ho alt in a civic

Ok i Have a 96 Honda Civic hatchback dx. Im Plannin on loading this thing full of electronic goodies. Jus with the 250 watt rms amp I'm running now the headlights dim on the long low notes. I know that im in need of a HO Alt i just have a few (many) questions I'm getting almost 40 mpg hwy.. How much is this gonna change? Its pretty stock, about 130 hp.. How much is this gonna change? Wheres a good place to fine one and wuts kinda price tag am i lookin at? Thank you guys a lotUNLABELED Custom Car Club President

1: The 96 Civic DX made 106HP @ 6200RPM with 103 ft-lbs @ 4600RPM. The LX, (the most powerful model that year) made 127HP @ 6600RPM with 107 ft-lbs @ 5500RPM. These are "pretty stock" numbers, so if you are getting 130HP, you have "pretty extensive" mods, or are simply mistaken about your engine's specifications. (Dave's also a Civic guy! ) 2: Little. ...from the alternator load itself... Now, all the additional weight and accessory electrical load WILL affect your bottom line. How much? NOONE can tell you, but see the next point. 3: 1HP = 770W. 770W/14.4V = 53A Using this information, for every 53A you are pulling from your alternator, (you must also add losses, so probably somewhere more like 40A @ 75% efficiency, a reasonable number) that is one HP less that will never get to the ground. 4: I got mine from HOAlternators.com. If I remember correctly, it wasn't cheap, but it is an AWESOMELY built alternator. Obviously beefier parts than the OEM, all sealed ball bearings (no bushings), lifetime rebuild warranty. I think it was about $550.00. I could be wrong on that, though. Call them and find out for sure. Failing that, your car might have room for a large case GM/Delco, for somewhere in the 300A range. :::::EDIT::::: HOAlternator claims 87% efficiency across the board as "typical" efficiency for their alternators. 53A * 87% = 46.1A draw for a 1HP loss JUST from the alternator. The amps also have losses in them, so be sure to include those numbers when adding all this up! 46.1 * 50% (for Class A/B amps - a worst case scenario) will be 23A. 23A * 14.4 = 330 watts. So again, using this information, and including as many ASSUMED losses as I can, every 330 watts of accessory load you add, that is one less horsepower you will have to propel your car down the road. (Class D amps will allow somewhere in the 560 watt range, i.e. 2000W equals approximately 4HP.)It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."

Thanks Man, That was a perfect response. As for the Horse power issue, I do have a couple goodies, jus nothin crazy like a turbo..... yet. Thanks again for the fast, amazing response.UNLABELED Custom Car Club President

Or you can think of it as "Your system produces 924,000 micro joules per second" UNLABELED Custom Car Club President

I definatly would like to know what gm/delco remy alt would fit in civic's!! even with modifications!! I have a mini mill and access to a welder to make brackets and such. si10? si12? cs144??<-- best one!!