What is more important. A battery or an alternator?

[Bruizer 10+ year member]

While I believe in putting a secondary battery in first, I must say that the Alternator is the most important thing. If you can't charge those batteries what good do they do you. The reason why you do the battery first in my opinion is that your stock alternator may be able to keep them both charged up, so you wouldn't have to spend a ton of money on a new alternator. If it can't charge the batteries, you'll have to get a new alternator but after you do that you'd already have the benefit of a second battery.

 

[KINGDELL91 10+ year member]

Thats like asking "whats more important" D*CK OR PU$$Y LMAO

 

[RAM_Designs 5,000+ posts]

Thats like asking "whats more important" D*CK OR PU$$Y LMAO

Is it?...really? //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/rolleyes.gif.c1fef805e9d1464d377451cd5bc18bfb.gif

I assume you'd choose the former.

 

[dillinja666 10+ year member]

i know when i had my honda i upgraded the alt before the battery and i still had major a major voltage drop at idle when i was at a high volume, my new tundra is the opposite. I switched to a kenitik 1800 and even at 2k, the stock 130 alt is doing fine.

edit: and with the high amp alt i noticed a loss in gas mileage too..stupid 4banger

 

[Jared530 10+ year member]

i know when i had my honda i upgraded the alt before the battery and i still had major a major voltage drop at idle when i was at a high volume, my new tundra is the opposite. I switched to a kenitik 1800 and even at 2k, the stock 130 alt is doing fine.
edit: and with the high amp alt i noticed a loss in gas mileage too..stupid 4banger

Dont you gain horses if you updgrade the alt?

 

[IamDeMan 5,000+ posts]

i know when i had my honda i upgraded the alt before the battery and i still had major a major voltage drop at idle when i was at a high volume, my new tundra is the opposite. I switched to a kenitik 1800 and even at 2k, the stock 130 alt is doing fine.
edit: and with the high amp alt i noticed a loss in gas mileage too..stupid 4banger

This has been my observation as well. My thoughts are mainly that an alt can't, even under perfect conditions react quick enough for peak demands. It plays catch up to a battery. So why not make sure the battery can output the power needed. As far as charging, any alt is still going to charge the batteries in between peaks unless it is going bad or just really small. Any 80amp or larger will have time to keep a battery charged.

 

[IamDeMan 5,000+ posts]

Dont you gain horses if you updgrade the alt?

http://www.gas-mileage-tips.com/34/a-booming-car-could-be-busting-gas-mileage/

In my econo shit box I can actually feel the draw the alt makes on the belt. It fels like I am switching the ac on and off. A car with substantially more torque won't have near the same effect.

 

[n2audio 5,000+ posts]

Dont you gain horses if you updgrade the alt?

law of conservation of energy...

energy can't be lost or created - only changed in form.

In other words, you can't gain electrical energy without paying for it mechanically.

In response to the poll - alternator, without question. You can have the best battery ever constructed, but if your alternator can't keep up with current draw the battery is helpless.

 

[ultimate157 5,000+ posts]

I agree with flip. If you have a stock alternator with only 75A output, then upgrading the alt first would make sense.

Since my jeep has a 117A stock alt, then I would (and will be) upgrad the batteries and wiring first.

 

[jlfx car audio 10+ year member]

well it might be that if you have 1-10 batts in the back and 1 up front with a stock alt and you are playing music as 140bd at most daily and deside to go to a comp you would have the reserve their to handle the amp draw for 10-30 sec before the batteries start loosing their effectiveness even a 10a alt will charge 10 batts up (it will just take a very long drive to do so)

in my spl truck first i had 1 batcap and charged it before i went to a show left it unhooked untill i pulled up to the line then turned it on for a burp and i was runing a DD z1 and gettin 4500w real power so alts are not always necessary

but for daily purposes if you have 100+ amps of draw for long periods of time i could see the use of a heavier alt first

 

[ngsm13 5,000+ posts]

I recommend REPLACING your stock battery first. Then Big3. Then Upgraded power/grounds. Then an alternator. Then additional batteries and +/- runs...

nG

 

[Flipx99 5,000+ posts]

I recommend REPLACING your stock battery first. Then Big3. Then Upgraded power/grounds. Then an alternator. Then additional batteries and +/- runs...
nG

Do you feel that way regardless of alternator situation for daily driving?

This whole thread stemmed from me suggesting replacing the alternator over the battery, because I felt the existing battery was more than adequate. While not an optima, it's a very nice die hard.

 

[IamDeMan 5,000+ posts]

I recommend REPLACING your stock battery first. Then Big3. Then Upgraded power/grounds. Then an alternator. Then additional batteries and +/- runs...
nG

This is how I generally felt, but I am seeing more of Flips point if the alt is that weak.

 

[ngsm13 5,000+ posts]

It all comes down to the application, and the budget really...

There isn't a blanket answer that covers all situations for this question. If you just recently bought a new battery, or think it is sufficient/adequate... then yes I'd highly recommend getting a new/upgraded Alternator first.

nG