XS Power or Sears Marine Batteries

[Ryman]

K so I already own a d3400 for up front but need a battery or two in the back.... I'm planning on running around 5k watts daily no alt yet but will get one soon. My question is would one d3100 in the back be enough for the 5k watts or would the 2 diehard marines be better or would neither of them cut it? I'm not really looking into any other battery brands because i live in hawaii and shipping kills to get things warrantied so if something goes wrong with the sears batteries i just drive ten minutes and return them

and also if the two sears could handle 5k is it alright to leave my d3400 up front, seeing as how i have it already

[TeamHT]

What amp? What wiring? What vehicle? There are a lot or important pieces that could help affect this decision.

But generally speaking, one D3100 would be able to handle 5000 watts daily, you're going to see some drop, but musically it would be ok. Not ideal if you want to slam on the system for extended period of times.

Unless that 5k amp is like....Sony..in which case...yeah. the D3100 will do just fine.

[skittlesRgood]

I dont think It'll be enough at all. not on a stock alt. But like HT said, it'll depend on the equipment.

[Nathan @ XSpower]

Will a 3400 and a 3100 handle 5k for daily use on a stock alt? Yes they will. Are you going to see some voltage drop? Yes, because there is no way your alt will be able to keep up with 5000watts.

Not sure what sears marine batteries you are trying to compare them to, but here is a post I made before that should help in your decision making. Of course if you compare two group 31 marine batteries against the D3100, then the two group 31 marine batteries will have more reserve capacity but reserve capacity doesn't help you if it can't be used properly.

There are many AGM batteries out there to choose from. The thing to keep in mind when making your decision is that all AGM batteries are not designed for high amperage discharge. There are some AGM batteries that work perfect for providing low amperage discharge for extended periods of time, but these batteries will not perform well in a car audio application. Car audio needs high amperage discharge instantaneously and this is why AH, CCA, and CA test mean nothing for car audio. If you are running flood lights then by all means look at the AH rating of batteries, but for car audio it is useless.

What makes some AGM batteries better for high amp discharge? Well its the same reason we upgrade to 0gauge wire and use as many runs of 0gauge as we can fit. The more surface area you have the better and more efficient the current can flow. This not only includes the size of plates in the battery, number of plates in the battery, but also the design of the battery moving the power from the plates to the battery pads (+ - terminal locations on the battery).

Its basically the same idea as getting your power from your battery/alt to your amp. You can have a ton of power available in the battery and alt, but if you have 16gauge wire for that power to run through then you are limiting the power to the amp. Some companies design their batteries with very small connections going from the battery plates to the battery pads (+ and -), which limits the battery's ability to discharge high amperage quickly. This cuts costs for the company, but also cuts the performance of the battery as far as car audio goes. These batteries would be fine to supply low amperage draws for extended periods of time though, and that is what the battery is actually designed for. The problem is that some battery companies that market their batteries toward car audio applications design their batteries like this, and try to use a lot of marketing $$$ to make up for their poor performance.

Some companies also use smaller plates in their batteries. The battery may be 10" tall, but the plates are only 6" tall. This is cutting the possible surface area by 4",which in turn decreases the batteries performance. The more surface area you have the more power the battery is able to produce for longer periods of time. This also cuts the cost of manufacturing the battery, because the less lead that is in the battery the cheaper it is to manufacture. The more lead that is in the battery the more power you will have, but also the cost of manufacturing goes up because lead is the main cost factor in batteries.

I hope this helps explain the differences in batteries a little. Some are designed for high output and others are designed for low output. Both types will work fine if they are used in the correct application.

[Ryman]

I forgot to add that from what I've been hearing the sears battery is the same as odyssey makes them.... did a little research and that's what I'm hearing too any truth to that? and opinions about it?

and also regarding the equipment just keep it general for now - 5k watts or so daily

[soundzright]

How is a stock alternator going to keep a 5000 watt system going and 2 batteries that will be dipping into the 11 volt range often charged?

[Ryman]

damn man I'm going to get a HO alt I realize i need one that's not what the thread is about...

if you don't have anything to say about batts for the back of my car or questions pertaining to it don't comment

[fullofpurple]

leave the 3100 up front if it will fit, you should be fine with that battery and

then the 2 marine batts from sears in the trunk. have 2 runs of 1awg for power then

2runs for ground, for alts the bare minimum would be around 130amps but your gonna want

a 250 plus amp alt if your gonna be pounding it for goods amounts of time.

5000w rms will be drawing anywhere from 150-400amps around there so ya get a good alt

and pay close attention to your voltage drop,turn it off for awhile to charge if its dropping

below 10.00 volts

[fullofpurple]

oh also look into dc power,mechman or iraggi for your high output alt, these 3 companies

have great alts so whitch ever 1 is cheapest go with them at least 250a alt thow.

if you want to run a 15.5 volt system whitch will get you extra watts from your amp

look into the company called mla on here they have great higher voltage units

[TeamHT]

Oh my god...purple...stop...