Str8Maxin

I just installed an Orion 1000w amp in my car. Now, when my system is turned up a little, the headlights dim with the beat from the bass (which I expected). The head installer at the audio shop suggested that I get a larger alternator to prevent the headlights from dimming.

Here are my questions:

Are the I30's alternator larger than the Max's?
Would the Pathfinder's alternator fit in the Max?
If I was to replace the alternator with a larger one, what modifications would I need to make to other parts and/or the engine bay?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

twankz

Run a capacitor or you will be sorry, no matter how big the alternator is.

Str8Maxin

What do you mean by I will be sorry?

emax02

iTrader: (1)

it will completely fix your problem. I had a 1300 watt stereo in my old max and a 1 farad Capacitor and optima yellow top and the lights never dimmed.

What twankz probably means {you will be sorry,quote} ,is that if you do not run a capacitor you will be cuting the life of you alternator and battery short because they are being over loaded. My battery actual exploaded in my old volvo,which sucked!

Infiniti I30 alternators are exactly the same, I learned first hand installing my SC. If you really want a good alternator anyways my first pic would probably be a lightning audio alternator.BTW the alternator has to be the same size or very close to it in order for it to fit properly.

Str8Maxin

Hey emax, thanks for the informative reply! I'll be taking the info and running with it.

BTW, whats really up with the Optima yellow top batteries? Do they just krank out more for longer? Do they take a better beating?

emax02

iTrader: (1)

Well the batteries have much more stored power in them compared to conventional battery. Also they are zero maintnace because they do not have water in them.Because they do not have water in them you can mount it in any direction,it can not explode! and it will out last any battery on the market{probably}. The best thing about them is they allow your stereo to pump even when the car is off for a extended period of time{be carefull still}.

EZEMaxima

i think what str8maxin meant by bigger is higher output. If you want higher output alternator try www.mechman.com they offer alternator that are practically bolt on for Maximas t and with their harness adapters, there is no need to cut any wires. Higher output alternator are only good for recharging your battery quicker than the stock ones. I think your best bet is adding a second battery with an isolator and/or capacitor with a rating of 1 farad or higher. hope this help you.

party_boy

well for some odd reason my lights also dim...i am running a alpine 2x100 watt amp. My lights dim slightly when bumping but nothing seems to help. I have a yellow top battery and a monster 1 farad cap. I dont want to get another alternator. I think the nissan alternators arent as high output as other manufacturers. Anyways i learned to live with it. Any suggestions besides alternator anyone can suggest?

CandiMan

iTrader: (1)

What about the size of the power and negative cable, wouldn't those have a play with light dimming? If you have a powerful system (or any system) with power/negative cables thats undersize for your system, higher amps would be needed to push thru the cables. Check to see if your cables are adequate for your set-up. Make sure you have good clean connections for power and negative cables. My $0.02

mzmtg

iTrader: (11)

Your ground and power cables should definitely be the same size, as they both carry the same amount of current. A tiny ground will choke an amp just like a tiny power cable.

ereet

Don't add a capacitor unless you have a strong enough electrical system to power the capacitor AND the amplifier. Having a cap drain your battery is the same as having an amp drain your battery. If you're running large amounts of consistant bass, it'll still dim. Upgrade your battery, the money spent will be a vast improvement over a capacitor.

As for the alternator upgrade, I was told it could be rewound to 140amps or so, but the alternator ain't in a great spot in the nissan to trade up to an entirely different one. I've had it looked into afew times but nothing ever looked promising so I just went with a optima yellow top, and that solved my needs for regular listening. It still dims when I crank it but you can't listen to that for long amounts of time without damaging your hearing hehe

mzmtg

iTrader: (11)

Caps arent "powered" by the cars electrical system and they function differently than a battery. A cap stores charge. What it does is it holds its charge until there is a voltage drop accross it's terminals, than bang, it lets all or almost all of its charge out unitl the voltage across the terminals is zero again. This quick supply of charge is why they are good for audio systems. Batteries are good too, but they cant supply the big charge quickly, they are relatively very slow.

Str8Maxin

When you say that the ground and power should be the same size, you are talking about the the ones to the battery and not the ones coming out of the amp, right??

Here's a dumb question (but I just want to make sure) Anyway, the yellow top batt....those act like regular batteries as in, they regenerate by the alternator, right?

Max79

Just replace your battery up front with a another battery like an optima yellow top and put another one in the trunk. If you do make sure everything is properly fused. For the nonbelievers, my cousin has a civic with this setup. He has a 1500 watt 2-channel amp running four 12's and a four channel amp(watts uknown but it's powerful)running two high powered component sets.

Str8Maxin

That was my original concern. I've heard caps are a waste of money.

What to do, what to do.

jmax

Get the cap, they don't suck. Actually they do when you first power on the system, then they basically regulate the power. When there is a big surge it takes several seconds for the alternator to turn on, regardless of the amperage and brand. The cap handles the surge instantly, or at least much faster than a battery or alternator. After the initial surge the alt still has to kick on but it is not pushed nearly as hard. For my system I believed it wise to invest in both, which I now have.

jmax,
MTX1000D
Alumapro CAP
Ohio Generator 185 amp alt
PGZX475Ti
Alpine MRV5???05?
Numerous speaker/drivers
numerous upgrades in the works, several thousand RMS planned, please send checks or cash to . . .