ted920

It has been determijned that with the audio I have (4 amps, 2 12" subs etc) that I need a new alternator or to build my existing one much stronger.

I was told I need 200+ amp alternator.

Does this sound like the truth and what alternator do you recommend and how much do they cost?

Many thanks,

Ted

vin 78

I bought one from Mechman, it cost a lot of money, but worth it. it was around $600 for 200 amps.

ted920

i'll look into it.

were you forced to do it or did yopu buy the alternator after problems occurred?

Ted

AZ-GS300

200 amps sounds a little excessive. how many watts are you running total? and any other major amp draws like electric fans, extra lighting, etc?

vin 78

My OEM alternator was working perfectly, I just felt that to get the most out of all my amps, I needed to go with a larger alternator.

Keep in mind that this is a whole new alternator, there's no need to send current one in.

I'm not sure if you need 200 amps, so just add up your total current draw (in amps), that will give you a ball park figure of how big of an alternator you need.
To be sure give them an email, the guys name is Dennis (if i could remember), he's pretty honest, he should be able to give you your options.

ted920

thanks much for the info.

I'm running 4 big amps, 2 12s, aftermarket HIDs, I have 2 caps in the trunk as well.

My audio shop guy tested the car while it was running with the AC, audio on full, and the battery was going between 9.7 and 13.00. As soon as the fan kicked on, it would dip significantly. He theorized that the battery was not getting juiced up from the alternator. He thinks its a bad alternator that either needs to be replaced or more powerfully rebuilt (180-200amps) and that it recharge at idle.

I have gone thru 3 batteries in 3 years. The battery was noit holding a charge and an alarm was going off ont he amps due to low battery power. Then I was totally unable to even start the car b/c the battey was so low. This was even after driving for 30-40 miles. the battery seemingly wasn't geting recharged by the alternatror and thus its power was slowly being sapped to the point that it was so low that you couldn;t start the car.

Does the recommended solution seem reasonable?

I am looking into my alternator options as we speak.

Ted

AZ-GS300

That provides about no help at all.

HOW MANY WATTS ARE YOU RUNNING?

Tammy

With you additions, you might locate a local alternator rebuilder and have yours rebuilt for high output .

They can determine the power need from the alternator, and advise you.

At the same time, they can check the electrical load for switch off, so you don't have a constant drain on the battery.

vin 78

You might want to include the total amp draw in your system. As AZ-GS300 stated, wattage has some, but ano a lot of baring on current draw, different amps (class) amps require different amounts of current draw. Some amp are almost 100% efficient, whereas some offer only 50% efficiency.
For example: a Class D amp will draw less curent then a clas A/B amp. so its hard to estimate on wattage alone.

Also, be aware that rebuilding an existing alternator has its limits, 200 amps is a lot to ask for from a stock case alternator. That's why normally high amperage alternators are built from entirely different cases.

saltyreefs

try irraggi alternators great quality alternators and priced reasonably.

ted920

How much do you think an iraggi alternator for the GS 300 would cost. 180 -20 amps?