MX-3.com

Have any of you had to put in a high output alternator. I know i had to in my old car because the stock one just didnt push enough power and kept burning out. At night i would have to turn down my music at a stop light because it would cut out if i didnt

I run close to 2000 watts and 0 gauge wiring with no problems with the stock alternator. I just added a 1.2 farad stiffening cap and my lights don't even flicker with the loudest, deepest, bass note

NOS - u got a GS or an RS?

I got a BP with an RS alternator, and it sucks. My lights don't dim - but when there is a high load, the car's idle goes to poo

NOS - u got a GS or an RS?

I got a BP with an RS alternator, and it sucks. My lights don't dim - but when there is a high load, the car's idle goes to poo.
As well as at high load, my alternator makes a nice whisiling sound (I can't spell)

Higher amp alternators have worked well for me in the past, until I discovered capacitors. I am running 1400 watts and have a Punch/fosgate 1farad cap. My headlights do not dim with the bass at all. I have the stock 1.6L alternator now but will be swapping out that for the GS one, plus ground wires and an optima battery...Although this is not for stereo purposes(hoping it will fix my idle prob) I will let you know how it works out in a couple weeks. On a side note if you swap your 4cyl alternator to the gs alt, you need to change the pulley. There are also places that can beef up your stock alternator, but personally I would reccomend the capacitor if anything and a large gauge wire(atleast 4g)

RS sohc WITH A/C

Subs are rated at 2500 watts each, 1 amp is 1600w, 2nd amp is 240w

and it's the original alternator at 270,000+ kms

is your system 2000w max or rms? the amperage draw should be the watts used / volts (2000w/12) which would mean you're pulling 167amps out of a 60amp altenator somehow if you are actually using 2000w. i use a GS (90amp) altenator in mine with just my 800w rms amp for now with no problems. though i do get a bit of low idle if i turn it up high (which i usually do). i plan to add a second 800w amp for my components meaning i'd be pulling 133amps and i'll probably have to get my alt rewound for higher output. chances are you're not going to use the full load most of the time and trying to draw too much out of an alt can cause it to die early. this is just what i've been told so don't take my word for certain, i might have been told wrong. for most of the time the stock would be fine though.

I posted max wattage, Experiencing no such problems yet....

what brand are they? 1600 watt amp sound like a crock. If they are a generic brand like Legacy, Pyramid, Boss then the watt rating is way overstated by the company.

If you have one of those generic brands, you are probably putting out more like 200-300 watts peak & 100-200 RMS. This explains why your alternator can handle all of that stuff.

does anyone know where to get a HO alt for mx-3's? im gonna be running a XXX so about 1500 watts rms plus maybe another 100 or so each on the 2 components.
90 amps isn't gonna cut it

my amps are MA Audio K.O.R.E 1600w max 2 ch amp(high end and costly,check out their website), and an original Rockford Fosgate Punch amp(one of the first HAND BUILT amps that rockford made....quality!!!)

So yeah, if it was pyramid I can see your disbelief, The coils inside this amp Are HUGE. Also, there is 4 gauge wiring plug ins, and at least 8 gauge power wire running on the inside of the amp, 4"cooling fan built in , chrome plated, gold terminals, .5 ohm stable etc, etc, etc, Very nice Efficiant amp. It Powers my 2 2500w Dual voice coil(3") Subs nicely. I've been around car audio long enough now to know whats good, and whats crap, so if you don't want to belive me that this is good, then that's your perogitive. I would much rather buy another amp like this again over an mtx or alpine amp(both of which I've owned before.)

BTW this is getting off topic. I was just suggesting the guy should get a stiffening cap rather than a high output alternator.(cheaper, and more efficient)

If you have one of those generic brands, you are probably putting out more like 200-300 watts peak & 100-200 RMS. This explains why your alternator can handle all of that stuff.

The other thing is that cheap amps draw HUGE power and put out very little. So even if Someone were to have an amp like this, they would probably experience the same problems, only have a crappy system

damn got any pics of that setup? thats crazy.

BTW: i'm sellign a 110-amp klze alternator in teh fs forum if anyone cares, bolts onto the 1.8 v6

the gear is out for the winter, this is the only shot I have right now:



Will post more pics though within the next month


Will

i talked to my installer buddy that runs a small stereo company. he sells ma-audio amongst other things (i have all ma-audio hard kore stuff). anyways, i asked him if i should rewind my alt for higher output if i go up to 1600w rms total. he said, yeah, it'd be a good idea but also said that at higher currents it's also a really good idea to get either a second battery or a special type of capacitor that can hold a high charge like a battery. he showed me this thing that's essentially a 50 Farad capacitor but is really really light (he had one there, it couldn't have weighed a pound). the thing is like $300 usd or so but he said the cars he's put them in have done a lot better about not running through alts or batteries. it's supposed to be able to put out 150 amps for several seconds then recharge real fast like a capacitor. anyways, maybe just a second battery would do it, though i'm still not sure.