So I have a JL W7 13.5" subwoofer, powered by JL 1000/1 amp. Everything else stereo wise is factory. When I turn volume up high my engine seems to lagg as I drive...

Just wondering if anyone else experiences this? I am thinking I should upgrade my alternator and battery. Has anyone upgraded their alternator?

I know this could go in the audio/video forum but I'm lookin for 6th gen help here since I've never experienced this with any other car I've owned... had huge systems in all of em.

 

I guess it is possible for the increased load to cause the alternator to become harder to turn, thus causing a drag on the motor.

When you increase the load on an alternator like the kind in a car, it becomes harder to rotate because it increases the field strength of the rotor winding in order to keep the voltage sustained at around 13-14 volts. (Not that it matters)

That's why when you take the alternator out of a car, it will spin freely, because there is no field current.

I believe that the alternator is rated for like 120 amps. With that JL amp, you may be drawing well over 80 amps.

(13volts x 80amps = 1040watts continuous)

But you have to remember that those Class D amps are around 80% efficient. So in order for it to pull 1000wrms, it would have to be pulling more like 90amps from the car.

If it only happens when it is at very high volumes, that is most likely what is happening.

 

Well....I guess its possible,but to me it seems unlikely.Im running a RD Audio 1750.1(actually around 2000 watts) a 12" RE sub and a ED Nine.2x on my comps(200 per side)and an after market stereo.While I do have dimming Ive never noticed a decrease in power.Trust I turn mine up VERY loud.

 

Is it possible you're draining power from the coils for the plugs? If the voltage drops, you might have a weaker, or miss timed spark in the cylinders.

Just a complete guess.

 

So has anyone swapped out the alternator or had it rewound? If so how much we talkin?

 

you may want to install a capacitor in your install. at least a 1 farad...that should help when your bass in thumping ...actually you may want to get a bigger capacitor ....
but definitely you are drawing a lot of power and you are robbing the engine the electrical power it needs to run...

 

I dont think the caps help, Try the big 3. then report back.

 

i agree. Caps are worthless. I've had a 5 farad Stinger cap in my last car and I did nothing for me. Caps are asthetic in my opinion. The draw off the amp is to fast for a cap to keep up with.

 

i did the big 3 in my celica. along with a cap.

i had a 4ch amp and a mono sub amp.. the cap helped out big time with the sub response.

but i agree in it sounds like you're sucking up power that the engine needs. weird though cause ive never had a problem like that either.

 

Definitely agree, higher electrical load on the alternator does create a larger mechanical load on the engine which is turning the alternator. It's similar to what happens when you turn on the A/C, you feel the acceleration lagging and probably a slight decrease in fuel economy. There's nothing you can really do about this other than making your engine more powerful so that the load is negligible.

OR whats probably happening is that the car seems a lot slower cause you can't hear the engine screaming

 

This may sound stupid... but which direction are the speakers pointed. Mine are trunk facing and it seems when i hit a bass note with a very high excursion, it feels like its holding my car back... almost like when you have a passenger thats jumping around the car while your moving. When the notes over, its fine.

I have a cop detector which tells my voltage, i usualy hover around 14.1, but have seen 13.7 while listening to a loud. If i turn it down, it will jump back to 14.1, but i notice no power difference. i have 2 10" Alpine type-R and an alpine 1000 pushing them.

I DID blow an alternator, but I dont think it was entirely due to the speakers. I had the oil changed at a joe shmo garage, and he left the dipstick half way out which blew oil all over the inside of my engine, soaking the alternator. Nissan suprisingly covered it under warentee as long as we could clean the oil out of the core. The dealer told me if we couldn't clean it then i was looking at around $600 for parts and labor (probably a little high because we had no core for a refund).

 

i got 2 12" w7's in my 08 max but i just got a 2nd battery installed in the trunk to push the system... no lights dim, no rpm drop, no engine lagging.. thats what you should go with if i were you.

 

WRONG your problem is you bought stinger brand try a rockford fosgate or tsunami. If you wanna go the extra mile (which I recomend). Get a optima yellow top...

Bottom Line it cost$$ to bump my friend..

 

1st off the stock alternator is rated @ 140 amps. 2nd w7's are not cheap, so you must have some green, so use it and get a battery in the trunk. Don't waste the cash on a cap unless u don't have the space for a battery.

 

Right and right first the bat will keep the juice flowing just right and the cap will keep it precise...
But Like I said It cost$$$ To BUMP!!!

 

NEWBIE here, i have a 12w7 custom molded in, I am running 3 amps (2jl's and one Audiobah) with an extra battery and i have no issue with lag time while playing my music loud. I say go wiht an extra battery to help. Caps really dont do anything that i can see but it works for others. My battery is a Stinger SP1200 which was used to run the entire car (previous, 02 sentra ser wiht the same w7) Good luck!!

 

I don't think there is any relationship between your stereo and the speed of your car other than weight drag, which would be at all speeds.

 

I know what it COST$$ to bump. I've been installing for years and get this stuff cheap. But I've never experienced this. I've debated on throwing in two Optima batteries but I was more interested in upgrading the alternator and just wondering if anyone has done it on this car? where it was done? how much?

 

Agreed. I installed a Cap long after the system had been running for awhile. the noticeable response especially from back to back bass was duly noted. And it eliminated all dimming both in the dash and headlights in the Intrigue.

I moved most everything over to the Max, so I won't notice the difference, since I won't thump without the cap.

 

I used to have the headlights get dim on my old taurus when I had a system. I ended up frying an alternator. Make sure you have a Capacitor to handle that stuff.

 

totally agree..

 

trust me there is a relationship. I turn the volume/bass **** up and when I'm driving I can feel the engine suffer. Volume down and know lagg.

 

what guage wire are you using from the + battery to your amp?

 

I think, your foot is vibrating and you think you're pressing it harder than you are. Dead serious. All of the above suggestions are good, I personally don't think caps do anything as they are just a substitute for a good battery or two. Your wiring and etc. wouldn't matter when it comes to this particular problem you're having, I completely disagree with the alternator-too-hard-to-turn theory as if it was hard to turn the engine would stall out or drop rpms.. not feel sluggish. Also, a JL 1000/1 isn't such a enormous amp as to cause an engine to lag, I know people running 12,000w in a daily driver with 3 alternators and no issues like this. It's just one of those odd probs.

-Mike