Printer Friendly Forum Posts - what do i need to keep voltage up?

hey right now i have 2 12" kicker solobaric L7's and a ma audio hk897 and a 1.5 farad cap, im looking to upgrade to maybe a orion 2500d or to some 1600-2000 watt rms amp...what do i need to do to keep my voltage up and everything, i was thinking maybe a optima battery but should i swap it out, get a battery isolator and run 2 batteries or should i just go positive to positive and negative to negative? i dont know what to do...any help would be greatly appreciated, i also heard about the big 3, i didnt know what it was or how to do it..

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CoCo

You might as well get an alternator as well......cause your stock one will soon give up....

It takes power to make power. And it all starts at the alternator

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Big 3

Upgrade:

1) Battery(-) to chassis

2) Alternatator(+) to Battery

3) Chassis ground to Engine

for more on the big 3, theres a good thread on it at "SoundDomain.com"

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TEX

you need to start at the alternator and the big three and then if you have the money upgrade the battery just one. you do not need two batterys. just get a good power plant meaning alternator and you will have no worries.

the sencond battery and isolator is so you do not draw on you vechiles battery when the car is not running. but once the cars running the alt. does all the work so getting two batterys will really not help your voltage. good luck

keep it wired

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JUST ONE MORE AMP!!!
hu,alpine cva 1005/dva 5205
sound processor,symmetry(first one).
sub amp,power 1000 the terminator.(1992).
subs,spl comp dual 1 ohms.
punch 150hd on a 10" ev.
alotofhighs

when i do a power wire from the alternator to the battery do i need to have it fused? what size guage wire should i use? will i notice a good difference from doing just the power from the alternator to the power of the battery then the ground from the battery to the ground on the chassis? i dont want to have to upgrade my alternator because when you do that you loose horsepower and i dont want to lose horsepower, any other ideas?

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CoCo

yes you will see a difference and you should use a guage wire that will carry the cureent draw of you system. 4 guage or greater will be sufficent. all of the big three will be needed to be done. don't half step and on that note you shouldn't half step the alt. either .it will take 4 to 8 hourse from the motor depending on the draw so when you want to race or whatever then keep the system off and there will not be a difference that you can tell. but it comes down to a give and take.

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JUST ONE MORE AMP!!!
hu,alpine cva 1005/dva 5205
sound processor,symmetry(first one).
sub amp,power 1000 the terminator.(1992).
subs,spl comp dual 1 ohms.
punch 150hd on a 10" ev.
alotofhighs

I don't have a fuse on my battery to alternator lead, but it wouldn't hurt to fuse it at both ends. If you're really that concerned about horsepower, you shouldn't put that kind of draw on your electrical system, because charging system upgrade is the only solution. That- or if money is no concern, jump on the performance band wagon. Start with cold air intake, reflash, etc. to try and regain your lost horsepower.

You may want to reevaluate your situation and decide what's most important to you.

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My ex once told me I have a perfect face for radio.

i think i herd an echo. did anyone else?

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JUST ONE MORE AMP!!!
hu,alpine cva 1005/dva 5205
sound processor,symmetry(first one).
sub amp,power 1000 the terminator.(1992).
subs,spl comp dual 1 ohms.
punch 150hd on a 10" ev.
alotofhighs

you dont lose that much horse power with a high out put alt anyhow maybe 7 horses and that when the alt is being loaded down. Air conditioners can take up to 15 horse power. And if you that concerned about it get some under drive pulleys for the engine that will bring back up. i would not worry about unless you're ride is a honda spree.

yea but 5-7 hp is a good amount, i just didnt know if i could add extra batteries or anything to help keep the voltage up, im not into changing my alternator...will a 2500d be fine for a nissan sentra alternator?

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CoCo

An Orion 2500D? That amp will croak a Nissan Sentra alternator. It requires a 200-amp fuse or circuit breaker. You definitely need a HO alt of at least 250 amps and big-3 upgrade to 2-gauge or higher cable as suggested numerous times above to run that large an amplifier. And no, batteries alone will not help.

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Support the12volt.com

just take the advise man cause if you dont you will just have problem and that system will sound like crap if you starve it for power. do it right the first time you will be happier for it in the long run. trust us we've been there. good luck

keep it wired

think of it this way. you run let's say a 75 amp alt and run an amplifier that pulls 120 amps that alt will be working all the time to keep up with the demand. now you decide to put in a 200 amp alt now the alt only has to work almost half as much to keep up. do the math and figure out which will consume more horse pwr. and if you add a battery to a 75 amp alt you just compound the problem. now the alt has to keep up with your electrical and two batteries.

It is very simple and it has been said to you before....It takes power to make power.

We have 2 honda's we have upgraded both cars with a high output alternator, we have not had any diffrences while driving on the street, nor have any of our #'s dropped at the drag strip.

If you order an alternator correctly, like the instance we are in,

We have large case Chevy alternators of both of our honda's...But the pully is the exact same as the stock pully on one car, and the same size as the underdrive pully on the other.

If you go through a honest shop or dealer for your alternators they will have the same size pully and will be made so you will not lose power.

I will say this once, If you install a 2500D and attempt to run it on the stock alternator intend to replace it soon, if you run it with additinal batterys, prepare to replace it again.

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2009 0-1000 Trunk WR 154.0DB 2009 1001+ Trunk WR
2007 USACI World Champion
2007 World Record
2006 USACI Finals 2nd Place

what size alternator should i upgrade to? where can i buy it for a 02 nissan sentra?

