i am running a RE SX 12inch with a HIFONICS TITAN TX1505D 1500 watts RMS and i have no clue about HO Alternators? do i need 1? and do i need a battery? i am totally lost and i could use some help haha thanks
yes you will need one. take your stock alternator amperage and add that to 1500watts/12.6 volts = 120 amps for the Titan and thats the size you need. might wanna go higher to leave room for additions. also might wanna look into an optima battery
WOuld like to touch on this. Some optima batteries are not meant for audio. If you're going to get an optima, make sure it's a yellow or blue top, as those are the deep cycle batteries that wont be damaged by discharging them. A red top will be eaten alive if it's deep discharged several times.
Also, that 1500 watts, that's at 80% efficiency remember. So remember to add the power that it pulls that's turned into heat to the amperage requirements as well. However, most hifonics amps dont put out what they truely claim, so actually in this instance it should be fine.
But yes, the bigger the alternator the better. Producing too little power can have severe consequences, producing too much power, well, your alternator wont produce more than you need really.
You dont necessarily need both. If your HO alternator produces enough current at idle to maintain your systems needs, and wont ever be playing your system with your car turned off, you should be fine. However, you need to take note, most HO alternators dont really kick on until a higher RPM than what most cars will idle at. A normal battery, if it's deep discharged, sometimes even once, will be ruined, and running your car with a battery that wont hold it's charge, is certain death for your alternator, too.
A good rule of thumb, is whenever you're upgrading/replacing your alternator, or battery..it's a wise choice to replace the other, as well. Not critical, but smart.
You dont necessarily need both. If your HO alternator produces enough current at idle to maintain your systems needs, and wont ever be playing your system with your car turned off, you should be fine. However, you need to take note, most HO alternators dont really kick on until a higher RPM than what most cars will idle at. A normal battery, if it's deep discharged, sometimes even once, will be ruined, and running your car with a battery that wont hold it's charge, is certain death for your alternator, too.
A good rule of thumb, is whenever you're upgrading/replacing your alternator, or battery..it's a wise choice to replace the other, as well. Not critical, but smart.
i have gotten 2 extra batteries from a buddy who works at a shop for free and so i was wondering if i could get away without a HO alt for a while till i round up some money. the alt is actually pretty new, idk if that would affect anything
Extra batteries just put even more strain on your alternator, so if it's already to the point where it cannot provide sufficient current, an extra battery or two will equal a nail in the coffin. Also, if you kill your alternator, especially if you're doing heavy car audio applications, chances are, you're going to destroy your batteries too. All of them. Are they deep cycle batteries at least?