So mechman.com told me anything below their 270amp alternator would be worthless because the stock alternator bench tested cold puts out what the other competitors 220amp alternators do. The issue is they want $399 which was a little more than I wanted to spend.

My issues are dim lights when heavy bass hits and volt drop(14.5 down to mid to high 12's). I have all new amps, 0 gauge wire and the big 4 done...oh and a new sears Platinum battery.


Can anyone voice their views regarding a 220 upgrade and if it would be worth it. I was looking at these 2:

http://powerbastards.com/products.asp?cat=135998
https://www.dbelectrical.com/p-5501-...ernator-4.aspx

 

Do you have a relay switch between fuse and light? How many fog lights do you have?

 

Edit:

Misunderstood the question.

 

I don't have any fog lights. The volt drop and headlight dim is during heavy bass from my audio system. I have a factory alternator and I was going to purchase one of those 220 amp in the links above but wanted to get some feedback from others. $230-$300 is what I was looking to spend but mechman and other high end companies want to charge $400 and up for a 270amp.

 

Aahhh..........Sorry, I misunderstood you.

But I think $400 including installation for an 270 amp alternate is darn good price. I payed over $800 for mine.

 

Don't forget to upgrade your wiring for a high amp alt.

 

Stock alternator wire has already been upgraded to 0 gauge (big 4 done). I know $400 isn't bad for a 270amp but my main question is:


Not wanting to spend $400+, if I bought one of the following 220amp alternators do you think it would do my truck any good or would it be a waste of money?

I'm running 1000rms to a RE SXX sub, powerbase 100rms to 4 door speakers and full din headunit, no fog lights or off road lights (as of now) and both amps are wired with 0 gauge from battery.

 

Why not just get a second battery, and either wire in a relay or an isolator to charge it. A relay would be the better way to go I think, but its your call. On the second battery, put your amplifiers, and keep all the stock electrical stuff like a head unit, head lights and everything else on the stock battery.

This way, your amplifiers wouldn't kill the voltage on the trucks electrical system, just the second battery's voltage. Also, whoever at mechman told you a 220A alternator from a rival company is the same as the stock 110A alternator is just a crappy businessman. Just so you know, the stock alternator is going to have a shorter lifespan with that much power being drawn from it. With just ~1kW, I would get a slightly better alternator later on, when you have more money, but not before the stock one starts losing performance.

 

i've been reading about mechman and his claims are that his alternators put out more amps at idle speed than the competitors.

iraggi alternators were around $400 too but his service and product quality isn't reliable as in the past.

you can try using a 2 farad capacitor and see if that could help.

 

Are you running a large CAP with your audio? A 1.0 CAP and a second battery should take care of your headlight problem and be healthier for your audio.

 

If you put a capacitor in your sound system, dont show it to a pro, because they will talk crud about it until the truck stops running. If you have a second battery, there is no need for a capacitor. A Cap does allow the amp to get the power quicker when it is being drawn in large quantities, but a 1kW system isn't pulling all that much power. A second battery will deliver all the power you will need without a problem.

Also, do not wire the second battery directly to the first one, you need some way to isolate it from the first one, so the amplifier only uses the second batteries power.

 

do you have a shop that rebuilds them they can always amp up ur stock one for less then that, we do it at my shop all the time.

 

I got my alternator today and want to know for any of you guys who did the upgrade, did you have to get a smaller belt because of the smaller pulling on the high output alternator?

Right now I have a gator belt which is about 8 months old.

 

I'm headed in the same direction. It's hard to imagine you'd need a shorter belt, but I'm curious as well.

 

Idle amps is what you want to look at..most 220 amp alt's give that output at higher rpm's not idle speed where most issues with dimming are obvious.