Need to buy an HO alternator...
Need to buy an HO alternator... OK guys. I've got a kicker zx1500.1 amp, (2) kicker L7 12's, JVC double-din, radar detector, blah blah. Anyways, I've noticed that my voltage on the dash drops big time when the bass hits, and clearly need to upgrade my charging system. I plan to run 0 ga power and ground to the amp, upgrade my big 3 to 0 ga, and purchase a 200 AMP alternator. I currently have a Red Top Optima. Problem is, I can't seem to find a 200 Amp alternator to buy for my car (2000 Pontiac Trans Am). I was thinkin ebay (save money 
) so please tell me where I can find one!!
) so please tell me where I can find one!! 
FormerVendor
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 124
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From: www.SparksAI.com
Big three first, then if problem persists look into a better battery. Optima's are ok but batteries meant for fast discharge and recharge are meant for this kind of use. Kinetik batteries are a good choice. HO alternators should be done after those two if the problem still remains.
hmm. Well when talking to the tech guys at kicker, they told me that I should upgrade the alternator first, because a battery like a kinetik still would perform poorly with the 105 amp alternator on the car. They said it really needs a 140-150 amp alternator. This also seems to be the word on various web searches I've done.
FormerVendor
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 124
Likes: 0
From: www.SparksAI.com
Big three is the most important in making sure you are getting everything possible from your current alternator. Battery is next because what you are fighting is temporary dips in power vs. a sustained load. Alternator would follow if problem persists. The reason the Kinetik batteries are a good upgrade first is that they are a fast recharge battery. the faster your battery recovers, the less load the alternator is forced to carry over a sustained period. Doing an alternator first isn't going to hurt anything and will most likely fix the problem, but it is kinda like doing heads before the cam, you'll see more power, but you aren't maximizing performance.
I went with an AD244 alternator (used in Hummers, Escalades, Tahoes...)
It went right in. I used the stock belt for a couple of days, but I didn't like how tight the belt was and didn't want to cause damage to the bearings so I went to Autozone and bought a belt 10mm bigger. I forget the number at the moment but our belts are 6 rib, so the part number is the the number of ribs + the diameter or length of the belt, so I just did some math while playing around on their website.
The AD244 is rated at 145A, but actually puts out closer to 200A (100A at idle), where the stock alternator is something like 45A at idle (105A rated)
It went right in. I used the stock belt for a couple of days, but I didn't like how tight the belt was and didn't want to cause damage to the bearings so I went to Autozone and bought a belt 10mm bigger. I forget the number at the moment but our belts are 6 rib, so the part number is the the number of ribs + the diameter or length of the belt, so I just did some math while playing around on their website.
The AD244 is rated at 145A, but actually puts out closer to 200A (100A at idle), where the stock alternator is something like 45A at idle (105A rated)
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sorry to say, but i don't really believe the big 3 will help. upgrade the ground from your battery to your chassis, but the other big 2 aren't really that big. i had a similar setup as you and the big 3 did not help me. in fact, when i went to an alterstart HO alternator...you guessed it, no improvement. the kinetik battery is where it's at for sure, i bet that is the single most important change you can make, though a stronger alternator wouldn't hurt. big 3 is overrated IMO.
coming from personal experience with 1,500+ watts/my 2 cents.
coming from personal experience with 1,500+ watts/my 2 cents.
2 things.
1. Sparks knows damned well what he is talking about and there is a reason that the entire (okay like 99.99569%) community of serious stereo guys go with the big 3. Because it works. Here is the wire size difference. Yes, those are all of the 3 original wires next to a 1/0.
2. If it is okay to post it, do a search for "160 alternator camaro" on ebay. There are a ton and they range from $104 to about $140 shipped.
1. Sparks knows damned well what he is talking about and there is a reason that the entire (okay like 99.99569%) community of serious stereo guys go with the big 3. Because it works. Here is the wire size difference. Yes, those are all of the 3 original wires next to a 1/0.
2. If it is okay to post it, do a search for "160 alternator camaro" on ebay. There are a ton and they range from $104 to about $140 shipped.
Last edited by transsam; Sep 30, 2010 at 07:12 PM.
