would a 350 watt amp require a new altenator?

gt40_2003wes · Dec 12, 2005

just ordered a kicker kx 350 will it suck to much out of my altenator and if i need to get a new altenator what should i go wit??

BaXTeR3221 · Dec 12, 2005

Many people upgrade to a 3g alternator from a 94+ mustang. I dont think that amp would require an upgrade, but that depends what else you are running. Gauges? Lights?

gt40_2003wes · Dec 13, 2005

well none of my enterior lights work so thats no prob and i got all stock guages.

sgarlic · Dec 13, 2005

It wouldn't require one, but the 3g upgrade is recommended anyway.

I ran a Rockford amp rated at over 1,000 watts on the stock alt for several years. I had some headlight dimming when the bass hit real hard at idle, and a few dead batteries if I left the radio on with the car off.

Black1987Stang · Dec 13, 2005

I had a 1000watt amp powering 2 12's with a 1/2 farad capacitor on a 85 amp alternator, i also have a bunch of interior gauges and with my headlights on the headlights would dim only when the bass hit really hard, only had it for like 6 months till i blew a regulator in the amp ahh

srothfuss · Dec 13, 2005

One of the first mods with this style Mustang should be a 3G upgrade. It's costly, and time consuming with 0 gain in Horsepower output. But with the swap out of the way, an electric fan is not out of the question along with having enough power to run the car at night....

If you run the amp without the heater and lights you will be OK on the stocker but I would start thinking about the upgrade very soon.

bcd · Dec 13, 2005

you dont have to until your amp kills the one you have. how long that takes is going to be based on how efficient the amp is. i have an old kicker zr240 amp and it dims the dash and head lights but my 350 mtx doesn't. so it depends. run it until you fry your alternator then get a better one

BaXTeR3221 · Dec 13, 2005

srothfuss said:
One of the first mods with this style Mustang should be a 3G upgrade. It's costly, and time consuming with 0 gain in Horsepower output. But with the swap out of the way, an electric fan is not out of the question along with having enough power to run the car at night....

I dont know if i'd say one of the first mods. Maybe if your running a system, 3 extra gauges, electric fan etc. I do think it should be done though and you might be able to pull a 3g from a wrecked SN95 to save some cash.

91stang50GT · Dec 13, 2005

i was wondering about the same thing with the amp but i have a 1000watt, i was thinking that using a capacitor for the amp would eliminate the extra power being drawn from the alternator. anyone know?

srothfuss · Dec 13, 2005

BaXTeR3221 said:
I dont know if i'd say one of the first mods. Maybe if your running a system, 3 extra gauges, electric fan etc. I do think it should be done though and you might be able to pull a 3g from a wrecked SN95 to save some cash.

It might not be one of the first, but it should be done before any serious modifications are done.

wazazzle · Dec 13, 2005

at idle my 400watts gets sucks juice, but then again my alter is stock. no probs when driving and besides upgrading to g3 soon.

gt40_2003wes · Dec 13, 2005

yea ive also heard that a capacitor help alot would it be worth the money or should i just upgreade my alt?

BaXTeR3221 · Dec 13, 2005

Cap would be easier and cheaper most likely. Thats the point of a cap, to provide power to the amp when it needs more than usual(eg when the bass hits). I think the cap is a waste tho, since you'll probably upgrade the alternator eventually.

sgarlic · Dec 13, 2005

If you find the alternator itself from a junkyard, or on ebay, and buy the wire upgrade and fuse from somewhere cheap like partsexpress.com, it would cost nearly the same to upgrade the alt. as it would to buy a cap which'll be a whole lot less worthwhile.

At best, a cap will keep your headlights from dimming, but they don't really serve a purpose on low wattage situations like you're planning on running. People who run thousands of watts without sufficient juice will actually cut in and out without a cap.. that's when they really come in handy.

Darkwriter77 · Dec 14, 2005

Heh ... I must be a ticking time bomb, then. I'm running the stock alternator, yet I'm pushing a big honkin' tach, a 200w Pioneer head unit, an electric fan, AND my battery's relocated to the trunk. I still only get minimal dimming at idle. Worst-case scenario: wipers on high, defogger blowing full, headlights on, and stereo blasting. Still only drops to 12.5 at the lowest.

Not holding out hope it'll last forever, though. Just can't afford to plunk down the dough for a 3g just yet. If a 350-watt amp is the ONLY high-draw accessory you've got - that is, assuming you have a head unit pulling less than 200 watts, itself - you should be fine. It's just when you go tacking on all sorts of silly things like I do that you start running a risky game.

wht93gtEd · Dec 14, 2005

I run 2 amps; 860watt & 600 watt. It all depends on the efficiency of the amps. I've been running the stock alt for over 3 years now without a single problem. I can have the stereo, headlights, fan, rear-defroster on and no problems at all.

go figure?

powertrax91 · Dec 14, 2005

the number of watts doesn't realy matter... the question should be, how many amps will each apmlifier added to the system draw? this should be your starting point

gt40_2003wes · Dec 14, 2005

hell now its gettin to complicated ill upgrade when my alt gets fried till then ima just go buy a cheap battery and put it in the trunk just in case mine goes dead.

wht93gtEd · Dec 14, 2005

powertrax91 said:
the number of watts doesn't realy matter... the question should be, how many amps will each apmlifier added to the system draw? this should be your starting point

agreed...this is a HUGE misconception that a lot of people have!

Apparently Ford engineers didn't know this when they designed the charging systems on mustangs either. For my 93, it has a 90 or whatever amp alternator with 2 10 gauge wires into 1 (like all these years)...what the hell is the point? Since 10ga is only good for about 45amps? And when you put 2 into 1, it defeats the purpose of having 2 in the first place...

2badazzstangs · Dec 14, 2005

powertrax91 said:
the number of watts doesn't realy matter... the question should be, how many amps will each apmlifier added to the system draw? this should be your starting point

this is exactly right, the wattage number on the amp isn't a good indicator if your alternator will need to be upgraded or not. A 1000 watt brand a amp isn't going to draw the same as a 1000 watt brand b amp. that wattage rating is just the peak power that the amp can put out. By no means can you go buy this to determine if you need an alternator upgrade or not. I highly recommend the upgrade as many others already have previously on this thread.

would a 350 watt amp require a new altenator?

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