is oem alt. enough???

i'm no expert by any means, but you may want to consider using a lightning cap...
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-xqRhIAo8PC8/tech/kb157.html

it keeps a constant supply of power to subs and amps!

thanks for the input i was already planning on having a cap for my setup.
but im worried since seeing on an other board that the power steering is electric, voltage is not my problem 4 now it the amps that worry me cuz i know enough about electricity to know that if my amp demand is above the alts output it will fry the alt and drain the battery.
geuss ill have to check it the old fashon way!

sometimes thats the only way to find out...

A capacitor may help, but not much. I recommend getting a larger, better battery and doing the big 3. The big 3 consists of upgrading the wire from the positive post of the alternator to the positive on the battery, the negative of the battery to the chassis, and the chassis to the block.
At the very least, upgrade the big 3 and then see where you sit. Just use your digital multimeter (DMM) to see how low your voltage drops at idle. Stock the car should idle around 13.8volts. If the car drops lower than 12volts, I'd suggest definitely a larger battery.

If you can't tell, I've done quite a bit of stereo in my xB...

thanks for the advice but what kind of system r u runnin ?

cuz the BIG 3 is good for eliminating interferance and getting clean voltage but in no way helps the amps.

the systeme im gonna run will be 1700w peak or 700watts rms

thanks!

thats some crazy s**t !!!!

where did you get the alternator???
and also if theres a bigger one i would suggest u think about it cuz your dip in voltage is due to the alt. its feeding your system (at idle)and not your batteries. cuz to charge the batts you need a minimum of amps to get the job done.

But still crazy!!!!

I'm sure my voltage is suffecient. This isn't the first time I've had a high power stereo... Thanks for the rad suggestion, though...

watts / voltage = amps

So say you have a 1000 watt stereo system, you'd divide it by 12 volts (I know your car can do up to 14.4 maybe more but you want to divide by the lowest it puts out) to get how many amps you're drawing.

so
1000 / 12 = 831/3

Your 100 amp alt should be OK but remember you're also running the rest of your cars electrical systems. Big 3 for sure. :yes:

xseveredveganx said:

I'm currently running a Sundown SAZ-3000D at 1ohm to a Soundstream XXX 15, Eclipse 2 channel running JL XR650-CSi components in stock locations, and a Premier DEH-P980BT to bring it all together. I have a 180 amp alternator and a Kinetik HC1800, as well as my stock battery. I don't drop past 12.8volts at full tilt at idle.

The big 3 helps stabblize the voltage. I've heard of guys dipping quite low, then upgrading the grounds and the dipping is much less significant.


Just for fun:

Click to expand...

Where did you get your 180 amp alternator??

I'll be running 15 farad cap... my stereo guy told me with that, I won't need to upgrade battery...

15 farads???? why what are you runnin and how much commissions is your stereo guy looking at making when you buy this???

my system is all buttoned up and ok i notice the headlights dip when im blasting my sound on idle but other than that.

i mean a cap is there to even out the voltage for your amp(s) unless you got some insane sh*t thats overkill and besides if you see your lights dip blasting at idle (witch you will**) youll freak out.

** the cap is for the amp(s) in no way will help the rest of your electrical system unless you put it between the batt and all elec systems.

i say lose the cap (if you really want one get a regular 1f cap) swap the batt and the alt.

but seriously what r u gonna run ?? that makes you thik 15f cap??? im very intreguied!!!

LEDmod said:

Where did you get your 180 amp alternator??

I'll be running 15 farad cap... my stereo guy told me with that, I won't need to upgrade battery...

Click to expand...

I don't care what your stereo guy has told you, but capacitors are JUNK. Period. A larger battery is always better. If you're interested in my alternator, I wouldn't mind selling it so I can get a 250amp unit from Mechman.