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yea guys I was jus wondering if our 70 amp alternator could keep up with a jbl 1200.1 amp or would it not be able to?

 
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I have the JBL and I have not had any problems as of yet. I am running about 1500 watts in my system and everything seems ok [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/IMG]

 
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u serious man? so alls that happen is ur lights dim a bit?

 
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My lights rarely dim, or atleast i don't notice it [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/IMG] But they do dim when I roll down my windows while the radio is playin. I have also put in an Optima Yellow Top and upgraded some of the wiring too. I don't blast my radio all of the time too [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/IMG]

 
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It should hanndle it no problem....At the power levels you'll actually be listening with your amp will most likely be putting out less than 300watts RMS anyhow...just if you reeally crank it and drive for a bit it will probably start to feed off your battery.

At a good rather loud listening level, with some good subs...you'll only be pulling about 30 amps from your alternator..

 
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Hey Chillin,

You can use the stock alternator to power your amp system but you should look at adding a cap to your system. If you notice the head lights dimming with the windows dropping and stereo on, that is a pretty good sign that the alternator is having a hard time keeping up. The only true way to test it out is to monitor the voltage from the alternator when its under load and make sure that it doesnt drop too much (< 11 volts) . I have a system that is only drawing about 15 amps and it causes the lights to dim under load. The only cure is to add a good cap (about 1/2 farad for every 150 watts rms) or upgrade the alternator to a high output. Not only will the cap help stabilize voltage and protect the system but since the actual system can pull even more current than it ever could before you will probably notice a cleaner and louder system.

 
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yo guys thanks for the help

 
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blah... caps are bandaids... do a search

 
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Our alternators are terrible! If I have more than two accessories on, my indiglo gauges start to flicker.[IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/IMG]

 
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well it's a 70amp alternator..

you have 2 55watt lights on at night, plus the 15 watt marker lights plus the 15 watt break lights, that's 170 watts or 12 amps of draw with lights alone..

the ECU uses up 1 or 2 amps, the ignition uss about 8-9amps depending on how fast yer going. the stock radio can pull about 5 amps..your dash lights and console lights ans guages about 5.

that's 35 amp draw right there..add A/C or even the fan that's another 4amp draw for the fan..it adds up

 
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so would my stereo be okay if i added a cap or a better battery or something? or would that still not work?

 
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A Cap..or even a better battery won't help any...

A bigger battery would have a higher ESR (more resistance) and would be mor eload to rechargefor your alternator..

Capacitors are bandaids for headlight dimming...they don't help your electrical system in any way..but they do in a minute way keep voltage drops a little more stable and work to prevent dimming for minor bass hits....