Is a high output alternator necessary?

[armnhammer214]

I'm new to the forum, been awhile since I was active in car audio, 5 years. I'm currently setting up my suburban for 3 amps, 2 for interior speakers and 1 for the subs. I'm doing the big 3 upgrade with yellow top battery for now. Will putting in a 250 amp alternator be convenient or unnecessary? My amps are a hifonics Brutus Elite 2000.1, autotek 1400.4 and autotek 1000.4 . It's a daily driver, just trying to see if a high output alternator is better off to add or not. Thanks.

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[disturbed471985 5,000+ posts]

Adding a bigger alt is never a bad thing....

 

[BoogerMan]

I'm new to the forum, been awhile since I was active in car audio, 5 years. I'm currently setting up my suburban for 3 amps, 2 for interior speakers and 1 for the subs. I'm doing the big 3 upgrade with yellow top battery for now. Will putting in a 250 amp alternator be convenient or unnecessary? My amps are a hifonics Brutus Elite 2000.1, autotek 1400.4 and autotek 1000.4 . It's a daily driver, just trying to see if a high output alternator is better off to add or not. Thanks.

I was running about 2000w worth of Rockford amps in my truck off a yellow top, the big 3, and the stock alt (I think maybe a 90A IIRC). I would bump full tilt each and every day. My stock alt lasted a little less than a year before dying.

If you don't have the money for one, you'll be fine without it for now. Just know that the stock alt won't last too long and you'll have to eventually spend money on a new alt or even better a H/O alt.

If you can afford it, just get it now and save your stock alt as a backup just in case something happens with the H/O alt at some point.

 

[armnhammer214]

Already appreciate it I'll look into it in the near future.

 

[els1989]

Every vehicle is different... My electrical dimmed in my 04 Sierra with a 1200d amp at 1ohm....

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[akheathen Premium Member]

get the alternator. you won't regret it. you might spend just as much frying the yellow top as you would upgrading the alternator. think of it this way: you dd all the time, and bump real hard sometimes. it's friday night, and you bump hard all the way to the store and back. not only do you not reover the power used to start it up, but you overdrew the alternator and pulled off the battery the whole time. if it freezes that night, the battery could be done... otherwise, it's just left in a partielly discharged state overnight. that won't kill it, but a year later, it might show signs if reduced output, and possibly not hold a charge for a week or so.. now you have the 250a alternator might do like 150 at idle and like 200 at cruising speed (2k rpm). this takes care of the typical recovery, and a good deal of bumping, without having to tap out the battery..... now if you "demo" full tilt, it's still going to pull from the battery, but that's what that battery is made for, and should recover pretty easily with the bigger alt. do you need it? no, you can get by with stock. however, you will really benefit from it. either way, i keep a digital volt meter plugged in so i can see the voltage in real time. if it drops below the low 13's, you are starting to pull off the battery. 11's, you are probably clipping and drawing more power and putting out less.

 

[armnhammer214]

Yeah I get what your saying, I'm going be running a digital voltage meter as well. Looks like I got some shopping to do. Appreciate the responses.