how much power before i have tk upgrade

So I'm putting in an alpine double din hu and already have an alpine 4 channel amp to push my Bose deck speakers. I'm debating on going with 2 10/12s or removing my back seat and running 4 10/12s or a combo of 2 10s and 2 12s. Not sure yet. They would be alpine trype Rs pushed by alpine amps. If I go with 4 subs I would use 2 amps or 1 amp on the 2 subs. All sub amps will have a cap. With that said how many watts worth of amps can I run before I have to upgrade the amp and battery or have to add battery's.

alternator.

Ya, Sorry I was at work while I was posting this. Instead of amp it should say alternator.

Assuming you have a DOHC engine, you have 110 Amp alternator. I can't remember how big the SOHC is, but I recall it being lower. With no other losses and a typical (inefficient) amp, it would theoretically supply enough constant power to drive about 1100 watts worth of power (amperage * voltage * .75 for efficiency). Factor in that you WILL have other losses, due to wiring resistance, heat, etc. Not to mention that your motor, headlights and accessories will all take away from that. However, you will rarely use a consistent wattage that high and your battery helps absorb some of the peaks.... Basically, make sure your battery and amps are grounded well, use high gauge cable and do all your install stuff, you will probably not want to run over that approximate 1KW mark without more serious work.

Beyond that, please don't mix 10's and 12's...

Jake

Mechman Alternators, High Output Alternators, Built in the USA, Call 1-888-MECHMAN!

one of these is scheduled for my ride as a preventive/safety measure for my build. and that's not even for the audio system.

Cool Thank you

you could always use a upgraded dry cell battery to replace factory and a small one in the system.

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Originally Posted by bearded1

With no other losses and a typical (inefficient) amp, it would theoretically supply enough constant power to drive about 1100 watts worth of power (amperage * voltage * .75 for efficiency). Keep in mind that music is dynamic, and impedance does rise. As impedance rises, output wattage decreases (forget if its due to amperes or voltage)

Beyond that, please don't mix 10's and 12's... In most cases, this. Commonly, people don't use them together correctly.

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Originally Posted by IPD

Mechman Alternators, High Output Alternators, Built in the USA, Call 1-888-MECHMAN!

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This! Mechman, DC Power, or Singer are the only aftermarket alternators I would even consider. I personally run a Singer 230A.. but looked deeply into the 2 others. Mine has been powering 4000+wrms just fine. I RARELY drop into my reserve.

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Originally Posted by JUNBUG79

you could always use a upgraded dry cell battery to replace factory and a small one in the system.

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Yes, AGM all day.. Mainly the the facts that they can be safely put in the cabin.. and the fact the rate that they can charge and discharge.

Hypotheticaly if I was to do 10s and 12s. What do you think is the right way vs the wrong way

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Originally Posted by Raverthug

Hypotheticaly if I was to do 10s and 12s. What do you think is the right way vs the wrong way

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Right way is don't.

Same brand, same series speakers of different sizes will almost ALWAYS (unless you're talking cheaper knockoff stuff that cuts corners) have different motor specs on them, and at the very least, will ALL have different suspension mechanics and cone stiffness and weight. ALL of these things effect the way they sound and how they interact with their given airspace and input from the amp. In other words, the 12's won't just be louder, they'll almost certainly sound completely different.

Do it once, do it right and be happy. Figure out what positioning gives you the best sound from the cabin gain and fit what you can there. It's all about what makes you happy in the end. If you need mismatched subwoofers and excessive distortion to do that, go for it. But I promise you will be happier in the end, with a well thought out, well designed, matched output and low distortion system.


Jake

Yes, what Jake said. If you need help planning.. post up your goals and budget.

The only reason I would go different sizes is more for a show aspect. Im still tossing around ideas on what to do. I plan to do all alpine (Except my deck speakers). Right now I have to figure out if Im going to keep my back seat. If I ditch the back seat I will turn it into one big show box. Im more interested in aesthetics and sound quality over how loud. Realistically I will prob just get an EBAY box for now until I figure it all out. The main point of this thread was to find out if I could run a 1k amp for the subs without overloading the system. Beyond that Im not 100% sure on how I want my system. Ive been working on the performance of the car and now that is almost done Im starting to look at the other parts of the car.

Like I said, 1KW RMS power would be the upper limit of what I would run with the stock alternator, and it still may not like it a whole lot depending on too many variables to count.

If you're interested in aesthetics I would still go with one size. And for sound quality, definitely. Quality bass is all about making it seamless, both in matching the level with the rest of your music and blending it into your car. It shouldn't sound like it's coming from the rear of the vehicle, it should sound up front just like the rest of your music. If you can localize it, you've either got it too loud, you've got rattles (also cause distortion), or you've created distortion in some other design aspect or with low quality components. Regardless of your source of distortion, you quickly slip away from the quality you're looking for.

Jake