Thinking of doing a system

[Tank33]

Hello all.

Well, I am wanting to do a system in my 2004 Grand Am, but am very unsure about a few things. The system I would be going with, is about 800 RMS. I know the stock Alternator probably will not be able to handle this. I just do not want any dimming, and also, I do not want to replace alternators every 4 months because they are being way overworked. I already know I will have to upgrade my battery up front. Was thinking a Red top??

I see alot of posts about HO Alternators, but which one is really the best?? I want one that will last, and is made by a company that is professional, and knows exactly what they are doing. So with all this in mind, I have some questions for the many experts here.

Could the stock alternator handle say 500 RMS??
Do I need to be thinking of a battery in the trunk?
Who makes the best HO alternator for our cars, if anyone?
What other things should I consider doing to make sure my car can handle this well and take it with no sweat??

Thanks all!

[cardude007617]

1. Yes, it should with a decent battery up front. i'd look into a deep cycle. Optima is a common choice, i personally have a DC from a company called DEKA, im very happy with it (and its cheaper than an optima ), also look into exide and oddysey.
2. Not with 500-800 watts of rms.
3. Mr Alternator, Iraggi or motor city reman (cheapest) which is what i have and im happy.
4. big 3 upgrade- re run 4 gauge from Alt-battery (pos), battery to chassis (neg/ground), and 4 gauge to fuse box to make all that stuff work better.

no problem, what kinda equipment you gonna be thinking about buying?

[Tonyyank]

Originally Posted by cardude007617

1. Yes, it should with a decent battery up front. i'd look into a deep cycle. Optima is a common choice, i personally have a DC from a company called DEKA, im very happy with it (and its cheaper than an optima ), also look into exide and oddysey.
2. Not with 500-800 watts of rms.
3. Mr Alternator, Iraggi or motor city reman (cheapest) which is what i have and im happy.
4. big 3 upgrade- re run 4 gauge from Alt-battery (pos), battery to chassis (neg/ground), and 4 gauge to fuse box to make all that stuff work better.

no problem, what kinda equipment you gonna be thinking about buying?

Spend the money for a optima and bigger gauge wire!

[Tank33]

Was thinking of the following, but more then likely this project will get cancelled due to lack of funds haha.

Head Unit: Alpine 9886
Amp 1: JL Audio 500/1
Amp 2: JL Audio 300/4
Fronts: JL Audio 6 or 6.5 component set (cannot remember which ones, the best, over $1000 for them was what I was quoted)
Rears: JL Audio 6X9's
Sub: JL Audio W7 10''

As you can see, I am going for insane sound quality, I want it to sound friggen amazing and still get some decent volume.

I hope to do this but like I said, with gas prices the way they are, and me still paying this car off to begin with, this is more then likely a dream. This is why I wanted to see what ELSE is involved with doing a setup like this, that way I know the total cost to do it right, not just the stereo equipment cost.

Could someone tell me which Iraggi Alternator it is I am looking for exactly? I searched Google and all I could find was the Ebay store, searched Grand am, returned nothing. Tried to search 3.4L, turned up nothing, looked through the "Dominator" series and did not see it, did I miss it??

http://stores.ebay.ca/Iraggi-Alterna...QQftidZ2QQtZkm

[cardude007617]

Originally Posted by Tonyyank

Spend the money for a optima and bigger gauge wire!

i disagree about the optima, but to each his own.

and 4 gauge is very adequate for a big 3/4 upgrade.....


and no offense dude, but get a decent set of components, not some that cost a grand, you'll never HEAR the difference. i'm sure someone will back me up on that as well. besides, GA's are not exactly a great car for SQ anyways. as for iraggi, look to spend 300-400 on one from him. BUT, with the system you have there, you shouldnt need a HO alt really........

[Midnight GA]

Originally Posted by Tank33

Was thinking of the following, but more then likely this project will get cancelled due to lack of funds haha.

If you're looking for deals, I bought a set of infinty kappa 6.5" components and 6x9's on ebay for like $230, and an infinity 111x4 RMS, CEA compliant Amp for a hundred bucks, and they sound amazing! Music is crystal clear at all volumes and loud as hell!

[Tank33]

I was kind of wondering, is it even worth it for me to amp the fronts and rears? The deck has a 5 band EQ built in, HPF, and all the adjusting whistles an amp could offer you and then some. I am a die hard JL Audio fan, will not ever buy another brand of speaker, so that is why I am going with there flagship components.

Wouldn't you say that a HO alternator would be a good idea with any system?? The stock alternator on a GA is pretty weak in my opinion, throw a load at it like that everyday and you will probably do 2 alternators a year.

So yea, is it worth it for me to amp my fronts and rears, is there a difference in sound quality and volume, or just volume??