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CoCo

I recommend the one with the most output at idle for your vehicle (hot rated, not cold). Do a search on Iraggi, mechman, alterstart, mean-grean, etc.

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My ex once told me I have a perfect face for radio.

ok i have one more question...i should upgrade my alternator first am i correct? now after i do that, do i have to swap out a optima battery in the place of my stock battery? i want to do the big 3 first...i know you run a wire from the positive on your alternator to the positive on the battery(can be fused or not fused?), then another wire from the negative on the battery to the chassis, and then from the motor to the chassis, but how do i do the motor to the chassis, does anyone have pics? should i do this first and see if my lights still dim, i think i have a 100 amp alternator, and my amp i have in there now only has 2 40 amp fuses so its 80 amp...its a ma audio hk897 i wanna upgrade because i was told that amp doesnt really push out 1200 watts more like 400, because its not that good of a name brand...

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CoCo

yes you can and should upgrade the battery. on the big three you got it right and there should be pics of it on cardomain and full instructions. the big three will fix your dimming problem for know with the amp you have. but once you are about to get the orion install that ireggi alternator or what everone you chose. good luck

-------------
JUST ONE MORE AMP!!!
hu,alpine cva 1005/dva 5205
sound processor,symmetry(first one).
sub amp,power 1000 the terminator.(1992).
subs,spl comp dual 1 ohms.
punch 150hd on a 10" ev.
alotofhighs

i cant find a good alternator for a 2002 nissan sentra spec v...ive looked everywhere and i cant find it, im not sure if mine is 100 amp stock or 130...im going to try the big 3 first...and see what happens

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CoCo

i just looked on car domain and couldnt find anything can anyone find me the link to the big 3 and instructions

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CoCo

heres the link with pic to guide you through https://forum.sounddomain.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=5;t=007801

it took 3 min. to find. good luck. if you look you will find. copy and paste that in your browser window.

keep it wired

i think im going to do the big 3 with 2 gauge wire is that ok? also with the current setup i have now, should i be using 2 gauge wire? what about if i upgrade to a kicker kx1200.1 or a orion 2500d or some amp that puts out 1500rms-2000rms

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CoCo

that 2g should be fine gust remember to fuse properly. and you are definitely going to need that ho alternator. good luck

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Want to know some good equipment- JL,Adire Audio,Mcintosh,Brax,Helix,Eclipse,JBL,RE,Dimoand Audio,Zapco, pritty much anything DYhon,Forbidden recommend
On the12volt you give some info and you get in

youngone is right on the money. just follow our lead and you will be fine.

how was that link i gave you? did it explain enough? that covers it good.

yea that link was very good thanks. im goign to do the big 3 very soon....as far as the wires i have now, is 4 gauge ok for a kicker kx1200.1 or should i go to 2 gauge? what about a 1500rms-2000rms amp? haha a HO alternator i emailed this company they told me its 650 dollars for a 190 amp for my car...i have a 02 sentra ser spec v...im not spending that much

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CoCo

Looooose the flippin horsepower. you own a nissan sentra, NOT a race car... If you are concerned about going fast, take all the subs out. CLEARLY the added weight will slow you down more than having a high output alternator that may be within a pound from stock one. I have been into stereo, and racing for a while. I had a 350HP s-10 and it did mid/low 12s, and i used a high output alternator, and it compliments the ignition which dynotested added 20 hp on my engine setup... If you are so concerned about loosing horsepower, drop the subs. wont change any numbers, but numbers dont matter, the whole setup is what matters. Sorry if i got a little carried away there. but seriously, upgrade the alt. you wont notice it any more than adding probably 400 pounds to your trunk. get a intake and exhaust if you want that 5-10 hp back.

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99 Blazer LT. Yellow Top. Big 3. Infinity Kappa Speakers All Around. Jensen CD/DVD flip out. 2 Infinity Kappa Perfect 12DVQs powered by a Alpine PDX600.1 (in one custom box, building a FG box)

about the 2 or 4 gauge. i would go with the 2 guage. but for short runs of wire like that on the big three i don't see anything wrong with the 4 gauge. to have the extra there do the 2 gauge and you have no worries.

-------------
JUST ONE MORE AMP!!!
hu,alpine cva 1005/dva 5205
sound processor,symmetry(first one).
sub amp,power 1000 the terminator.(1992).
subs,spl comp dual 1 ohms.
punch 150hd on a 10" ev.
alotofhighs

kirktcashalini wrote:

Looooose the flippin horsepower. you own a nissan sentra, NOT a race car... If you are concerned about going fast, take all the subs out. CLEARLY the added weight will slow you down more than having a high output alternator that may be within a pound from stock one. I have been into stereo, and racing for a while. I had a 350HP s-10 and it did mid/low 12s, and i used a high output alternator, and it compliments the ignition which dynotested added 20 hp on my engine setup... If you are so concerned about loosing horsepower, drop the subs. wont change any numbers, but numbers dont matter, the whole setup is what matters. Sorry if i got a little carried away there. but seriously, upgrade the alt. you wont notice it any more than adding probably 400 pounds to your trunk. get a intake and exhaust if you want that 5-10 hp back.

well im not really that worried about hp too much, but im not going to spend 650 dollars on a friggin alternator. thats the only one i found for my car and its only 190 amp...it shouldnt be that expensive when ive seen 250 amp ones going for 300

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CoCo