Re: Does mod ICE wear out alternator?
Bro, when you play at loud volumes and you hit a bass note, the amps can draw in excess of 100amps depending on the volume played, numbers of, sizes and quality of amplifiers. This current draw lasts for 100msec to 1sec. Unfortunately, during this short time, the alternator cannot supply the instantaneous current and the amps will have to rely on the batteries to provide the juice. If the battery cannot provide the necessary current, the output voltage drops.
A storage cap can provide the current surges as it can discharge all it's stored energy immediately as there is no need for energy conversion. (batteries conver chemical energy to electrical, alternators convert mechanical energy to electrical) Thus when you install a storage capacitor, the overall voltage rises a little for heavy ice.
Problems arise cos the aftermarket storage capacitor market is filled a lot of wannabes. To look for a good capacitor, get one with thick binding posts that reach down to the capacitor terminals. If you can get a cap without the gimicks and voltage displays that would be the best. Another sure fire way is to look for the presence of relays. Once they are there you can rest assured that it is a crap capacitor. The relays limit the amount of current that the capacitor can pump out. (eg. a 1 farad capacitor can pump out in excess of 500amps in 1msec.) Relay contacts are limited to 30 to 40amps only.
During the capacitor install, you will need 4GA cables or thicker and place the bugger closer to which component you wanna improve. (e.g. If it is the amps then closer to the amps.)
Once the cap is installed, go for a battery upgrade. For batteries, look for the highest CCA rating for the same capacity (Amper/hr) rating. For ICE guys, i would recommed the usage of Varta Silver batteries or Optima which is the best but most ex.
Once these 2 are done, it is time to look for higher capacity alternator.
You can notice that I am recommending the upgrades based on the rate of energy produced. The alternator is slow compared to the batteries but the capacitor wins hands down.
Cheers
