Battery and Alt charging issues

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srtblue

Member - Posts: 12

Joined: February 09, 2006

Posted: February 09, 2006 at 11:13 AM / IP Logged

OK , I need Gurus here .... Facts please , no opinions.

I only have one battery ( stock ) , and it's mounted in the trunk for lack of underhood room. The wires running to the front are 1/0 , and I've done the big 3 already. My two Arc amps are 3 feet from the battery , and my gains are set rather low due to my 8 volt pre out on my head unit. I'm running 1700 watts and listen to rock , REALLY loud. But my car is a SQL car and not an SPL monster .... so I'm somewhat suprised at my dimming headlights.

My alternator is PCM regulated , and so I can NOT simply get a HO alternator , because my PCM is not giving out more voltage without an 8 second period of CONSTANT demand by my car .....

My ONLY option is battery assistance of SOME kind .....

Here's where the HELL starts .... I'm getting VERY conflicting information from the so-called Pros at Optima , Odyssey , and Ohio Generators ... Not to mention the local shops install managers !!!!!

The first thing I was told is that I needed a starting battery , because they act more like a capacitor and discharge/recharge faster ... but Optima says that is incorrect and just opposite ... buy the Yellow top they say.

Then I read this on here :

What differentiates a deep cycle battery(yellow/blue top) from a starting battery(red top) is for the most part the difference between the thickness of the plates. Deep cycle batteries have thicker plates than a comparably sized starting battery so the starting battery can fit more plates into the same volume and the starting battery will react quicker to load changes. Basically the starting battery will be able to react to transients faster than it's deep cycle counterpart and usually can produce more current. "

But Optima says NO to this theory ....

Here's my two choices as I see it :

Odyssey makes a flat dry cell motorcycle battery that will fit underhood PC-680 , so i could fit this underhood and daisy chain to a new dry cell battery in the trunk. Using TWO batterys .... OR I could just buy one BIG battery for the same money as the two and place it in the trunk.

Which way would be most likely to stop my dimming headlights ... REMEMBER , the underhood battery would only be a small dry cell.

If I went with option A , I would probably get an Odyssy PC-680 for underhood and an Odyssey 950 for the trunk.

If I went with option B I would get a single Odyssey PC-1250 or PC-1750 for the trunk alone.

thanks

KarTuneMan

Platinum - Posts: 7,056

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Joined: December 14, 2004

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Posted: February 09, 2006 at 11:33 AM / IP Logged

You have not done the big 3......if your still running a stock battery.

Optima for years, has reminded me of DEI.....marketing geniuses. They do not make a superior products. In the car audio world you need to look for Low ESL/ESR Equivalent series inductance, Equivalent series resistance....I know, how does L translate into inductance...anyways.

Basically put, the ability to discharge, and recharge with "the quickness" Caps do this very well, but with one problem....NO STORAGE. Nothing optima makes, works properly in a car audio application. They make NOTHING that discharges and recharges quickly....with reserve! They make car batteries, good ones at that! But don't exspect them to help you properly solve your car audio delemas. Go ahead and put a red top in for your primary "underhood" battery. Then find your self a good "audio" battery, and isolate it . If you plan to do a lot of JAMMING while the car isnt running...get more than one.

Look at anything in the kinetik line.

Just My Opinion

srtblue

Member - Posts: 12

Joined: February 09, 2006

Posted: February 09, 2006 at 11:42 AM / IP Logged

Eghhh ... No ... A red top will not fit under my hood> That is why my battery is in the trunk to begin with. I have a LARGE turbo intake that prevents any battery from fitting underhood except a Odyssey PC-680 motorcycle battery. Whcih is just enough to crank my car , but NOT enough for car audio. So I would have to add a second battery in the trunk , daisy chained together. ..... THAT is one option in itself.

The other option is NO battery under the hood , and just one BIG dry cell in the trunk. Thus my question ..... Whcih option would be better ?

Optima is NOT going to be a brand I buy ..... Are you saying I should buy an isolator for the trunk mounted battery ? What's that cost , and where can i find a diagram on how to make THAT happen ?

Thanks

Alpine Guy

Platinum - Posts: 2,478

Joined: October 18, 2003

Location: Canada

Posted: February 09, 2006 at 2:37 PM / IP Logged

What kind of vehicle do you have? Would you possibly have enough room under the hood to stuff another alternator with custom bracketry? or remove the A/C to get that alt in there?

2003 Chevy Avalanche,Eclipse CD7000,Morel Elate 5,Adire Extremis,Alpine PDX-4.150, 15" TC-3000, 2 Alpine PDX-1.1000, 470Amp HO Alt.

srtblue

Member - Posts: 12

Joined: February 09, 2006

Posted: February 09, 2006 at 6:22 PM / IP Logged

Well hell ...... Ohio Generators just called me back and said ..... WAIT , there actually IS an alternator that will work in your car after all ...... But it is the most expensive one we sell .... a Denso/Bosch combo unit for $500 !!!! But it will overcharge my stock battery .... so I really need another $175 battery also.

So ..... dimming headlights solved for $650 ..... WTF ??? !!! ???

Alpine Guy

Platinum - Posts: 2,478

Joined: October 18, 2003

Location: Canada

Posted: February 09, 2006 at 9:26 PM / IP Logged

Sounds like a good price to me...i bet you paid over $1000 for those amps, in this situation the alt is the cheapest component, yet the most important. Check out www.mechman.com , they are right up there with ohio generators.

2003 Chevy Avalanche,Eclipse CD7000,Morel Elate 5,Adire Extremis,Alpine PDX-4.150, 15" TC-3000, 2 Alpine PDX-1.1000, 470Amp HO Alt.

srtblue

Member - Posts: 12

Joined: February 09, 2006

Posted: February 10, 2006 at 4:56 PM / IP Logged

Battery bought today .... First steps taken in quest .... Odyssey PC-1700T

jeffchilcott

Platinum - Posts: 2,483

Joined: April 11, 2002

Location: United States

Posted: February 10, 2006 at 8:28 PM / IP Logged

good luck to you, I wish I would have jumped on thsi post earlier.......I would have reccomended an kenetik 2400 in the trunk and a sammaler kinetik under the hood. My girlfriend was running 2 crossfire 1000d's and a 4 channel amp in her honda civic off the factory alternator with out the lights dimming at all.

I hope things work out, I will try to watch this post to see how things go

2009 0-1000 Trunk WR 154.0DB 2009 1001+ Trunk WR

2007 USACI World Champion

2007 World Record

2006 USACI Finals 2nd Place

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Battery and Alt charging issues

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