FormerVendor
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 124
Likes: 0
From: www.SparksAI.com
Right now I sell SVR batteries but I prefer the Kinetics. Hopefully I will be able to offer them soon. otherwise they are pretty easy to find around the interwebs.
Again there is nothing wrong with upgrading the alternator first. Honestly the best plan of attack is just to do all three upgrades at the same time. What I mentioned is purely my preferred route. When you start to see headlights dimming and such a big three is going to fix the problem 99% of the time. As someone pointed out earlier the size difference in the wire shows you why this upgrade works. It is like the plumbing in your house, sometimes when people introduce a temporary load on the cold water a person taking a shower will only get hot water, why because there isn't enough supply to meet demand. A higher guage wire helps to give you that supply.
As I said the alternator will help you out with your issue. If you want to replace it go for it. There isn't anything wrong with having extra piece of mind. I think the thing people are trying to help you out with here is just to try the Big three first and see how it goes. From there a battery or alternator or both is up to you.
Again there is nothing wrong with upgrading the alternator first. Honestly the best plan of attack is just to do all three upgrades at the same time. What I mentioned is purely my preferred route. When you start to see headlights dimming and such a big three is going to fix the problem 99% of the time. As someone pointed out earlier the size difference in the wire shows you why this upgrade works. It is like the plumbing in your house, sometimes when people introduce a temporary load on the cold water a person taking a shower will only get hot water, why because there isn't enough supply to meet demand. A higher guage wire helps to give you that supply.
As I said the alternator will help you out with your issue. If you want to replace it go for it. There isn't anything wrong with having extra piece of mind. I think the thing people are trying to help you out with here is just to try the Big three first and see how it goes. From there a battery or alternator or both is up to you.
Right now I sell SVR batteries but I prefer the Kinetics. Hopefully I will be able to offer them soon. otherwise they are pretty easy to find around the interwebs.
Again there is nothing wrong with upgrading the alternator first. Honestly the best plan of attack is just to do all three upgrades at the same time. What I mentioned is purely my preferred route. When you start to see headlights dimming and such a big three is going to fix the problem 99% of the time. As someone pointed out earlier the size difference in the wire shows you why this upgrade works. It is like the plumbing in your house, sometimes when people introduce a temporary load on the cold water a person taking a shower will only get hot water, why because there isn't enough supply to meet demand. A higher guage wire helps to give you that supply.
As I said the alternator will help you out with your issue. If you want to replace it go for it. There isn't anything wrong with having extra piece of mind. I think the thing people are trying to help you out with here is just to try the Big three first and see how it goes. From there a battery or alternator or both is up to you.
Again there is nothing wrong with upgrading the alternator first. Honestly the best plan of attack is just to do all three upgrades at the same time. What I mentioned is purely my preferred route. When you start to see headlights dimming and such a big three is going to fix the problem 99% of the time. As someone pointed out earlier the size difference in the wire shows you why this upgrade works. It is like the plumbing in your house, sometimes when people introduce a temporary load on the cold water a person taking a shower will only get hot water, why because there isn't enough supply to meet demand. A higher guage wire helps to give you that supply.
As I said the alternator will help you out with your issue. If you want to replace it go for it. There isn't anything wrong with having extra piece of mind. I think the thing people are trying to help you out with here is just to try the Big three first and see how it goes. From there a battery or alternator or both is up to you.
I was under the impression that at low RPMs, higher power alternators churn out less power than stock. Is that misinformation that I picked up somewhere, or is there merit to it?
Thanks!
FormerVendor
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 124
Likes: 0
From: www.SparksAI.com
I haven't seen that before but it is possible. Most good HO alternators will give you a Amps at Idle rating. "Idle" also depends on the manufacturer. For some it is 800RPM for others it is 1200RPM. I don't know too many here that want to idle at 1200rpm, I waste enough gas as it is. As long as you make sure what you buy covers your idle load you should be fine.
And if someone still has a problem, this would mostly be A4 cars, I suppose you could put an overdrive pulley on the new alternator and bang, you could idle at 400 like my wife's Sunfire!
Last edited by transsam; Oct 1, 2010 at 12:29 AM.
