I have 2 12" memphis subs with 3 300 watt amps a alpine head unit along with 4 pioneer speakers and not enough battery power....lol. i want to get 2 optima batteries with batterie relocator kits so i have room to put my air compressor in the engine bay. now all of those electronics calls for a high voltage alternator. i need to find one that can charge both batteries nicely, and i dont have room for dual alternators. what do some of you recommend would be the best? or should i just have one batterie powering all my ignition and electronics????

 

summit has an array of high amp alternators for our vehicles.

 

Any starter-alternator shop can take yours and put the higher output componants in it. The 140 is usually dependable (I have one) and isn't that expensive. Plus if it does go bad you can get it looked at locally without shipping hassles. Don't pay over a dollar per amp or you are getting ripped off. I payed $110.00. Go ahead and have them install new (good) bearings and brushes so you won't have to worry about. There are cheesy bearings that don't last very long.

 

I've got one of the chrome plated 140 amp alternators from Summit and it works great. It definitely takes some of the pep out of the engine...being a bigger load on it and all. Nice alternator though.

 

Bigger/better option: excessive amperage. MeanGTA can vouch for them and I will be able to as soon as I finish other projects I have going on and get around to buying one. Much higher output and a decent price ($300 new).

I would say dual batteries isn’t worth your time but it is with the compressor I suggest running one for you car and one for your stereo/compressor with a battery isolator between the two batteries. This way you can still play your system with the car off or raise/lower your car and you won’t have to worry about being able to start it later on.

Also, be sure to do the big 3.

 

One, You need a high current alt., not a high voltage alt.
If you're going to be running bags, I would consider a 140A to be a minimum. Look into a 200A. Just got a Powermaster 200A for my truck. It was about $300.00 all said and done.
Dual batteries isn't bad idea if you're running the bag with the car off.

 

I use an Iceberg Alternator: http://www.alternatorparts.com/

You can purchase a rebuild kit or you purchase one that they built already. They use the stock CS-130 and provide heat sinks and build the power output to higher amperage. You can get the heat-sink 130 with 105amp, 140amp, and 170amp outputs.

NEW CS-130 and CS-130D page: http://www.alternatorparts.com/cs130_&_cs130d_alt.htm

 

Iraggi Alternators are suppose to be good too. http://stores.ebay.com/Iraggi-Altern...nd-Electronics

They offer different coverage plans too, including Lifetime replacement ($100 extra). It gives 1 free replacement after general warranty is up, then everytime after that is a flat fee for a new one. They also use to have trade in programs too, so if you changed vehicles they'll give you partial store credit.

 

thanks for the help guys i think i might have found what im looking for. A 200 amp iraggi alternator

it might down my engine a little but i can deal with it.

 

i dont recomennd iraggi. they have bad feedback on quite a few of the audio boards.

Lotsa good info here

http://www.splbassx.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=4604

 

Gummie, what amperage did you get for $300? Also, what voltage does it rest at? Idle amp output?

 

200 amp for $295, 250 amp for $355. It should be noted that the 250 is a CS144 (will require some modification to install) and is now available in 300 amp as well.

http://sethirdgen.org/cs144.htm <-- link to how to install a cs144

 

do 4th gens use cs144? or cs130d?

anyways, I wonder if it would be smarter just to have a local shop rebuilt the alternator to higher amperage.. so I can have local warranty coverage...

 

The 4th gens use a CS-144 alternator.

 

My 200 amp one was right around 250 shipped from alterstart.

 

Hey Gummie... that CS-144 250AMP for $355... do you have any info? like what amperage does it put out at idle? highway?

