Will upgrading my battery while keeping my stock alt help my situation?

[wang in a stang]

XS is good.

Will that specific batt i mentioned work with 1700 RMS?

 

[brafferty]

If you have an agm batt as well as an aftermarket alt and are still experiencing dimming, something isn't right. Your voltage should not be dropping below 14v.

ill probably need a meter to read this, my car doesnt even have a power gauge.... its like they didnt expect an outback to get a system tossed in it

 

[Kangaroux 5,000+ posts]

Will that specific batt i mentioned work with 1700 RMS?

Yes you should be fine. Your amp won't actually do the full 1700 RMS due to something called box rise. Basically, even though your sub is wired to 1 ohm, as it plays different frequencies the ohm load (impedance) changes. For example, I'm running a true 3000w amp @ 1 ohm, but because of box rise the absolute most amount of power my amp is putting out is around 800w, because I'm rising from 1 ohm to 4+ ohms.

 

[Kangaroux 5,000+ posts]

ill probably need a meter to read this, my car doesnt even have a power gauge.... its like they didnt expect an outback to get a system tossed in it

I suggest getting a small LED volt meter for your vehicle, like this. Wire it to your headunit harness, with the power wire on the voltmeter going to the ignition wire (red) on the harness.

 

[wang in a stang]

Yes you should be fine. Your amp won't actually do the full 1700 RMS due to something called box rise. Basically, even though your sub is wired to 1 ohm, as it plays different frequencies the ohm load (impedance) changes. For example, I'm running a true 3000w amp @ 1 ohm, but because of box rise the absolute most amount of power my amp is putting out is around 800w, because I'm rising from 1 ohm to 4+ ohms.

Thankyou! You've all been helpful. I'll go get the XS and call it a day!

 

[brafferty]

I suggest getting a small LED volt meter for your vehicle, like this. Wire it to your headunit harness, with the power wire on the voltmeter going to the ignition wire (red) on the harness.

thanks man ill really look into this, curious to see what im rating at ha

 

[wang in a stang]

I suggest getting a small LED volt meter for your vehicle, like this. Wire it to your headunit harness, with the power wire on the voltmeter going to the ignition wire (red) on the harness.

This will also help!

 

[wew lad 5,000+ posts]

listen to these guys, im pushing at most 1800 RMS.... and i went the soendy way and bought the Yellowtop battery, and the DC HO alts, and i feel like there is no difference..... just 600$ more broke, lights still dim and all, there literally wasnt anything noticable when i installed these

any idea how much current your amps are actually drawing? 1800w output doesn't account for the efficiency losses on the input side of your amplifier. I've clamped much more current going into my amps than i expected, sometimes 50-75% over the fuse rating, even rising to 2.8 ohms

 

[tc300 10+ year member]

Northstar batteries if you have the cash but if not grab a Duracell agm.

 

[DaytonLax14 10+ year member]

Thankyou! You've all been helpful. I'll go get the XS and call it a day!

Are you replacing your stock battery with this XS? Or adding the XS to the back?

 

[michaellane 5,000+ posts]

I hear the alternator handles almost 100% of electrical when the engine is on. If the alternator runs almost 100% of the electrical when running then what do i get out of upgrading JUST my battery?
Is it worth it to just upgrade my battery alone? I am trying to run a Skar ZVX-18. Thats 1500 RMS and yes, i know Skar is underated.

I would be upgrading to a 900cca Optima yellow top.

Thankyou.

well yellow top ***** so thats the first thing. Secondly your battery will have a little extra juice for when the alt just cant do it alone. Get a better agm battery upfront and you will be fine. What grouo size do you need?

 

[michaellane 5,000+ posts]

Thankyou! You've all been helpful. I'll go get the XS and call it a day!

Xs is overpriced. If you arent going virgin lead just buy a agm battery

 

[brafferty]

any idea how much current your amps are actually drawing? 1800w output doesn't account for the efficiency losses on the input side of your amplifier. I've clamped much more current going into my amps than i expected, sometimes 50-75% over the fuse rating, even rising to 2.8 ohms

i dont

 

[wew lad 5,000+ posts]

i dont

buy a cheap clamp ammeter and run your system full tilt, you'll be surprised how much current you're ******* up.

 

[adulbrich 5,000+ posts]

I have yet to find a cheap DC clamp ammeter. The AC ones aren't too bad, but DC ones are a lot more expensive iirc

At least ones that can measure 1,000 amps of current. Smaller ones may be cheaper, but i haven't looked.