Is 170 amps enough?

[jersyn82]

I'm on a budget and I was looking at the mechman universal alternators. I'm only running a cab1600 with big 3 and agm up front. Is 170 amps enough for that? I'm not planning on going bigger in the near future. Yes I'd like to go with ohiogen, singer or dc but these are cheap right now at 270. My car is a 14 nissan sentra if that matters

Click to read more...

 

[jersyn82]

Come on guys, I need help. Should I go with the alt or a battery in the back?

 

[dev199505]

Right now you should be fine if you want a little extra headroom add a second battery

Sent from my 5054N using Tapatalk

 

[jersyn82]

Right now you should be fine if you want a little extra headroom add a second battery
Sent from my 5054N using Tapatalk

I had an hdc3 in a ported box, no light dimming. Put 2 idmax 10's in a sealed box, didnt touch amp now they are dimming. Does that make any sense?

 

[dev199505]

I had an hdc3 in a ported box, no light dimming. Put 2 idmax 10's in a sealed box, didnt touch amp now they are dimming. Does that make any sense?

what was your hdc3 wired at and what are your 10s wired at? Could be lower ohms so it's drawing more power
Sent from my 5054N using Tapatalk

 

[jersyn82]

Both at 1 ohm...doesn't make sense

 

[dev199505]

Both at 1 ohm...doesn't make sense

Then you could be clipping now reset gains. Make sure bass boost is off

Sent from my 5054N using Tapatalk

 

[GSG2Teg]

I'm just guessing, but I'm thinking air flow. In a ported box you have the port to allow air flow creating less stress on the sub and amplifier. In a sealed box you are making the amp push harder because their is more resistance being pushed back against the sub. Plus it sounds like you went from one sub to two. Def. invest in a good CCA battery. I made the mistake of going with a cheap battery and my two 10" Pioneers in a bandpass box were making my lights dim. I might've turned my amp down a little after the new battery but I noticed the amp was warmer than usual and compared to my other amp but it's not running subs. Second battery would be the way to go though from what I've been reading.

 

[blazian87 10+ year member]

I had an hdc3 in a ported box, no light dimming. Put 2 idmax 10's in a sealed box, didnt touch amp now they are dimming. Does that make any sense?

Sealed requires more power and is a power hog compared to ported. You shouldn't really need an alt for that amount of power. It's kinda a waste of money unless you're planning to go 2k or more. A second battery would make sense. But I have a '14 Nissan Sentra too that I drive everyday and honestly the stock alt suxx and stock batt is horrible if you still have it. If you don't mind spending 270 on a alt and not planning to upgrade then I would say go for it. If you still running stock front battery, swap it out with a better one for sure. My stock battery died on me several times in the first 2 months I owned the car and it was brand new too! Whenever I turn on the A/C high, the voltage fluctuates alot too. I don't have anything aftermarket on it and it can barely even handle stock power. What a joke.

 

[jersyn82]

Sealed requires more power and is a power hog compared to ported. You shouldn't really need an alt for that amount of power. It's kinda a waste of money unless you're planning to go 2k or more. A second battery would make sense. But I have a '14 Nissan Sentra too that I drive everyday and honestly the stock alt suxx and stock batt is horrible if you still have it. If you don't mind spending 270 on a alt and not planning to upgrade then I would say go for it. If you still running stock front battery, swap it out with a better one for sure. My stock battery died on me several times in the first 2 months I owned the car and it was brand new too! Whenever I turn on the A/C high, the voltage fluctuates alot too. I don't have anything aftermarket on it and it can barely even handle stock power. What a joke.

I changed the font battery to a group 34 duracell agm. I don't know how the Box could make a difference if I haven't touched the amp though.

 

[blazian87 10+ year member]

I changed the font battery to a group 34 duracell agm. I don't know how the Box could make a difference if I haven't touched the amp though.

Well there's a thing called box rise or impedance rise. If you don't know about this, I suggest you look it up. Generally small sealed boxes have less box rise than a big ported box so it would make sense that your sealed box is getting more power than your ported even though you haven't touched anything on the amp. You could also be clipping and not know it. How did you set your gains?

Two idmax's need sufficient power especially in a sealed box so I would suggest you upgrade your alt. I would suggest you get a bigger better amp in the future too but in the meantime you'll be fine. I totally feel the sentra's alt is not up to par with what you're running. Your front batt is good. Adding a 2nd battery would just be bandaid for the power demands you're asking for.

I'll tell you about my horror story with that exact car you have. Not only did the battery die on me several times, but one time it was a hot summer day and I was driving around in the middle of traffic. I was blasting the A/C and as I stopped at a red light, my car died while the car was IDLING! Piece of sh1t alt couldn't even charge enough to keep the battery alive. I was stuck at the light with people behind me and everything. I had no music on and everything is completely stock and new. I kept turning the key and the battery somehow revived itself after a bit and car finally turned on and I turned off the A/C. The A/C isn't even that cold either and the voltage keeps dropping up and down like crazy. This is why I'm saying you should upgrade your batt AND alt. $270 for a 170a alt is not bad really. I paid like over $400 for a 160a singer alt for a corolla. I say go for it if it's still for sale.

The fucked up part was I had jumper cables in my trunk and I couldn't even open the trunk because there was no power! I have since replaced the battery with an interstate battery and it hasn't died on me. The A/C still fluctuates the voltage though.

 

[jersyn82]

Well there's a thing called box rise or impedance rise. If you don't know about this, I suggest you look it up. Generally small sealed boxes have less box rise than a big ported box so it would make sense that your sealed box is getting more power than your ported even though you haven't touched anything on the amp. You could also be clipping and not know it. How did you set your gains?
Two idmax's need sufficient power especially in a sealed box so I would suggest you upgrade your alt. I would suggest you get a bigger better amp in the future too but in the meantime you'll be fine. I totally feel the sentra's alt is not up to par with what you're running. Your front batt is good. Adding a 2nd battery would just be bandaid for the power demands you're asking for.

I'll tell you about my horror story with that exact car you have. Not only did the battery die on me several times, but one time it was a hot summer day and I was driving around in the middle of traffic. I was blasting the A/C and as I stopped at a red light, my car died while the car was IDLING! Piece of sh1t alt couldn't even charge enough to keep the battery alive. I was stuck at the light with people behind me and everything. I had no music on and everything is completely stock and new. I kept turning the key and the battery somehow revived itself after a bit and car finally turned on and I turned off the A/C. The A/C isn't even that cold either and the voltage keeps dropping up and down like crazy. This is why I'm saying you should upgrade your batt AND alt. $270 for a 170a alt is not bad really. I paid like over $400 for a 160a singer alt for a corolla. I say go for it if it's still for sale.

The fucked up part was I had jumper cables in my trunk and I couldn't even open the trunk because there was no power! I have since replaced the battery with an interstate battery and it hasn't died on me. The A/C still fluctuates the voltage though.

Yeah I've read about box rise but never thought of that...ported I was probably rising above 2 ohms with a sealed I'm probably not. I get it, the subs died anyways though lol