 

i've been extremely happy with the performance of my 200 amp excessive amperage, over 900 rpm. problem is, i've got a real lumpy cam, and i like to idle about 650, get that nasty RUMP RUMP RUMP sound.

under 800 rpm or so, my voltage drops to 11-11.5, which is lower than most amps like to play at full output. i talked to nathan at EA, and he said to send it back and he could make it start charging lower, i just never got around to it. so its definitely a good company, nathan will go out of his way to make sure you're satisfied. i just turn my system down when i stop.

mean green is another great alt. company i dont think anyones mentioned.

http://www.mean-green.com/

 

My WS6 idles at 500.... I want full output at idle if possible... I mean, it's not very often your crusing down the highway blasting your system... it's for tailgate parties and whatnot... so idle is very important...

 

Idle output is dependent on idle speed and the pulley ratio you're running. Head over to their website and either call or e-mail Nathan for more info.

You can swap pullies on the alternator in about 30 seconds and that will solve the majority of your problem. Smaller pulley = more alternator rotations per engine rotation. This is called overdriving and isn't necessarily bad for an alternator. I doubt any of us will have a problem with our redlines well below 7k. I’m planning on doing this myself for exactly the same reason when I find the money for my next engine.

You're going to be hard pressed to get FULL output at idle. You can do what I outlined above but you're not going to be able to get everything out of your alternator unless you were to put a bigger pulley on your crank in addition to a smaller pulley on your alternator (or ran single/dual alternator on a separate belt).

This brings two thoughts to mind: if you have a 200/250/300 amp alternator that means that you’re not going to need full output anyway unless you’re cranking the **** out of the stereo in some parking lot pissing off all the people around you (I personally hate it when people do that). Also, the rough rule of thumb (10 watts = 1 amp of current) puts you at around 1200 or so watts conservatively for the 200 amp at idle, probably closer to 1600 or so realistically.

Also, why not just run two batteries with an isolator and a deep cycle in the trunk? Run the trunk battery dead with the stereo, start the car with the car's battery when you're done, and charge the stereo battery on the way home. I’m thinking about doing this for the summer because I constantly find myself playing expensive boom box at social gatherings, etc.

Why would you want your car idling with the system on anyway? Exhaust = annoying when you're trying to listen to music and my exhaust system isn't as agressive as 90% of the people on the boards.

 

i knew about the smaller pulleys but nobody i've ever asked has been able to show me where to get them. do you know?

really the only time i've ever wanted to slam stopped is when some fool comes up next to me with their stock integra system blasting some lil wyte oxycottin or some **** like that. i'll let em know whats up, and its fine to bump for a few seconds at low voltage like that, never put my amps into protect or anything.

 

Gummie... the second battery has crossed my mind many times... but I could have sworn that it was VERY bad for alternators to charge a dead battery...

are these superior alternators that don't care?

and actually... I have this little microcontroller that starts my car when my voltage dips below 10.5 for more than 10 seconds straight... then stops the engine after 12 minutes...

I should really get all that installed on my new car... I miss my remote start and window operation..

 

check out the MSD alternators... more than enough power

 

Summit carries them (summitracing.com). You can also go to your local parts store and pick them up. All you're trying to do is change the pullies diameter. As long as it has the same number of grooves (the belt fits) you're good to go.

Low voltage isn't bad for your system, it just means that you will be putting out less power (wattage) than you otherwise could be putting out. The only time your amps would go into protect is if the battery drops below 10.5v.

Multiple batteries only becomes a problem if your current alternator is having a problem charging your battery and you decide to add another battery instead of addressing the bigger issue. This is the case in many imports whose alternators can barely support standard features let alone a stereo (RSX is a great example). Upgrading your alt (a 200 amp would easily cover it) and adding a second battery is pretty common pratice. On the other hand, it’s usually really bad to discharge a normal battery. Kills capacity, shortens life, etc. That’s why you should run a deep cycle (yellow/blue top) for the system and a normal style battery (red top) for the car with an isolator between the two.

The car starting thing won’t matter if you’re running isolated batteries because it shouldn’t be able to see the second battery’s voltage with the car off. That feature is designed to prevent you from having a car that won’t start because of low voltage.