How much power can the alternator/battery handle? And some speaker questions - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

zettahertz · 01-28-2007, 07:37 PM

Hey guys,

I'm relatively new to car audio stuff and I just got an Alpine 1042D Type-R 10" in a q-logic type-2 1cu.ft. box and an Alpine 600W MRD-M605 amp waiting in my room for wires to ship here before i can install it. (My signature tells what my car is.) I'm curious how much power the alternator/battery can handle and if adding a 2nd amp(75Wx2 or 100W x 2 rms max) for front speakers will overwhelm the system. I have yet to see how my car does w/ the 600W, it better not dim my lights or anything. I think the alternator is 80W(?) according to some posts.

BTW, I have an underdrive pulley w/ overdrive alternator pulley so it evens it out, shouldn't be an issue.

And yeah, any recommendations for front components that can be had for $200? (Infinity Kappa 60.7s, Polk MMC6500 fit this price) Yeah, i know everyone may have a different feeling for them, but I dun have the luxury to check out the speakers 'cus of the pathetic setup (many aren't even connected) at the best buys around my school. I Think i'll have fitment issues w/ the MMC6500 though w/o a custom MDF bracket 'cus of its huge top mount depth of 2.5" or 2 11/16" w/ magnet cover. Feeling a bit lazy to make an MDF bracket, and I don't think I have the tools besides a dremel i bought for HID retro.

touringcamry · 01-29-2007, 12:40 AM

Is the amp for the sub 600W RMS or max?

My 2000 Camry had 160W x 2 and 300W x 1 RMS. I had a very minor problem at idle with dimming. You wouldn't notice it if you weren't paying attention. But once the car was moving, it was fine. I think my alternator was 80 or 90 amps.

zettahertz · 01-29-2007, 01:07 AM

My setup is 600W rms running at 2Ohms.
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-IXJQZL0...0&I=500MRDM605

Now, i'm a bit worried... probably need to do a BIG3 upgrade or something.

TurnItUp · 01-29-2007, 01:17 AM

i say you should do the big 3 no matter what as it can only help the system.

Corollacrazy42 · 01-29-2007, 02:47 AM

^^ this is true.

Go ahead and get that Big 3 out of the way, it definatly helped mine out.

I have an 01 V6 Camry. Pretty sure its 80A Alternator. I have about 350 watts rms a piece going to each of my subs. Along with about 120x2 rms or so to my front, prolly less.

I get a little bit of dimming, but the amps that I have are known to pull alot of amps and that is why I'm probably getting rid of them soon. Regardless, my lights do dim some, but its not that terrible. My battery has never died since (Optima). It seems to be just fine.

I think you'd be ok with 600 watts plus a little more for fronts, since im running a little bit more then that. You are probably gonna have to deal with a little dimming, but thats pretty much normal, unless your willing to throw down $300-$400 dollars on a custom built alternator. Or you could run two batteries if its really gonna bug you that much.

Also about the speakers, I'm not really fimiliar with the size in an 02, but if crutchfield says a 6.5 can fit it should be fine. Most people will tell you to put MDF baffles in regardless, because it will produce better results then the crappy plastic. There is a man on here named Marv that makes them, but I dont know if he'd be interested atm because he's pretty busy with boxes as it is. But thats always a possibility. If not, they arent really that hard to make yourself. It just kinda depends opn how good you want it to look, and how well it will fit in that spot if its not built correctly lol.

Sorry if I scared you from any of this, but I'm pretty sure you will be facing some *slight* dimming.

zettahertz · 01-29-2007, 02:53 AM

ic, i'll see how my system reacts after I install it. Wires coming tomorrow... Thanks for the info.
And just checking something gain doesn't affect wattage, am i right? So lowering the volume won't affect the amount of power the speakers are using?

Corollacrazy42 · 01-29-2007, 03:19 AM

Here's how I would put it...

The gain does control how much power you have actually, but heres the thing. If you have the gain all the way off and have the volume all the way up your amp may produce a little noise because the sensitivity's of both the amp and the headunit will match up. If the gain is set all the way full. and the volume is increased up slowly, the amp will be producing its max power at a much lower volume level. So basically all the gain is for is setting your volume so that it is around 3/4ths its max. That way you have a little headroom, and you arent maxing out the signal in your headunit.

^^ As I understand it. In a literal term though, the gain does affect wattage. But the amp is only going to be able to produce so much. So if you gain is set on full and you put the headunit to full, you will definatly be running the amp too hard as the sensitivity in the headunit will surpass the amps. Thus causing clipping and overheating.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure thats how it goes.

zettahertz · 01-29-2007, 04:19 AM

whew... feeling a bit of relief after i dug up this diagram in the Gen5 Camry service manual...
100A alternator!!! unless that's wrong or some hidden info somewhere in small words saying it only outputs like 70-80%...

zettahertz · 01-29-2007, 04:40 AM

despite that diagram, i see 80/90A alternators on sale for it... doesn't make sense

Corollacrazy42 · 01-30-2007, 01:07 AM

Maybe its max output or something?

Regardless I dont think you should worry much... I dont think it will really be that bad. If that were the case, alot of peoples electrical systems would be screwed right now because alot of people have alot more power then you with no more then the stock electrical system

zettahertz · 01-30-2007, 02:50 AM

ooh, i got it installed and I'm actually surprised there's no dimming issues.

But, the trunk rattles like mad now. sounds fine in the cabin but sounds like a car that's falling apart outside.

slick07LE · 01-30-2007, 08:21 PM

I had 2 15w6s in my last car with 2 amps pushing just under 400 watts each. The lights would dim in and out at little, but nothing too bad. I'm thinking 3 12w6v2s or 2 13w6v2s for this car. Haven't made up my mind yet, but after powering the door speakers and subs, I'll probably be looking at about 1300-1500 watts.

JayMax03 · 02-01-2007, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Corollacrazy42

Or you could run two batteries if its really gonna bug you that much.

Even if that is true don't the headlights still dim at a certain volume... I should be getting a custom alternator in two weeks. Hopefully that'll work until then, meanwhile I'm just going to stick with a battery in the trunk and a battery under the hood!

zettahertz · 02-01-2007, 02:02 PM

dang, how many watts do u run? Mine doesn't seem to dim, but I have HIDs. I dun notice any dimming in the brake lights/interior lights either.

Delay_FTB · 02-01-2007, 04:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JayMax03

Even if that is true don't the headlights still dim at a certain volume... I should be getting a custom alternator in two weeks. Hopefully that'll work until then, meanwhile I'm just going to stick with a battery in the trunk and a battery under the hood!

This has been covered several times, typically in discussions about capacitors

It's not the volume, its the current draw from your amps that forces voltage drops, which causes dimming.

The Big 3 and higher output alternators will help, and as discussed before, so will capacitors, to an extent or for certain scenarios. Run the Big 3 first, because its the most cost effective, and if dimming is still an issue, look towards other options.