What is a good setup to support 3.5kw?

[LiquidClen 10+ year member]

I was thinking Kinetik 2400 under the hood, maybe a 2000 in the back, and a 200Amp Alternator? Am I way off with this one? Amp is going to be a Sundown 3000 or (2) 1500's w/ the front stage seeing about 500 from various eclipse amps

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[IgnoreMe 5,000+ posts]

step 1, buy 1 200A alt

step 2, buy 2 g31 batts

step 3, see how much you drop

step 4, add batt until you're happy.

my friend is fine with about 3kw, 1 200a alt, 1 g34 batt up front and 1 g31 in the back. holds up real well actually.

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

No one can tell you what it will take. Every setup is different and every person's listening habits are different.

That said, bigger is better when it comes to an alt, but take idle RPM current and RPM required for peak current into account when you pick one.

 

[LiquidClen 10+ year member]

step 1, buy 1 200A alt
step 2, buy 2 g31 batts

step 3, see how much you drop

step 4, add batt until you're happy.

my friend is fine with about 3kw, 1 200a alt, 1 g34 batt up front and 1 g31 in the back. holds up real well actually.

You don't like Kinetik's? I can step up the alt if need be to 220 or 240, so if you think that would be better lmk

 

[IgnoreMe 5,000+ posts]

You don't like Kinetik's? I can step up the alt if need be to 220 or 240, so if you think that would be better lmk

where did i say i liked/disliked kinetiks? i have no experience with them. so i cant give an opinion.

g31 is a group size, not a brand (no optima doesnt own the "g31" tag). http://www.rtpnet.org/~teaa/bcigroup.html . the hc2400 is a g31 battery...aka a group 31 sized battery (meaning it fits within certain specifications)

as for the alt, sure you can step it up to a higher amperage unit. i was just stating 200A, as thats what me and a buddy run, and with a single g31 batt in the back (deka intimidator) and a g34 up front (deka intimidator, again), it works just dandy for 3kw. hell get the biggest alt you can afford. only ones i have seen for my car are 200A units, so thats what i went with.

 

[mlstrass 5,000+ posts]

I run around 5k with a 200a alt, SVR up front, and 2 Deka's in the rear. I actually ran 2 1500D's off the stock alt with the SVR and single Deka in the back.

I say do the alt and upgrade front batt and add a single in the back and go from there if voltage still drops too much. BIG3 is a given.

Comp amp won't draw nearly as much juice FYI....

 

[BassAddictJ 5,000+ posts]

FYI..........lots of wire helps too. Spend the extra money and get 1 or 2 rolls of 1/0 and make multiple runs. If you do any more than 2 positive power runs, then youll wanna match them with dedicated negative runs. So either 2 positives and a chasis ground, or 3 pos 3 neg and up.

as far as the amp inputs. you can remove the sheathing off the last 6 or 7 inches off the 1/0, blend them all together evenly. doesnt have to be perfect, but make sure there are no "dead ends". Do this with all your runs, and leave 1 run just an inch longer at the tip, that little tip will go into the amps power or ground input. be sure to safely recover the exposed copper.

this WILL help with moving large amounts of power more efficently, and you will see less voltage drop.



make sure there's a solid connection with every bit of copper. "dead ends" add resistance.





if you're running more than 2.5kw, i recommend more than a single 1/0 run and a chasis ground.

 

[LiquidClen 10+ year member]

where did i say i liked/disliked kinetiks? i have no experience with them. so i cant give an opinion.
g31 is a group size, not a brand (no optima doesnt own the "g31" tag). http://www.rtpnet.org/~teaa/bcigroup.html . the hc2400 is a g31 battery...aka a group 31 sized battery (meaning it fits within certain specifications)

as for the alt, sure you can step it up to a higher amperage unit. i was just stating 200A, as thats what me and a buddy run, and with a single g31 batt in the back (deka intimidator) and a g34 up front (deka intimidator, again), it works just dandy for 3kw. hell get the biggest alt you can afford. only ones i have seen for my car are 200A units, so thats what i went with.

I assumed you didnt like Kinetik because you said "g31" Which (until just now) I thought was an Optima tag lol. BassAddict, what do you mean by "dead ends" ? Thanks for the useful info guys!

 

[IgnoreMe 5,000+ posts]

I assumed you didnt like Kinetik because you said "g31" Which (until just now) I thought was an Optima tag lol. BassAddict, what do you mean by "dead ends" ? Thanks for the useful info guys!

he means you want all the wire touching it self. you dont want any gaps between the individual pieces.

check out his 2nd picture. as you can see hes using zip ties to "crimp" the wire together

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

if you're running more than 2.5kw, i recommend more than a single 1/0 run and a chasis ground.

If you're running more than 4ga for power I would run just as much copper back to the front battery as I ran from it rather than use a chassis ground. Especially in a unibody car.

 

[PSturmer 10+ year member]

you could get away without a new alt for daily driver. my car had 5k in it and 2 big kinetiks. had about 100' of 1/0 in my car but still a stock alt. my lights barely dimmed on music thanks to kinetik