[Midnight GA]

Well if you're using 6.5" components I would recommend amping them. They will sound much better with an amp. If you're not going to amp them though I would look for something with a high sensitivity. What is the model of the JL speakers you're looking at?

I definitely agree about the alternator. When I turn on everything electric in the car at the same time the power drops down to 12.1 V at idle, and thats without the stereo. I just got a 200 amp from Motor City Reman, but I haven't put it in yet.

[Tank33]

cardude007617 - Did you buy a shorter belt to work with the smaller pulley the HO alternator uses, or what did you do?? Is the 200 amp suffice for you? Can you have headlights, defrost, stereo, heater fan, all going full bore, and still get no dimming at idle??

Also, I know this has been asked alot before, but on Motor City Remans site, it states the alternator is for only 1999 to 2002 3400s. Will this work on my 2004?

[cardude007617]

nope stock pulley (i am having intermitent squeaking issues, still to find out what's the prob, belt is in good shape so either tensior or some pulley). but ya, all i did was put it in and go, altho it is worth mentioning i did the big 3 a month or 2 before that.

lowest i ever see with everything imaginable running is 13.6 (at idle, above 750rpms i have 0 problems) or so....but thats with this HO alt and a DC battery. and its wierd cuz lets say the bass hits when im at idle with all the crap on, it doesnt go down anymore, it just sits at that 13.6 until i move again.

[Tank33]

I think I will try and get mine respun, that way, I KNOW it will fit forsure, and I will avoid shipping and paying taxes on $200 + for a alternator I am not sure will fit. These alternators seem very sketchy for our cars, no one seems to have a definite answer as to which ones work and which is the best route to go with.

Is there a limit as to how big you can respin an alternator for?

[cardude007617]

i dont see how they're sketchy in the least (after the 2002 model year they changed the design) and manufacturers of HO alts dont make alts for them for unknown reasons unless you go the custom route.

good luck finding a shop that'll do that though^

[Tank33]

Well, I guess my only option is to have the alternator re-spun, going to call on monday and see how much the highest amp rating will set me back, if I can even find someone to do it.

[cardude007617]

well first before spending money on it, see how it works with the stock alternator.... besides, you'll have the most problems at idle, not when you're moving

[Tank33]

I have to say, this is extremely frustrating and maddening. The only thing that is standing in the way of me being able to do a system, is that no one makes a HO alternator for my year of GA, which there is a HUGE MARKET FOR!!

I can't believe this, out of all the cars I have owned, this is the first car that I actually cannot put a system in and get a HO alternator, and have no dimming or battery killing issues.

[jperryss]

Are people really having dimming issues with 800w RMS? Maybe the 4-cylinder GAs are different, but I've got a 3.4 and was running 900w+ across two separate amps and had no dimming issues whatsoever.

[cardude007617]

Originally Posted by Tank33

I have to say, this is extremely frustrating and maddening. The only thing that is standing in the way of me being able to do a system, is that no one makes a HO alternator for my year of GA, which there is a HUGE MARKET FOR!!

I can't believe this, out of all the cars I have owned, this is the first car that I actually cannot put a system in and get a HO alternator, and have no dimming or battery killing issues.

ok dude, are you not getting it or something? for a "small" system such as yours there should be no need for a HO alt. as jerry just said, he's not having any problems and he's got 900rms. if you get good efficient amps, you will not need extensive/expensive electrical upgrades.
heres what i would do:
1. Run 0 guage back to a dist block for the 2 amps, then run 4 gauge to each amp
- this will allow you to have a 2nd battery if needed.
2. If you have huge dimming problems, then get an upgraded front battery, if dimming persists get a 2nd battery.

anyone else agree on this^?

[Bryan]

I'm running right around 800wRMS all together on a 5 channel amp and I do get slight dimming, but its definitely not enough to make me drop the money on the electrical upgrades.

[Tank33]

I do get it, however, I am a perfectionist, I am extremely fussy with my vehicles, it has to be done right and done the best way, or I simply will not do it.

My main concern is my system taking its juice from the battery because my Alternator cannot keep up, then I get somewhere, come back out to leave, and my battery has no juice left to crank with.

There is people who have 700 watts RMS and say they have very bad dimming issues, then there is others with 900 who have very little or none, so whats a guy suppose to think??

JL amps are the shiz in my books, you can't get much higher quality then those amps unless you want to jump way up into a much higher price range, in my opinion anyways.

[cardude007617]

put it this way: i had 1400rms going, 1200 from a class D and a little over 200 from a class AB going on a stock alternator with 94 thousand on it, and a piece of crap battery. i beat my system pretty hard on a daily basis and had quite a bit of dimming, especially at idle... my point is, with a stock alt on its last leg and a crummy battery, my car always started so that should be of no worry to you.
what kind of music do you listen to anyways? super bass heavy stuff like rap? or stuff thats a little easier on the lows? lows are really the only notes that take power anyways...