Buck 5,000+ posts
little alien on campus
Im mostly just going by what I have heard from multiple sources... But also, of course an alternator is going to have to work harder to make 14.5 volts, than it does to make 13.5. So obviously this will shorten the lifespan of the alt by a little, and if its only a little, I wouldn't worry about it. Heck, my stock alt was over 10 years old, and had been beaten to death its entire life, and still never completely died, but was just starting to get really tired
I don't think that's true. My alt was rated to charge up to about 18-20v, so charging at 15 wasn't much of a strain at all. You're well within the design of the alt to not shorten it's life span, IMO. If it's cold enough, many factory alts can technically and naturally charge 15, because of the cold. I don't really think it's that much harsher, unless you're charging 14v batteries, or 16 or whatever vs 12v. I think charging 12v is gonna be a very similar strain, regardless of voltage, as long as your aren't over-volting.
