will new system need new alt and bat.?

Hi, I plan on getting (3) 12's at 400W RMS each, and (2) Amp at 600W RMS each. I will also have (4) Componets on a 400W amp, (1) 7" screen, and (1) 8" screen. I have a 2001 Ford Sport Trac with stock battery and Altenator. My question is, with all this stuff running, would it be wise to get a better Alt. and/or Battery? And if so what would be the best deal to get on the Alt and Battery? Thanks in advanced.

It would be a good idea to upgrade your big three and battery...Then see where your volage sits with everything on.

Yes. What aznboi3544 wrote. HO alt's are expensive. But you already are gonna drop alot of money in it anyways...

-------------
2013 Kia Rio -90a alternator
DDX470HD GTO14001 GTO1014D (x3)
Big3 in 1/0G
1/0G to GTO14001

Forget the caps. Don't waste the money. Doesn't matter if you have 2 or 20000 Farads. Upgrade the big 3, replace the stock battery (optima, Kinetic, Odyssey)and run 2 AWG or larger power cable back to the amps. If then your battery wont maintain a charge or your lights are severely flashing then get a HO Alternator. You need to make energy not just try to store it. Physics.

Yeah. What he said.

-------------
2013 Kia Rio -90a alternator
DDX470HD GTO14001 GTO1014D (x3)
Big3 in 1/0G
1/0G to GTO14001

I am running a 2000 watt 2 channel, a 400 watt 4 channel and a 600 watt 4 channel off the original car battery and also have a 2 farad caps which arent a waste of money if you understand how they work. I have a gauge in my A pillar to check the volts. When driving, the gauge reads 4.2 volts give and take. When I am idle, have my system blasting, have headlights on, and have either A/C or defroster on, my gauge reads no less than 13.6 and not once does my headlights dim even a tad.

I am not saying that you dont need to upgrade the big 3 though. I just think you should look into it further first before you start handing out big cash on something you might not need. I have a 2002 cavalier with all those gadgets plus entire video system and much more and I have yet to upgrade anything. Caps are not a waste of money though. They are like car batteries but can give out energy quicker and also recharge in a matter of a second. A car battery can give that power also, but cant recharge as fast. So therefore your system will be drawing the power from the cap more than it would the battery.

Forget the caps. Don't waste the money. I stand by this. Yes a Cap can supply current, however this current is instantanious, a flash. The concept behind "Stiffening Caps" is voltage stiffening. The idea is as voltage drops and current rises the Cap fills in lull. Then the Cap must be recharged again and the process continues. A Cap is a band aid for the lack of capability between the Alt and the battery. A quality well designed amp will have on board Caps that will provide what it needs.

The Alt. supplies the energy to keep the vehicle running and charge the battery. The battery provides the energy for starting and to supply the needs the Alt. cannot. As the battery ages along with the Alt. it will have less capability to maintain voltage and current.

DYohn said it better in a previous post:

The purpose for stiffening capacitors is to help an amplifier maintain peak output during short musical transients. All amplifier power supplies already contain capacitors for this purpose. Adding an external one helps as long as the vehicle's electrical system is capable of maintaining power demand and recharging the cap. They indeed work just as they are supposed to for this function.

Where they do NOT work is in maintaining system power when the alternator is already overloaded. In this case, they can actually hurt more than help as they simply place another load on the already overloaded system. They are being sold as a band-aid cure-all for overloaded alternators when a custopmer purchases a large amplifier, and this is simply wrong. The only way to provide sufficient power to a large amplifier is to produce more power and this means a high-output alternator for a running vehicle and/or multiple batteries for when the engine is off.


___________________________________________

Forgot about this one from haemphyst on this exact subject:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

murree wrote:
i'm running about 1400watts max (400mx in my 4 channel, 1000max for my subs) in my 02 cavalier on stock alternator and just a normal battery that i bought from costco, i've got a stinger 1 farad in my power line before my distro block. and i'm not having any head light diming issues....




I can promise you, it is NOT because you have a crap... Remove it, and I think you'll find that you have exactly the same performance in your audio system, and your electrical system will still have no issues.

The reason you are not having any "head light dimming issues" is one of two reasons:
1: Your electrical system is already up to the challenge of your (apparently WAY over-rated) audio system. You didn't specify any manufacturer names, so I can't actually say HOW much overrated your amps are, but my guess is Boss or Audiobahn. If you don't know the RMS rating of the amp, then the manufacturer is a misleading company, and one that I would always avoid. Stating ONLY max ratings sounds like Boss, Audiobahn, Kenford, Rockwood... ANY of the Swap-o-Rama specials.

2: Your system is NOT REALLY rated at what it claims (i.e. overrated). You say a total of 1400 watts, but you specify MAX power. Max power is at a MINIMUM (depending on the manufaturer) twice (I have seen maximim ratings stated as high as 4 times the RMS power capabilities of the amplifier) the RMS power of a system, meaning you are only using (around) 30 to 40A on a relatively consistent basis, and that is only if you are cranking it, BUT still keeping your outputs short of severe clipping.

Again, I will tell you, the cap is probably doing precious LITTLE to absolutely NOTHING in your system...
___________________________________________

For your information, my amps are not crap. I have an earthquake 600 watt 4 channel, a soundstorm 400 watt 4 channel (soso amp but for tweeters) and a 2000 watt 2 channel Kole audio amp. Earthquake and Kole audio amps are not by any means crap. I dont go around dissing anyone elses car audio system. I base my system on what my alt and battery can put out. I honestly dont know what my alt puts out but the factory one can put out 90 to 100 amps. I just know that I have no issues with power shortage, lights dimming, or anything else. If I wanted "crap" I would go out and buy the amps you mentioned. Maybe even go a step further and buy Pyramid (which i also dont think is bad). If you seriously want to see how much power an amp can put out, simply look at the fuse rating(s) it has. 

Lets get this straight. The posting directly provides info about electrical systems. The reference to equipment brands was related to the context of the posting of another member. If you read the post you would see it was quoted from another memeber from another posting. No where does it say "audioman2007 gear is crap or being dissed". The point is many cheaper brands make claimes that are no way plausable. It is saying take into account the quality of gear when making factual decisions. Fuse ratings can also be misleading.

Kole is pretty much crap...sorry

Kole audio is not crap. I dont understand why people go on here and say what "they" think is a good brand. I dont think any brand is crap. It is just that some brands lie about what their amps can actually put out. When I go and buy an amp, I dont go and max it out just because of what it says it can handle. I have already ran Pyramid, Pyle, and other low end brands, and have had no problems with them. Yes, I could tell they werent powerful like the box said they were, but I never ran them at max. I put it this way..... If someone likes what they have in their car, then that is good enough.

If you like your equipment than that is all that matters...I like Power Acoustik PS2-520 and P2-820 amps...most people consider those crappy bottem end amps but with my experience with them they are tough buggers

Well you like power acustik but kole is crap? Did you know that they are the same company? I used to have a power acoustic amp myself. It was a 1600 watt 2 channel. I think it was called blue saphire which has a blue neon that lights up. I had it for alittle more than 4 years and totally loved it. It pounded hard and was very clean. But yes I know it wasnt actually 1600 watts. To be honest with you, I wouldnt want an amp that does that much. It wouldnt be pleasent to listen to plus wouldnt be clean.