Is my stock alternator enough?

[Xanthous 10+ year member]

I have a Pontiac Grand Prix 00, wondering if my stock 110 amp alternator is enough to run my planned set up.

+Big 3 Completed w/ 0 guage stinger wire.

Coming Additions

0 Guage Wire running to ->

MB Quart 1500d (1200 rms at 1 ohm pushing 2 alpine r's)

MB Quart 4.125 (400 rms at 4 ohm to 4 speakers)

- I'll only need an extra battery if I want to play my stereo with the car off, correct?

- The maximum amperage of 0 guage is around 245, can i use a 250 anl fuse or should i go bigger for connecting the power wire to battery?

Thanks, Justin.

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[daboyfrumdabx 10+ year member]

Amperage of stock alt?

 

[Xanthous 10+ year member]

Amperage of stock alt?

The amperage is 110.

 

[ejschultz 10+ year member]

110 amp alternator? It's probably not going to be enough. It'll do if you add that second battery. Your system is going to be roughly capable of about 160 amps total. The alternator is going to supply 110. After that 110, you're going to be dipping into the battery's power. That's going to cause some pretty mad voltage drop. The alternator attempts to keep the car at approximately 13.8 to 14.4 volts. The battery generally sits at about 12-12.4 volts. When you pull that kind of current from the battery, the voltage on the battery is going to drop. If you feed your amps too low of a voltage, you'll see the magic white smoke you see mentioned on here from time to time.

 

[sleazebagger 10+ year member]

75 amps = about 1000 rms /story

 

[Xanthous 10+ year member]

What would you suggest to fix this? A ho alternator or an extra battery?

 

[ejschultz 10+ year member]

75 amps = about 1000 rms /story

That's assuming 13.3 volts. The lower that voltage gets, the higher the current is going to get to keep the wattage at 1 kW. P=EI. Assuming your alternator charges at 13.8 volts and you're running 1600 RMS, you'd need about 116 amps on tap from your alternator. I say "on tap" because you're still going to need power for your car to run. If you upgrade your alternator, you should be okay with a 140 amp, give or take a little. Does your car have the 3400 SFI or the 3800 Series II engine? I know the 3400 takes a CS130D alternator and I'm pretty sure the 3800 takes the same alternator. You can get them in a 140 amp model.

 

[daboyfrumdabx 10+ year member]

What would you suggest to fix this? A ho alternator or an extra battery?

If you're cool with spending the cash on a HO alt, that's definitely the best choice. A second battery will suffice.

 

[daboyfrumdabx 10+ year member]

The amperage is 110.

Not to get too off track here, but did you edit the OP with that info after I asked, or did I seriously miss the bold print and whole first line of the post?

 

[ejschultz 10+ year member]

If you're cool with spending the cash on a HO alt, that's definitely the best choice. A second battery will suffice.

Both my Caprice and my Jeep have factory HO alternators. Neither came with the HO options, I just upgraded for my systems. They both provide enough power too. You'll probably still get some dimming with a HO alternator and that's just because the voltage regulator (on a CS130D it's an internal regulator) cannot instantly change to keep up with the demand of your system. Once the voltage regulator senses a voltage drop, it then kicks the alternator up a notch to keep up with the demand of the system. People always complain about dimming even with HO alternators. No alternator alone will ever completely kill voltage drop due to the voltage regulator not being ideal. I thought I'd throw that out there for you to keep in mind.

 

[Xanthous 10+ year member]

Not to get too off track here, but did you edit the OP with that info after I asked, or did I seriously miss the bold print and whole first line of the post?

ha, don't worry. I'm not sure because I made 3 edits.

The first post didn't have amps in it (up for 1 min)

The second post (before I saw your post) i added amps (up for 5 mins)

The third post (i saw your post) i made it bold.

 

[Xanthous 10+ year member]

If you're cool with spending the cash on a HO alt, that's definitely the best choice. A second battery will suffice.

But the second battery would eventually lose its charge if the system was on too long, correct? How long would that be i the battery is rated at 80AH?

(I still don't have a complete grip on how the extra battery works)

 

[daboyfrumdabx 10+ year member]

Both my Caprice and my Jeep have factory HO alternators. Neither came with the HO options, I just upgraded for my systems. They both provide enough power too. You'll probably still get some dimming with a HO alternator and that's just because the voltage regulator (on a CS130D it's an internal regulator) cannot instantly change to keep up with the demand of your system. Once the voltage regulator senses a voltage drop, it then kicks the alternator up a notch to keep up with the demand of the system. People always complain about dimming even with HO alternators. No alternator alone will ever completely kill voltage drop due to the voltage regulator not being ideal. I thought I'd throw that out there for you to keep in mind.

Good info. I've never personally dealt with an HO alt, so I definitely haven't had the experience. Theoretically it just seems like the best option, but I see what you're saying.

ha, don't worry. I'm not sure because I made 3 edits.
The first post didn't have amps in it (up for 1 min)

The second post (before I saw your post) i added the amps (up for 5 mins)

The third post (i saw your post) i made it bold.

Cool, I feel a little better about myself lol.

 

[Xanthous 10+ year member]

That's assuming 13.3 volts. The lower that voltage gets, the higher the current is going to get to keep the wattage at 1 kW. P=EI. Assuming your alternator charges at 13.8 volts and you're running 1600 RMS, you'd need about 116 amps on tap from your alternator. I say "on tap" because you're still going to need power for your car to run. If you upgrade your alternator, you should be okay with a 140 amp, give or take a little. Does your car have the 3400 SFI or the 3800 Series II engine? I know the 3400 takes a CS130D alternator and I'm pretty sure the 3800 takes the same alternator. You can get them in a 140 amp model.

I have the 3800 Series II (L67) Supercharged.

 

[justafifteen 10+ year member]

Don't mean to hijack this thread, but I have the same question. I'm going to be running an Audipipe 1500d (820 watts rms @ 2 ohm) and the Pioneer amp in my sig (50w rms @ 4 ohm)

My car either has a 60-amp or 75-amp alternator, haven't checked. However, is either one enough?