alternator?

[DARK270]

just alittle background i have a03PT GT upgraded to stage 1 ..etc.etc... anyhow i have a nice 'stereo' and my headlights dim when the bass hits or when the music is loud..so i decided to get a new alternator....my question is this..is there anyone out there that has done this?? i'm having it professionally installed ..but i'm curious if it took away performance from the engine...worse??? better????

[ATLPTGT]

Do you have a power cap of some sort for the amp? It would store enough power that when the power is needed it will pull from the cap rather than from cars electrical system.

[quicksilverdon]

A higher amp alternator would have to take more HP to run - doubt you'll notice it, except maybe at idle.

[Cal Cruzer]

Of all of the performance mods I have ever done, a new alternator is far and away the best. More electricity to shock the little squirrels with and make them run faster in the little wheel.

[2step]

Like QSD said, there is no free energy. To produce it in one place, it must take it from somewhere else.
Instead of draging one cement block behind your PT for the base alternator, you will have to drag two cement blocks for a high output alternator.
But if you need two cement blocks, what choice do you have?

[dfunkdj]

where did you get the new alt from ?? how many amps more are you making now ? And last but not least how many dollars did it cost you ??

Don

[DARK270]

well i have a 3500$ stereo that needs power..alot of power..in fact the headlights severly dim..when it's on...anyhow i'm having ohio generator do a custom one...one that 'they swear' will not take HP away form the motor.....anyway..i guess the stock one is 80amps...so i am going to 220amp....for 500$ installed etc....but i also plan on upgrading the headlights..so i figured this way i could do HID's....oh welll...

[quicksilverdon]

KiloWatts (KW) and Horsepower are similar measures, in fact, overseas, instead of horsepower car engines are rated in KW.

http://www.processassociates.com/cgi-bin/convert.exe

1 KW = 1.34 HP - if things were 100% efficient.
a 200A, 12V alternator = 2.4 KW, so it would cost you maybe 3.5-4 HP.

[purple04]

What he siad. Of course, that's onjly when it's operating at full output. Have them check and update the wiring too. You wouldn't almost triple the power of your motor and expect the axles to last, would you?

[RallyDRock]

dimming is probably not caused by alternator. alternator just recharges the battery when it is needed. your battery might not have the instant power needed to pump the bass and you should definitely be using a capacitor between the battery and the amp. a battery upgrade might also be an idea.
usually dimming lights is from poor grounding but could also be caused by using too thin of a cable. when i wire an amp the minimum that i will use is 4ga wire. what GA cables are you using and where is your amp grounded to?
i would also upgrade the chassis to negative terminal cable. remember it is only as effecient as the smallest wire in the circuit.

0-500watts just 4ga wires
500-1000 add capacitor .5F minimunm
1000+ should probably have a second battery plus 1F cap minimum

HID lights only draw 35 watts as opposed to halogens 55w. there is a ballast w/ transformer that steps up the voltage high enough to arc the electrodes.