Alt And Wire Question

[BASS14]

last nite i ordered a 200amp alt......and i was just wondering if i am gonna have any issues if i am running Rockford 4gauge power and ground wire??then hopefully in bout 2 weeks ill be getting some knu 1/0 for the big 3 and knu 8ga for speaker wire......but i am just wondering if im gona have any issues with the 4ga power and ground wire and then a 200amp alt??

Thanks,

Johnny!

[Dale]

remember, you alternator (or any source of current) will only put out as much current as your vehicle DRAWS. So if your amps and everything will draw more than a 100 to 150 amps or so, then you may have a problem on your hands. Be sure to upgrade to 1/0 asap with a 200 amp alt.

[BASS14]

remember, you alternator (or any source of current) will only put out as much current as your vehicle DRAWS. So if your amps and everything will draw more than a 100 to 150 amps or so, then you may have a problem on your hands. Be sure to upgrade to 1/0 asap with a 200 amp alt.

so even if i have the big 3 done in 1/0 ..... i could still run into issues with the power and ground?? being that they are the 4ga

[sully]

4 awg for the big three would be better than stock, if you have some layin around go ahead and do it til you can get the upgraded 1 wire. Your charge wire will be the most important upgrade since stock is prob 8 awg or smaller.

If you keep your voltage above 13.5 or so the 4awg will be OK if you are running 1k watts or less. Amps go up as voltage goes down, it creates heat and heat is bad.

[BASS14]

4 awg for the big three would be better than stock, if you have some layin around go ahead and do it til you can get the upgraded 1 wire. Your charge wire will be the most important upgrade since stock is prob 8 awg or smaller.

If you keep your voltage above 13.5 or so the 4awg will be OK if you are running 1k watts or less. Amps go up as voltage goes down, it creates heat and heat is bad.

i have T1K 1600rms @1 ohm.....and no i dont have any extra.....ima put this alt in this weekend and then in like 2 weeks im get some knu wireing for the big 3 and then some for speaker wire!

[jonathancullen89]

you should get like a 40 ft role of 1/0awg and re-run the power, then you would have enough for the big 3. might as well spend the money and save for buying a roll then wasting money later.

[BASS14]

you should get like a 40 ft role of 1/0awg and re-run the power, then you would have enough for the big 3. might as well spend the money and save for buying a roll then wasting money later.

im prolly gonna later....but i dont want to have to drill that hole bigger to get that wire into the cab.....lol we had a hell of a time tryin to get the 4ga through there......but i no im gona get some for the big 3....but i dont want to have to spend the 100$ to get a role of it!!! how many feet do you think ill need?? do you think 25ft would be enough??

[BASS14]

anybody else have any input??

Thanks!

[techaninna]

Your weakness now and even once you get your alt in is still going to be your 4ga power wire. Most 4ga power wire is rated at around 105 amp. Now you may also consider going with KNU 4ga flex which is capable up to 150 amp which would probably suit you better since you are having a problem running the 1/0 gauge. Maybe you have really good 4ga IDK but at 105 amp at 14.4 with 100 percent efficiency you would only see 1512 watts if my math is correct. Maybe I am off somewhere but that amp is going to need more draw than typical 4ga.

[missinglink]

We always run the same size ground as power. If you see a drop in voltage things tend to heat up quicker also. If you start to see drops adding a battery will help. I suggest charging it before you install it so your alt doesn't have to work so hard off the batt.

MLA