Installing an amp that takes 200Amps. What do I need to upgrade?

I've already done the big three, battery to ground, engine to ground and battery + to alternator. All done with 1/0 wire. Come the weekend, or Monday, I will be installing an amp that has a 200 Amp draw with it. I have an SR5 with the 110 Amp alternator, and I have an Optima red top battery.

Will I need a capacitor? High output alternator? Nothing? Anybody shed some light on these questions?

 

What makes you think it will draw 200 amps? What are you going to connect it to and what impedance will you show it?
Chances are good you'll want a cap and a dry cell battery. If you still have issues you can upgrade the alternator later.

 

How big of an amp is it??? Even a 2500w amplifier only has around a 200amp fuse which means it's actually drawing much less power than that..

 

It's a Hifonics ZDX2400.1d amp with a recommended external fuse of 200 Amps, and no internal fuses. I'm going to run it at 1 ohm so I can get 2400 w from it, and I'm worried about dimming headlights, or worse, killing my alt. or battery.

 

Okay. Even with a 600w alpine amp my headlight dim a little on the harder bass notes so with a 2400 watt amp you're definitely gonna have to make some upgrades. I'm no expert so in not really sure what you'll need, but battery and alternator seem like a good place to start.

Oh and just for future reference, an amp with a 200a fuse is not actually drawing anywhere close to that much power.

 

Well, I guess I'll play it by ear. The amp should be here Monday, and I have everything ready to just drop it in the truck. Should be an interesting experiment.

 

My lights used to blink off 400 watts on bass notes
I would start with a capacitor
Optima battery is about the best you can have for sound systems
If you still have problems, move up to a stinger alternator
If that amp doesnt have internal fans, better get you a squirrel cage!
Descent amp by the way

 

Thanks, I thought it a really decent amp for the price. I had an Alpine 600w amp drawing 80Amps, and didn't have issues with lights dimming or anything like that. I have retrofitted some HID's in proper housings too, so they draw a little extra power.
Like I said, I'm going to play it by ear, and see if I need to upgrade anything. Until I get the amp, which looks like Monday, it's all speculation at this point.

 

True!
My first truck, I had a HIGH CURRENT 130 watt amp (for competitions)
It pushed 1300 watts in .5 ohm
I also had a 500watt orion extreme pushing my highs
I had stock battery and no cap on it..
My lights dimmed pretty bad, but no othe rproblems besides that
Little ranger won me MANY trophies
Even broke the sound barrier once with 2 kicker 12's and a 130 watt amp

 

Nice! I'm shooting for 135db in my DC. I've been chatting on another board, and I may have gone overboard on the amp to begin with. The subs may or may not use all 2400w, I may have to keep the gains lower than I normally would. So that might mitigate any issues I have with dimming lights or killing alternators, as I may not be drawing enough power for issues to come to light. Good thing I got the amp for a good price, or I'd be pissed.

 

What kind of subs?
Dual or single ohm?
How many watts a piece?
A good brand will do WAY more than what is advertised
That 130 watt amp I mentioned earlier; it said it would do 1300 in .5 ohm, got it tested at a big SPL and clarity show and it was dishing out 1524 (if I remember correctly)
My subs were supposed to only hold 700, and they could have taken A LOT more

 

Sundown audio SD-2 10"s. Rated at 500w each, but I watched videos on youtube of these things getting punished with over 1000w and just pumping out the beats. So we'll see when the amp gets here, just where I'm headed. Hopefully I'll hit the 135db mark I've set for myself. Gotta wait for the next competition in town though, to get an accurate reading.

 

I would imagine it is hard to hear the distortion in a youtube video lol
Outlaw you probably would..
135 is hard to hit on the dash..
Depends on your vehicle though..
I beat a guy in outlaw by 10+ DB's , and he beat me by a few in legal..
Be careful with how you set it.. That is a lot of juice for 500 watters..
Bump away, bro!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pK_rVrm81D8

 

If it were my audio system, I would install:

1. An isolated deep cycle battery to premature starting battery failure and to restart the engine.
2. A high output alternator to provide enough power to run the increased electric load and recharge the batteries based on my diving habits.
3. Heavy duty fused wiring to prevent a fire and reduce the voltage loss.
4. A large electrolytic capacitor to handle the surge from the deep base.

The sizing of these components will depend on the load duration, driving habits and temperature.

 

better put some money aside for a new alternator

 

Wow.

 

Exactly this ^^^ Well put Shadetree +1

Don't starve your amps with that tiny alternator. Save up, get the right equipment for the job. Do it once, do it right, less headache.

 

That's quite the shopping list. I have the 1/0 wire run already with a 200A fuse 12" away from the battery. You're saying I may need a second battery? And a HO alternator? Just when I thought my shopping was done. Any suggestions on which HO alternators will work the best? Brand, etc.

 

The second battery is just so you don't drain the main engine battery but isn't 100% needed. I'd suggest it if you can do it.

As for the alternator I prefer to have them rebuilt to handle more abuse. I wouldn't suggest the ebay ones at all.

Powermaster makes a great product but they are pricey.