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how to increase volts in car

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Old Oct 9, 2010 | 07:41 PM
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How can I increase volts in my car, I have done big three with 0 gauge wire and I have two batteries, one under hood and one in the trunk. I want amp to see 14-15 volts.
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Old Oct 9, 2010 | 08:09 PM
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http://www.jacobselectronics.com.au/

check out the accuvolt
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Old Oct 9, 2010 | 09:22 PM
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cost $1000 so not an option
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Old Oct 9, 2010 | 10:00 PM
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IMO even with a HO alternator your not gonna see it without something like accuvolt
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Old Oct 10, 2010 | 07:50 AM
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are you looking for more volts than you see at the alternator?
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Old Oct 10, 2010 | 11:34 AM
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I have asp overdrive pulley, should I upgrade alternator also. This car is supercharged
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Old Oct 10, 2010 | 12:35 PM
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why are u looking for more voltage
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Old Oct 10, 2010 | 01:03 PM
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stereo equipment, most amps have unregulated power supplies so the more power the more POWER. I know a certain kenwood amp that makes 800rms at 12volts but makes 1200 rms at 14.4
Judging by the speedo volt gauge in the dash I guess i have around 13 volts. When I first start car volts are 14 but once the car warms up it dips to 12-13. I have two amps, 1 has fusing for 200amps and the other amp is fused at 70amps
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Old Oct 10, 2010 | 05:47 PM
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If your looking for more power ultimately it would be cheaper to buy more powerful amps then it would be to keep trying to push the electrical system beyond what you have. You have a pretty good and efficient electrical system from what you've listed. An upgraded alternator help some but as Pentavolvo already stated, not enough to see what you are trying to get.
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Old Oct 10, 2010 | 07:03 PM
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How about this?
12vdc house battery (normal car battery used for everything except stereo)
High output alternator with 16vdc output
regulator at the feed to the house battery to reduce to 13.2 when fully charged(float charge)
wire the stereo into a 16vdc battery which will be charged directly off the new HO alternator .
They do have dual output alternators that do 12/24 but I think that will melt something.
Make sure everything is fused at battery,your 16v stuff will draw 25% less.
Ive never done this so dont blame if it melts
And if it smokes you ll need this kit to put the smoke back in
Attached Thumbnails how to increase volts in car-smokekit2.jpg  
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Old Oct 10, 2010 | 07:28 PM
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I had to downgrade amp from fosgate t40001bd(500 amp fusing) because electrical system couldn't supply enough power to amp. On the hard bass notes the volts would drop to 8 and then eventually kill the battery(optima yellow tops). The car would shut off and the battery would be completly dead, even a brand new battery(total of 7 yellow tops). I purchased a viper 2500.1D which is fused at 200amps but I think Im going to use it on another system.
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Old Oct 10, 2010 | 09:08 PM
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Keep the car battery and amps battery seperated
you do the same thing on an RV or boat.1 alternator tap off and 2 regulators,one for 12vdc the other for 16v.Have you tried a real deep cycle battery?
8vdc golf cart batterys x2 or x4
keep in mind watts is watts is watts
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Old Oct 11, 2010 | 09:02 AM
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Originally Posted by pdasterly
I have asp overdrive pulley, should I upgrade alternator also. This car is supercharged
You have to measure voltage at the alternator and then at your amp. The gauge on your cluster is worthless for this kind of thing. If you can post those two numbers and see if there is any fluctuation in the numbers while the stereo is on, you'll have information you can take action on. (and not waste your money)

Unless you have fluctuations in performance of electrical items in the car, you shouldn't need a new alternator. (If you have other electrical issues, you may need a cap or a bigger alternator.)

Keep in mind that power does NOT equal volts. Volts are the potential for power to be delivered. From your alternator to your amp, you will have a voltage drop, caused by resistance in the wire. If you see a large drop, you may just need a larger wire to connect the amp. (The alternator should be in the neighborhood of 14V.)
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Old Oct 11, 2010 | 10:29 PM
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ok, I'll grab my multimeter and give that a try.
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