my system is too heavy for my car..

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

Why dont you think a HO alt would help stiffen system voltage? It certainly should, even for transient response. If after adding a HO you still have transient voltage dipping problems, you have too much resistance in your wiring/connections most likely.

The voltage regulator in the alt has a transient response also. For the voltage regulator to do anything, it has to sense a dip in voltage. By the time the voltage has dipped, the lights have dimmed as well. The human eye is very sensitive to light and it only takes a flicker for you to perceive it only on the order of a fracion of a second. The capacitance in the battery will try to keep it from ever dipping up front.

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

The voltage regulator in the alt has a transient response also. For the voltage regulator to do anything, it has to sense a dip in voltage. By the time the voltage has dipped, the lights have dimmed as well. The human eye is very sensitive to light and it only takes a flicker for you to perceive it only on the order of a fracion of a second. The capacitance in the battery will try to keep it from ever dipping up front.

If the concern is simply over flickering lights, caps can be added up front near the lights to solve that problem.

I know what you are saying about the regulator sensing a dip in voltage, but in regards to stereo performance (not headlight performance //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif) I believe the ultimate bottleneck in transient response would be dips in system voltage due to sheer power consumption (in rapid time). In this situation, how fast our eyes perceive changes in light dont matter, only audible effects are what count. Our ears wont hear the regulator's limiting factor. Why? Because we dont hear it in situations even with smaller stereos. If regulator reaction time was the bottleneck, it would occur with all voltage changes.

Lastly, Im certainly not arguing against extra batteries. I use rear-mounted extra batts in my systems alot, they definitely have their uses. Having one batt in the front and one in the rear (near amps) is a winning setup Ive used several times, it has alot of advantages. I just dont think its fair to assume a HO alt would not help a voltage problem and a batt would. When I get serious about a large system Im building, I do both. Ive had some fairly large systems (for the charging system) that maintained rock solid voltage, and had zero noticeable headlight flicker.

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

Oh, and I heard Dominick Iraggi is coming out with a new regulator that reads 6 seconds into the future. Its amazing!

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

 

[skmfkr 5,000+ posts]

Buy a bigger alternator? I'm surprised that you didn't notice more of a difference in acceleration and brakeing putting on the 22's.

lol no shit

 

[B_Campbell 10+ year member]

boo hoo.

If your auto is too slow, you can always turbo it. At least thats how I plan to compensate.

 

[andar 10+ year member]

add more horsepower, get bigger brakes, HO alternator,

 

[B_Campbell 10+ year member]

add more horsepower, get bigger brakes, HO alternator,

Yea... 15 Baer's and some twin 57mm turbos and corresponding mods.

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

If the concern is simply over flickering lights, caps can be added up front near the lights to solve that problem.

True.

I just dont think its fair to assume a HO alt would not help a voltage problem and a batt would.

The key is to know when to use each.

When I get serious about a large system Im building, I do both. Ive had some fairly large systems (for the charging system) that maintained rock solid voltage, and had zero noticeable headlight flicker.

Those are the big determining factors on which is appropriate. An alt that is correct for the application (current draw, typical engine RPM, etc...) is never going to hurt but a new alt might not always make economical sense.
Other than the amp shutting down, I can't think of an audible manifestation of a voltage dip...

And sign me up for that new VR. It sure beats mine which takes 8 seconds to care about a dip in voltage. You can hear the heater blower slow down or watch the lights dim when you use the power windows (165A alt for the useless...).

 

[azbass 5,000+ posts]

a HO alt. is still going to hurt HP...

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

some twin 57mm turbos and corresponding mods.

Mod 1 on that car would be removing the SUPERCHARGER. That makes perfect sense...//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/rolleyes.gif.c1fef805e9d1464d377451cd5bc18bfb.gif

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

True.The key is to know when to use each. Those are the big determining factors on which is appropriate. An alt that is correct for the application (current draw, typical engine RPM, etc...) is never going to hurt but a new alt might not always make economical sense.

Other than the amp shutting down, I can't think of an audible manifestation of a voltage dip...

And sign me up for that new VR. It sure beats mine which takes 8 seconds to care about a dip in voltage. You can hear the heater blower slow down or watch the lights dim when you use the power windows (165A alt for the useless...).

Yes, I agree when we start talking about economical sense, I place adding a HO alt as last on the list, behind big-3 and batt upgrades. Im not sure I even place adding caps on the list, if I do it certainly follows everything else... but that's another discussion. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

On amps with unregulated power supplies, even a couple volt dip can become audible. A difference from 14.4v to 12v could be in the hundreds of watts. The problem with 'hearing' it is its very difficult to do a true side by side comparison. Hear a system with a voltage depletion (but not to the point of shutting down amps) versus the exact same system with a properly stiffened system voltage.

All in all I think we agree here, do a batt upgrade first, then worry about a HO alt. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif