Ok so I know I saw a thread on this before but I can't find it so Im gonna ask. Lets just say that the alternator and battery is in perfect condition, what is the maximum RMS wattage that I can run in a 1995 Nissan Maxima (100-115 amp Alternator???) before I get any dimming of the lights? I don't have the winter package. I know all cars are different but how many rms can I expect to run without changing the alternator and battery. I really don't want to spend more money on a new bat/alt.

My plans are 100 x 2 @ 4ohms to my components and 500 x 1 @ 2 ohms to the sub. That makes it 700 watts rms. Will this be too much on the stock bat/alt? How many rms are you guys running, and if you get dimmage, what did you do/change to make it work? I already did some extra grounding in the engine bay.

 

No one? I know a lot of you guys aren't running to get a new battery or bigger alternator for a small system.

 

Well I think it has alot to do with the efficiency of the power supply internally in the amplifiers. If your equiptment draws a ton of current under load then you may need additional amperage. I wish I had a EE dergree so I could be alittle more precise with my answer. I'm sure there is some mathmatical equasion that could help figure out the answer to your question.

As long as your equiptment is some what decent I don't think your gonna have any problems running 700w RMS. You've taken the precationary mesures by bettering the ground system so I think your gonna be good. I have read before that sometimes it's a good idea not only to chassis ground your amp less then 12inches from where it will be mounted but if your running over 1000w RMS it's a good idea to run a ground from the amp directly back to the battery along with the standard 12" or less chassis ground. Hopefully one of the EE's who frequents our site will see your post & be able to give you a deffinite answer.

 

Formula for power draw would be...

Total amp rated RMS X 2 = Total input wattage

Total input wattage = current draw in amps.
-------------------
Battery voltage

Ie: 500watts X 2 = 1000watts

1000W = 83 amps current draw
------
12V

This of course would depend on the efficiency of the amp.

 

Thanks for the replies notrixoxide and pearl96. I was thinking a/b class amp for the component and d class amp for the sub(s). This would be great but 1st I have to get the money for the equipment and thats going to take awhile. If I had the money, I would do it all in one brand but for a poor college kid, i'll gonna go ebay used and mix and match. Im not into super loud bass, just something that sounds good.

 

Well if your short on funds you might want to consider just running a 5 channel amp like I do. I'm running a PPI 5 channel it is works excellent. It's just the kid in me that wants something crazy loud. If you want to be conservation then I think you would be more then happy with a 5 channel amp that makes about 40w x 4 + 200w x 1 @ 4ohms. Beleive me my system is plenty loud & the SQ is excellent. Besides I think it makes for a cleaner install & over all the cost will be less since you won't need all the additional pieces to power up mulitple amplifiers. What ever you decide on, good luck & keep us posted.

 

Whats your price range? I have a 5 channel vr3 im possibly interested in selling. cept its 140x4 and something like 2 or 300 x 1, 1000watts total. Only reason i kinda wanna sell is b/c i have a dedicated sub amp, and this is just drawin extra power to a terminal thats not being used