My system is gonna consist of 3 amps
550w 2 channel (275w rms each) for fronts 1200 peak (2ohm load on front)
500w mono amp for sub (1000 peak) (DVC wired to 2ohm)
another 550w 2 channel amp (137.5 rms each) (4ohm 6x9's)

Totalling to 550+500+275 rms for this system = 1375wrms and at 14.4 volts thats gonna be 95 amps. I think I read we have 85 amp stock, so obviously its not gonna cut it. Ill probably leave the stock one on there until it goes and then replace it, but where can I find a HO alternator? And how much typically? ebay doesnt seem to have anything except stock parts

EDIT: Not including about another 100-150watts for the computer + all the stuff the engine needs to run. I should have 1500watts rms available to be safe. So ATLEAST a 100amp alternator

 

Bosch sells a high output 200A alternator.

 

Stinger makes sum H O Alts. dunno how much they are, I'm pretty sure if you go to Best Buy or Future Shop or sumthin they'll have sum or could order one

 

you wont need to upgrade your alt. for that much power....my last car had 3400 watts and a little under 300 amps(when the stereo was cranked up....loud) and i dint have a problem with the stock alt.....it just helps to have atleast a 1Fd capacitor......if you could, just get 2-1 fared caps and you wont have to do anything else to the electrical system.........trust me

 

Well I could trust you, but Ive had lots of experience with these. Mostly hondas though. However, if the alternator maxxes out at 1224 watts (85 @ 14.4) and im drawing more than that constantly, where do you think the power is going to come from? My red top battery and will drain the battery at the same time its running alternator at full blast. For 1, having the alternator at or above 90% constant load isnt exactly good for them. I have a 2 farad cap, and I will have another one since there is a bit of a power upgrade since my last car I pulled this from. So 4 farads should do the trick along with a huge red top in the trunk.

But back to the alternator issue, ive had 2 huge systems in cars that eventually the alternator went out. Its not gonna happen overnight, but TRUST ME its decreasing its life. So when it does go, ill throw a 200A one in there and still have room to throw another amp if I want a pair of 8" midbass drivers. The 6x9's are there for rear fill only, nothing special coming from the back except 143.7db from alpine

 

i dont know anything about stereos anyways....
me and some friends had a stereo team called team bassline(not my first choice in names, i wanted sound brats) consisting of
2001 mustang- 6 alpine-r 10's, 3 lanzer zibe 1500/1 amps, 2 alpine-r amps, alpine head unit
1996 grand prix- 6 audiobahn alum 12's, 6 audiobahn 800 classD amps, 2 audiobahn 5 farad caps, pioneer 9400 head unit
2000 chevy s-10- 2 alpine-r 10's in custom center console, 2 alpine digital amps, alpine head unit
2004 grand prix- 2 massive DMX 12's, audiobahn 2400HQ amp, pioneer 6400 head unit
1998 neon r/t- 4 audiobahn flameQ 12's, 2 orion extreme 500.4 amps for interior speakers mounted in the rear seat backs, audiobahn 2400HQ amp fur the subs, pioneer 9300 head unit, 1 audiobahn .5 fared cap and a digital 1 fared cap....

all of us had stock alternators except the mustang, which had an upgraded one, and we all used 1 optima battery under the hood....
never had a problem.........it took my 86 hours to install the stereo in the 96 grand prix.....

since then we all kinda went our ways, i sold my stereo(what parts of it werent stolen) and now have 3-10" kicker solo-beric L7's and a pheonix gold 1500 amp with a pioneer 6700 head unit.....

so i know nothing about stereos or the power for them

 

That seems like sarcasm to me, and all you did was list specs for stuff. You could have a 10A alternator run that ****, but its not gonan be good for it. If a battery is capable of 850CCA, it means it can crank out 850 amps of current, so you would be good for like over 10 thousand watts with JUST your battery. It wont last very long drawing 10000watts, the alternator is there to be a constant. Numbers dont lie, if you can only produce 85 amps and you are drawing 100. 15 of that is coming directly off the battery, so not only is the battery not getting charged by the alternator running at full capacity, but you are draining it aswell. You can drive it fine drawing 100A at a time, but when you change songs, turn the volume down or just turn it off is when it starts to charge the battery again. You may not notice something going wrong but I dont care what you say. Running an alternator at 90% capacity or higher - constantly is BAD FOR IT. On a brand new alternator that has been tested to work fine, if you run at full capacity like that it may last a year before it starts to crap out and not charge enough. Trust me, with personal experience backing me up and a good high school math education I can tell you that an 85A alternator will not be able to produce 100amps of power that you are drawing from it. So the battery will act as a buffer
Well atleast you has an optima under the hood, otherwise with the deep cycles you are gonna run those batteries through I would be surprised if they lasted 6 months from being new. A capaciter is just there for when the PEAK power hits, like a big low bass note. Instead of spiking the load to the alternator by making it go from say 50A to 80A (about what a 500w rms 1000w peak amp would change. 30 amps) it will draw most of that from the already full capacitor to reduce the load on alternator (hence why the lights dim less with an alternator)

I can go into facts over and over and over but its not going to matter. I know my stereo stuff, and numbers. What you say isnt going to add up to a safe system. Theres a reason why people make higher output alternators

 

...sumone sure is a smart puppy to get the sarcasm

ever consider that maybe you just dont know how to hook up stereos

i never had to change the alternator in the 3 years the car had the stereo in it and the battery lasted just as long.....battery actually still works 6 years later...it just sits in the garage for bench testing head units and amps

funny thing about all this is that the mustang went through 3-200 amp alternators each one only lasted about a month or two....mine is sitting on a shelf in the garage for backup incase the one i have now goes out....

[sm=icon_blah.gif]

 

wow reading that reply must have made me lose some IQ. No Ive never considered I dont know how to hook up stereos, though now im seriously thinking you dont. Numbers dont lie
cliffs: you dont know what you are talking about

 

Maybe you should read my post above your idiotic reply once again. Im pretty sure I broke EVERYTHING down for you and proved how you are wrong. Its not good for the system. Where do you think that extra power comes from when the alt maxxes out? The battery, the same battery that isnt being charged by the weak *** alternator you are running at full capacity to power your subs. An alternator is supposed to be constantly keeping a positive flow of current to the battery, because stock if you turn EVERYTHING on to crank as much power as you can from your car, you wont max out the alternator. You put a system in and you go waaaay over that.

Its not even worth my time to argue about this anymore, so back to original question about high output alternators. I havent seem to have found the bosch ones online, but I hear the stingers are expensive. Are the bosch's better priced? Where can I get em from?