gibblegeibel Posted October 15, 2013 Report Share Posted October 15, 2013 i want to add a battery to my setup in my car. i was wondering if i should or need to upgrade to an high output alternator as well? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pioneerforlife Posted October 15, 2013 Report Share Posted October 15, 2013 you don't need a high output alt for a second battery. it does depend on how many watts you are running though. imo, I will never install a stereo again without a second batt. even if it Is a 250 watt stereo I would still install a second batt. I would also do the big three. how many watts are your running and what size is your alt? 2007 Ford Focus SES Hatchback Pioneer HU 4 Digital Designs 9515i's in a B pillar. 2 Soundstream XXX 15K's (running at 16 volts) Soundstream Mids/Highs in custom door panels (getting rebuilt soon) Soundstream TA2.160 and TA2.400 Sky High and KNU wiring 3 Banks of Maxwell caps Winston Lithium (not a fan) Bump4Life 250 Amp Alt. aka USAlternators Soundstream Focus and Avenger Build Log Instagram @p4linnovation YouTube: Team Blowin Loud Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truthsayer Posted October 15, 2013 Report Share Posted October 15, 2013 well your question is missing information to give a correct answer. Because we don't know how much power you will be running. But if you are getting serious about the car audio game, it's always a good idea to have a HO alt and do the big 3. And yes an extra batt is always a plus. truthsayer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gibblegeibel Posted October 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2013 i have a hifonics brutus brz1700.1d running at 1 ohm and plan on adding a 4 channel amp to my system. i have the big three done and i have a stock 80 amp alternator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxVolume Posted October 15, 2013 Report Share Posted October 15, 2013 Im Currently enrolled in an electronics school so let me throw some math at this. The stock alt is capable of 80 amps. Around half of that is used by your factory systems but lets give it the full 80. 80 amps at 12 volts produces 960 watts. At 16v, 1280 watts. Thats if the factory system uses none of the alternator. A batteries primary purpose is to start your vehicle and second, to provide backup power when the engine is not running. While the engine is running, your alternator is supplying all of your electrical potential. Go for the HO alternator. Yeah, science! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pioneerforlife Posted October 16, 2013 Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 trying to run an amp of that size on an 80 amp alt is not the best idea. I would for sure go for a second battery. now I don't think you absolutely need a high output alt but it would help. if you do end up getting a HO alt, you will still want to get a second batt so what I would do is get a second battery and see how that works. if it works fine then I would just stick with that but if its still not helping much then I would say its time for a new alt. 2007 Ford Focus SES Hatchback Pioneer HU 4 Digital Designs 9515i's in a B pillar. 2 Soundstream XXX 15K's (running at 16 volts) Soundstream Mids/Highs in custom door panels (getting rebuilt soon) Soundstream TA2.160 and TA2.400 Sky High and KNU wiring 3 Banks of Maxwell caps Winston Lithium (not a fan) Bump4Life 250 Amp Alt. aka USAlternators Soundstream Focus and Avenger Build Log Instagram @p4linnovation YouTube: Team Blowin Loud Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxVolume Posted October 16, 2013 Report Share Posted October 16, 2013 Trying to pull more than your alt can handle puts stress on the alt and the batts, making issues worse and causing eventual failure. 2nd batts are awesome cash cows for the shop, but that factory alt is the current weak link. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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