Hey guys, I am sure some of you are aware of the audio/video system put into my car, but there is a slight problem, at night, when the music is up a bit, my lights dim with the bass, and this is something I didn't want happening, does anyone know if mechman.com or anyone else that carries a 200amp alternator for our Lancers? I need to order one, and I know I may not NEED the 200amp alternator, but I'd rather be safe then sorry, and money is not an issue :P, I got a lot of electronics and stuff in the car, and don't want dimming/flickering problems . If anyone can give me a dealer that has a 200amp alternator for our Lancer that would be cool as hell, and also, would I want a battery upgrade as well, or just stick with alt upgrade? Thanks for helping me out or trying to guys.

 

You could turn down the music and let your poor neighbors get some sleep...

Ok, come flame me!

 

how loud it is doesnt really matter its how much the rms is how much volts the amp is taken away from the alt 2003lancers headlights do it with a 500watt amp which has stronger rms then my pgold 500watt amp and his headlights dim but mine do not. you could also try a gel battery or a cap see if that helps

 

Just get an Optima Yellow Top battery.

 

have you thought of putting in a capcitor? I'm sure if you bought like a 1 or 2 farad that would help with your problem. You can find them at most audio stores for around 100-200 bucks.

 

what about running your system on its own battrey?
drop a extra battery in the trunk?
do like they do when they customize all the classic american cars and make the low riders.
im sure you can look on the web and find how to do it

 

i got the biggest cap you can get 15 farad, and cant place anything else in trunk, all showcased, blah, I will just upgrade alt and get optima yellowtop battery and cross my fingers :P

 

15 farad is NOT the biggest cap you can get. do a search for 50 farad caps. there are a couple manufacturers out there.

but as was discussed before (and i talked to you about it zapco) cap does nothing but provide instantaneous current when demanded for clean bass hits. it doesn't provide more amperage to your system. if you have a big load, you need to get a bigger alternator. battery wont' do much, the only thing it will allow you to do is play your stereo with your engine off for longer. if money is no object, a 200 amp is the way to go, but just be weary that this is gonna rob the **** out of your engine's power.

i know your system (somewhat from what you've told me) and a bigger alternator would definitely help....i dunno about 200amp but hey it's your money.

as for that other kid, he DID NOT need a 200 amp.

 

forget about the battery and focus on the alternator, battery doesnt do much besides start your car and power it when its in accessory, all the power comes from your alternator

 

Well first off I have a little experience with electronics as I'm sure a few of us on this post may have. You should not just jump into a 200 amp alternator. Reasoning behind this is your vehicle will charge then at a higher voltage. Possibly 14 volts or higher. This voltage could technically ruin any electronics in vehicle that are not stable at that voltage. I would just recommend you find a local sound shop. Or someone who is MECP certified to give you advice based on your sound system. I do recommend capacitors like many people on this post. They can make a night and day difference with the flickering of your lights. (AS LONG AS THEY ARE CHARGED PROPERLY). Optima yellow top batteries are great deep cycle batteries. But you could pretty much get away with whatever deep cycle battery you choose. (Marine batteries are deep cycle) I would'nt skimp out on your electronics though and actually buy a boat battery but, you could. Check with a professional. (Not someone who thinks they know)

 

why is this true? wouldn't a 200amp alternator be made to provide the correct charge to a car battery? if it's built to be put into cars, why would it have detremental effects? just not sure about this one, please explain.

 

What if you already have a 1 Farad Cap and your lights keep dimming when the bass hits??? Anybody have a solution???

 

Capacitors are not for preventing dimming of your lights. they are made to prevent your amplifier from clipping and blowing either the amp or sub.

to stop your lights from dimming you have to get a more powerful alternator. you can get your stock amplifier rewound to up to around 250 amps. 250amps is too much so i would suggest getting it rewound to 150 or 180 amps output.

also a more powerful battery is a MUST. sure the power comes from your alternator but it travels through your battery too. if you keep the stock battery and make it take 200 amps constantly with a crazy system then the stock battery will either explode or loose its ability to recharge.

go with a solid state deep cycle battery like the optima yellow top. that battery can take 1,100 amps for like 30 seconds until its dead...then you can recharge it and do that 200 more times. its a really good battery.

but the battery alone will not prevent dimming. thats where the alternator wil help. but even when you get the more powerful alternator the light will still dim a little bit. a stereo system takes a lot of power away from your car's basic needs. just live with it.

 

Thanks, for the help zlancer!!! But what if you are not running a crazy system??? and its not a little bit of dimming its looks like its completely draining power; the headlights and everything goes dim!! And it wasn't doing that before it was fine when it would hit!!! It just started doing this last night!! I think i am going to get it checked and I might get the alternator checked to see if i need more amp and an optima battery. Thanks for the advise though it helped out alot!!!! I will tell you hhow everything turns out!!! Thanks Again!

 

i had to upgrade my alternator. i have a 200 amp in my lancer now. its an acdelco or delco not sure which company, costed me $450 installed. but that was because my dad knew the guy. donno how much its gonna cost you. my 2 12 w7's are sitting in my trunk running off a 1000x1 jl amp right now. the components are gonna be running off 2 300x2's and are gonna be flush mounted in the trunk. when my system is done ill post pics.