How powerful an amp on a stock alternator?

[HKSV6SLE]

i think the best thing to do is get rid of the stock battery and get at least one cap. when you say power 2 12' subs what kind of subs r u talking about? there are some subs that are single coil small ones and some that have a magnet bigger than a baby's head...so be specific...i have a RF 700S running my subs and a Alpine V12 4 channel running my speakers. i have no idea how many watts that is total, but i know its a lot. plus all aftermarket RF speakrs, on a interstate battery and two caps. If i wanted to add anymore subs i would have to get a better alternator. but again i blast my music mostly.

[Jon11582]

If I could be more specific, I would. Truth is I'm still on the beginning part of my research (I research any big money purchase extensively before I make my jump). I only said two 12" since that seems to be a good estimate as to what I'd get for the Solara. I might just as easily get 10"s or 15"s or only one if I learn that its better. I'm starting with the amp since what size/power subs I shop for depends on what amp I get.

I'm askin for advice, since basically, I'm pretty clueless. Just trying to soak up some knowledge right now so I can make an informed decision when I make my purchase.

Thanks for all info so far BTW. If theres anything else you think I should know about all this stuff beyond the basics, I'll definitly read it.

[HKSV6SLE]

i think one of the key decisions you have to make is what kind of music do you listen to? some types of music are better suited to smaller subs, such as 2-3 10's since the bass won't be as boomy. music such as jazz,classical, rock to some extent. Or if you listen to music that needs lots of bass or if you like deep boomy bass then maybe 2 12's or maybe even 15's. music like rap, hip-hop, some electronic music. Also you might wanna deicde how much you play to upgrade your system. Everyone has a different view of how much they want their system to be...some ppl are happy with a low ened system cz maybe performance is more important to them..for others performance may not be and building a crazy car audio system is btter. so...figure out where you want to go with it..if you plan on upgrading more or might do it..then...stick with a hgiher end system right away..

[ZXLNT]

I have 1400 watts in my system 2 600W PPI's running my subs and a 4x50 watt running my components and rear speakers.. It will play full volume for maybe 20 mins or so and then thats it. I have red top Optima battery in and heavier wiring from alternator etc etc. 80 amp just not cutting it. I would be interested in pics of that Iraggi alternator too please.

zxlnt@cox.net

[Jon11582]

Very good point HKS. I listen to all types of music, but I mostly listen to rock and trance/techno. Bigger subs probably suit my listening needs more, no? I agree with you that I should get high end to start with, but I dont want to go so high end that I overpay for a lot of potential that I cant use. I mean I could get a 1000w amp now, but the alternator cant even push that many watts through the entire eletrical subsystem.

From what I gathered so far, I think around a 500w amp with two 12"s or 15"s would probably work best without me having to worry about playing my music too loud and pushing the alt to the limits. I'm not going to replace the alternator at all, or in the forseeable future, so anything over that would be overkill...would you recommend differently?

While were on replacing electical parts, if I were to get a battery replacement, what would be the best on to get thats a drop in replacement with no rewiring? I hear some have the terminals flipped so you need to extend wires, but I dont really want to do that.

[HKSV6SLE]

without changing the wires i would say get the interstate mega tron plus which in itself is a cold weather battery which means more cranking power that's what i use now..the battery is so big the sleeve thing that surrounds the battery is gone, ihave to check on the exact battery size on it. when i said getting better things i was saying like get better wiring like monster cables and better gauge wiring like 4 or 0 gauge right away. as for the amount of bass it all depends, when i lsiten to trance and jungle i like tons of bass, like enough to make my windows rattle but that's just me, for some ppl, in fact probably most ppl, they would want the bsass to just fill in the low frequencies without making yourself deaf. the guy who installed my stuff thinks im nuts for listening to music with so much bass, but that's just me. good rthing my caps and the battery are strong enough to handle the constant power drain, cuz when i drive i blast it no matter where i'm at.

[Yanks0114]

HKS why would u reccomend the megatron battery. The optima batteries are much better

Also Kubi are you running 2400watts RMS? I highly doubt that the stock system would hold that.

there is no limit to how much power you can put it, it all depends on how efficient the amp is. You can get class A digital amps which use very little power. Also if you run at lower ohms you can put more power out using the same amount of power input.

Caps are just a bandaide. I have 2 1.0 farad caps in my system and they are absolutely useless. Get a new battery and a HO alternator.

[HKSV6SLE]

hmmm i only recommeneded the megatron cuz you won' have to modify the battery terminals...but yea a yellow or blue top would be better...

[jlaudiotrd]

I sold my system because my rockford 1100a2 was making my dash lights turn off and on and the car would like to shut off with the system on. I even had a yellow top.

[kubi]

Yanks - 2400 watt RMS Class D Concept amplifier. Subs are pullin 2250 RMS.

[HKSV6SLE]

rockford fosgate amps especially the ones with high power need lots of power to run thenm correctly...you would probably need an more powerful alternator...at least...plus the yellow top to run that RF power amp...