so you won't be continually drawing maximum rated power output. it will come in bursts with bass notes and musical peaks.

as mentioned in another thread, actual power output and consumption depends on many factors.

determine what your goals are. you can get plenty loud with 2kW of amplifier power available. the amplifier choice will also determine possible output. some amps are rated in such a way that you'll never achieve that power in the real world. it's nice to have more power available than you plan to use.

in the end, what determines your electrical systems's ability to keep up with the amplifier demand is determined by your use of the volume knob. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 
let's consult ohm's law for this.
and we'll address the above post first (not picking on you, you just offered more numbers to use).

let's say you did achieve 6kW of output power and the amp(s) is/are rated 6kW at 14.4VDC.

at 6kW of output power your amp(s) will require just over 7kW of input power (assuming minimum 85% efficiency which is unlikely at full output).

if you were able to maintain 14VDC at this power level, you'll draw 500A. since the alt can't do that (assuming you were not at idle but holding RPM above 2500 to get rated alt output) the voltage will drop to the battery voltage - 13VDC at best which will continue to drop to 12.5VDC or even lower as you sustain this output. as voltage drops so does power output.

to the OP: what you can run on a 230A alternator is determined by many factors. you'll only get that by holding the engine RPM above 2500 RPM. and when you ask for full output the alt will create extra drag since it gets power from the engine. keep in mind that the alt gets harder to turn when load increases.

the alt is capable of providing around 3kW total, full load at speed. but the car needs some of this. how much is actually available depends on the use of other power draws. lights, turn signals, wipers, windows, A/C, fans, etc. are all loads. on a nice, cool day you typically use less than hot, muggy, rainy night. the latter means you just keep the system at a lower volume.

so let's say you are looking for what system you can build that will maintain 14V while at speed, and on a nice day. and let's say your car only needs about 40A or so. that leaves 190A for your system which is around 2600W input power which correlates to around 2250W output power (class D). as you come to a stop the alt output drops to about half, which correlates to you being able to achieve around 1100W of output power while maintaining 14VDC.

that's not to say you can't get more power out of amps, just that the voltage will drop, so will power output, and you'll have to tax the system even further reducing system voltage and power output. it's a viscious cycle. with extra batteries you can maintain 13VDC or less, so you just keep this in mind when choosing and loading amplifiers. extra batteries will not help maintain 14V, but instead are loads which further tax the alternator.

on a day where the car is demanding 70A, at idle you are down to 500W of output.
I appreciate you taking the time to explain how this works //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

So when I am stopped at a stoplight and the alternator isn't putting out all 190amps available, would my system be using the reserve capacity on whatever batteries I have in the trunk to keep up with the power demand?

 
I appreciate you taking the time to explain how this works //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif
So when I am stopped at a stoplight and the alternator isn't putting out all 190amps available, would my system be using the reserve capacity on whatever batteries I have in the trunk to keep up with the power demand?
yes. voltage drops, power output drops (since most amps aren't fully regulated) and the batteries start providing the additional current necessary. this is fine as long as the batteries are eventually recharged. i highly recommend a volt meter visible at the dash for anyone running a high power system. keep track of your voltage and you have a much higher chance of success.

 
KHA gave the scientific explanation which is correct, you can't fool ohm's law.

I gave a "real world" example since most people don't drive around playing low freq test tones full tilt. Add in box rise and my 6kw of amps is not drawing close to that kind of amperage. I can play full tilt for a few songs in a row with no problem. Backed off a little I can play it all day long...

 
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