How much power on stock electrical?

[VisceralSound 10+ year member]

125a alt. I'll do the big three in 1/0 plus a run of 1/0 obviously to the amp.
Currently CONSIDERING running an AP15001D @ 2 ohms. That would be 950 watts. I'd hope the stock electrical could handle that. If this is an acceptable plan, I can then decide if I want to upgrade the alt and drop the load to 1 ohm.

If its anything like how my 105a alt handled roughly that much rms @2ohms you'll be fine (even with me running it on 4gauge) and you've got 20 more amps than I had.

 

[Morals 10+ year member]

2000 ford focus, stock alt, stock battery. Running Sundown 1500 and 100.4

Lights dont dim unless im running AC and stopped at stop light, then its still not that bad.

 

[RobertR 10+ year member]

Honestly I wouldnt do the big 3 just yet. There is a good chance it wont make any difference anyways. I would set the system up first to see if there are any problems with the electrical system and then go from there.

 

[Kangaroux 5,000+ posts]

Honestly I wouldnt do the big 3 just yet. There is a good chance it wont make any difference anyways. I would set the system up first to see if there are any problems with the electrical system and then go from there.

The big 3 takes a total of 10 minutes tops to do. It's not just for your voltage drop, it's protection against fire hazards. Stock wire for the big 3 is *usually* 8g wire. That wire will get HOT if you are pushing a lot of power through it. The last thing you want is a fire under your hood.

 

[RobertR 10+ year member]

At what wattage would you recommend doing the big 3? I was looking into it but was told that with my set up JL 500/1 that I wouldnt need to do it. The guy (local car audio installer) said not to worry about it unless im running 2k watts or more.

 

[CrossFired 10+ year member]

I've run a bit over 700 (underrated)watts RMS. in a stock 4runner with an 80 amp alt, for the last couple of years with no issues.

This is my 4 crossover amp system. There all Class AB, so if you run some class D, G/H type amps, you could get away with more.

 

[VisceralSound 10+ year member]

At what wattage would you recommend doing the big 3? I was looking into it but was told that with my set up JL 500/1 that I wouldnt need to do it. The guy (local car audio installer) said not to worry about it unless im running 2k watts or more.

Any? I still need to and I'm sure my electrical would benefit from it now haha.

 

[fuster 10+ year member]

Hi, Wevie:

I agree with the post stating a 125 amp alternator can maybe run as much as 1500 watts. I am assuming you are running class AB amplifiers. If on the other hand you run one or more Class D amplifiers (I wouldn't recommend them except for a sub woofer however), they may draw less current.

It depends on some other factors, however. Not just straight watts. How are you going to be operating the system? Are you going to have two or more subs and are you going to be running the system to announce your presence to the neighbors when you are a block or two away? If so, I would downgrade that wattage limit above. If you run a dedicated sub amp and have more than one sub on it, I suggest you wire a 2 farad capacitor in the power line to that amplifier only. The others won't have the big power demands like the sub amp.

If you are running your system for SQ and not at very high volume levels most of the time, you can put a little more than 1500 watts, maybe 2000 into that system. You won't be taxing the amps if you are not blowing up your ear drums all the time.

You might also shop for amplifiers with circuitry in the power board that sense voltage drops and decrease the output of the amplifier if it drops below a certain value like 13.5 or 14 volts. Soundstream Reference series have such circuitry, and I am sure some others do as well. Your biggest issue may be that voltage drop, because if the drop is too far, the amplifier power board will overheat and something eventually will fail.

 

[TheUnderFighter 10+ year member]

125a alt. I'll do the big three in 1/0 plus a run of 1/0 obviously to the amp.
Currently CONSIDERING running an AP15001D @ 2 ohms. That would be 950 watts. I'd hope the stock electrical could handle that. If this is an acceptable plan, I can then decide if I want to upgrade the alt and drop the load to 1 ohm.

I can only speak for myself... But I have a 70a alt and am running 1200w of Class D power, and 300w of A/B power. I have no dimming or voltage issues, with only a Big 3 upgrade. If you're looking to get more out of your electrical system, I'd recommend spending more on your amp. You could get a REALLY nice 2k amp like Mmats, and it would pull as much current as that AP @ 2 ohms making half the power. AP amps make their power, but tend to be incredibly inefficient. The more you spend on amps, the more efficient they tend to be. So, save up a couple hundred more dollars for your amp, and you can get a lot more power, without stressing your electrical.