i am planning on upgrading the sound system in my car (i am a car audio fanatic) and i will need at least 230 amps after im done. this is after i take into consideration that the car will use between 80-90 amp to keep all of its electronics working plus the 140 i will need for my audio gear.

i can get a 250 amp alternator that will be a bolt on replacement, and i just wondering if anyone has had any issues arise from a situation like this. i dont suspect it will, but i just want to make sure.

Thanks guys.

has anyone fabricated a custom bracket that would allow for 2 alternators? that would surely provide enough amps.

im not sure, i've never heard of one. couldnt find one on the internet either.
i have however found a guy with a very solid reputation who can manufacture anything up to 300 amps for my 00 se. It will bolt right up, so i wouldnt need two alt'*.

right now my system is lacking the current to power all of my equipment, so i cant turn the volume up (although it doesnt NEED to be any louder) without dimming lights and such.

i just want to make sure that when i upgrade to the 250 amp alternator if i will fry the brains of the car or anything like that.

like i said, i dont suspect anything adverse to happen, but i have heard of weirder things.

there should be a regulator in the Alt that will provide the correct voltage to the car

and are you running extra batteries?

no extra batteries, havnt really needed any. i rarely even turn the stereo on while the car isnt running, so i figure i dont need them.

i have an optima red top, and i've replaced all the factory wiring i.e. the power from battery to the alt positive, engine ground to chassis, and battery ground to chassis with 0 guage wiring. now all i need is the alternator to give me my juice!

I strongly suggest doing a little more research before you proceed. This isn't as easy as bolting a new alternator in place. Many other factors come into play including the current carrying capability of your existing wiring. You are looking for a significant increase in available amperage and the stock cables simply won't support it properly. There is well documented information about upgrading your battery cables etc. in addition to the alternator. Failing to do this will still result in a large voltage drop and limited current availability over the length of the existing cables. A similar comparison would be trying to connect a garden hose to a fire hydrant and expecting the same or similar throughput.

You seem to have snuck in a post while I was typing. Even with the upgrade, I'm not sure it'* adequate. You have fairly long cables in your year and may need something bigger than 0 gauge. I'll have to look at my reference table.

EDIT:

At 250A, you should be good with 0 gauge up until about a 5 ft. length. 5-10 ft would be better with 2/0.

I did speak with one shop that put together an alternator for a customer. It was rated at 200A and when it was installed, did take out the PCM. After it was replaced, they dropped the max alternator output to 160A and had no further problems. The reason I asked is because I also want a higher output alternator. They did warn me of the POSSIBILITY there could be problems.

a 0 guage cable has the ability to carry up to 350 amps. i'm only pushing about 1000 watts rms for the entire system. the longest cable in the system is the cable that runs from the battery positive to the alt positive, and its about 10-14 ft if i can remember correctly. im fairly certain that 0 guage cable is plenty big for my application.

check here: http://www.the12volt.com/info/recwirsz.asp

the12volt.com is the BEST site ive come across for car audio, by far.

There are several sources available. I've chosen to use recommendations from outfits that manufacture the high current alternators. Here is one I've looked at:

http://www.motorcityreman.com/technical-info.html

nice link! i'll look into that, definitely. thanks for your opinion.