Ok, here is my scenario... I have a 2001 mustang GT that I have installed underdrive pulleys on which boost a little bit of horsepower but in trade with that take away about 25% of my electrical power in my car to reduce power loss, but now that I am finally adding a system i wanted to know what is my best bet? I could just leave everything as is and see how it preforms or I could get a Capacitor which im sure most people on here will disagree with. Or another option is to upgrade the big 3, would this help my problem? or would i need a new better battery or alternator? also what is the role in a battery and alternator in having subs? obviously im not asking what they are just which is more crucial in delivering power to my amp? thanks
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mustang GT convertible with lots of performance mods... Alpine M500 amp with sealed enclosure, 10 inch kappa perfect, clarion cz500 head unit, kicker ks speakers all around
Definitely upgrade the big 3, this will help in any case. The most critical part of an auto electrical system is the alternator. This is what produces the power used by the car and by all the electronics including any stereo system you add. The battery is to start the car. A cap is to maintain momentary peak output of an amplifier during a burst or transient, but only if the alternator can supply enough power to recharge it. Bottom line is if you are using under-drive pulleys you may already be at the capacity of your alt just running the vehicle. Adding an amplifier (and let's not forget the weight of a subwoofer system) will most likely counteract the small HP gain you get by using the pulley, even if you install a higher-output alternator, so it might just be a wash anyway. Plus HO alts tend to need to spin faster than standard alts to produce usable power. I suggest simply returning to the standard pulleys first if you want to include a large subwoofer system, then decide if you need a larger alt.
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