New Alt or Add Battery?

[audiolife 5,000+ posts]

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wow.gif.23d729408e9177caa2a0ed6a2ba6588e.gif
I was running 1200 watts on a 105A alt and the dimming was terrible, even after the big 3 and a yellow top under the hood. I upgraded to a 200A alt and the dimming **** near subsided. After I threw the stock batt back under the hood and the yellow top in the trunk I don't have problems at all. But to say 1300 watts would run off of a 105 alt is a bit ridiculous. I know for a fact you need more power than that. By the time I upgraded my alt the inside of the old one was burnt to hell and about to just die totally. I would recommend getting the bigger alt. Even if the dimming isn't horrible, your probably doing a shit load of damage to your alt and it's just gunna die on you sooner rather than later.

so with that said I would say leave the yellow top under the hood and put the money towards a new bigger alt. Check out KnuKonceptz, I can vouch for them, their alts are nice.

200 amps for 1200 watts?

 

[bubbagumper6 5,000+ posts]

200A for 240$ FTW

better price than everywhere else and they were quoting for like 160A. I checked Knu's alts and they had a 200A alt for my car for only 240$ so I thought why not? Upgradability and you can never have too much power eh? (Plus I sorta forgot about my speaker amp which is like another 200-400 watts)

 

[audiolife 5,000+ posts]

i used to run over 2200 watts of highly inefficient old PPI AM series amps off of a 90 amp stock alt for over a year with 2 old school napa marine wet cell batteries. had to save up for the alt (back in the early 90's 120 dual output alts were $700 WITH a discount) and only difference in performance was at 2k rpm there was NO dimming either way at idle it had slight dimming. really sucked balls though with no batteries in back lol

 

[Qbenjamin 10+ year member]

Alright, I am going to try another company's alternator. I previously had a 200a alt from dbelectrical, but my voltage dropped worse than my stock alt. I have a few other companies in mind, and I will list them. Please add to the list if you kniow of a reputable company. I am not trying to spend more than $250-$275 on this alt.

Iraggi Alts (90 day warranty is obsurd, and charges $100 more for a 1 year warranty)

Excessive Amperage (Heard a few good and bad comments)

DBELECTRICAL (Out of the question)

Knukonceptz (Alts are a bit weak @ idle)

Ohio Generators/Alternators (The priciest)

Mean Green Alts (I have yet to get a quote from them, as I dunno their website. Have only heard GOOD things about em)

I need something that does at least 120a @ idle. I can go with a 160a alt or a 200. A 200 would be a lil bit excessive for me, as I am not going to add to the system.

 

[bubbagumper6 5,000+ posts]

I need something that does at least 120a @ idle. I can go with a 160a alt or a 200. A 200 would be a lil bit excessive for me, as I am not going to add to the system.

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/laugh.gif.48439b2acf2cfca21620f01e7f77d1e4.gif you say that now...just wait till you get the itch

 

[sandbags 10+ year member]

buy the batt from xplorerdon

 

[bubbagumper6 5,000+ posts]

250$ for a battery is a little steep dude. Yellow tops are like 100 bux.

 

[Qbenjamin 10+ year member]

250$ for a battery is a little steep dude. Yellow tops are like 100 bux.

I agree with you on that. I can get a decent 200a alt for about $325.

 

[Gazlay43 10+ year member]

250$ for a battery is a little steep dude. Yellow tops are like 100 bux.

where can u get a yellow top 4 100 bux???

 

[bubbagumper6 5,000+ posts]

these forums? Yellow tops are amazing batteries, I bought a barely used (like 2 months of use, then sat for 6 months but still had an 11.5 charge) one for 125 shipped in the classified. Just gotta look around.

 

[audiolife 5,000+ posts]

a 12v battery sitting around under 12v isnt good

 

[bubbagumper6 5,000+ posts]

works like new //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/fyi.gif.9f1f679348da7204ce960cfc74bca8e0.gif

 

[audiolife 5,000+ posts]

???? if it is resting at 11.5 v it isnt good to leave sit at that. in most cases i have heard about with them (paticularly corrvette owners) they dont comeback well for them, i know mine didnt lol. if you are going to leave a battery sit (particularly an optima) i would have a maintaining charger on it.

 

[bubbagumper6 5,000+ posts]

i've never had a problem with it, in fact my stock battery sat for a couple months and when I stock that back in, it also worked fine.

 

[cotjones 10+ year member]

at 12 volts your amps would have to draw 108.3 amps to make 1300 watts

at 14.5 volts though (closer to what your car should be running at) your amps would draw 89.7 amps to make 1300 watts...

now without knowing how many amps it takes to opperate your car, i can't tell you whether or not 105 is enough but i highly doubt it...

if you car is running at a full 14.5 v when your system hits as hard as it can (1300 watts of power) you will only have 15.3 left for the car to opperate on... so if you wipers are on your done...

1300 watts is alot of power on a stock alt, i'd definitly upgrade to a bigger alt even if its just a 145....

and later if you can add a second battery do it... it does make a pretty huge difference... in my blazer even after i added a high output alt, voltage problems persisted untill addition of a second battery...

something else... if you don't plan on using a isolator on your second battery the batteries need to be the same model, and close to the same age....

if not they will have different charges, and charge abilities, causeing one or the other to discharge, and eventually both will go dead much more quickly than they should.