Car Stereo question

[QueBert]

Want to get my car stereo going again this month.

Going to get the Polk db212-2 for the Woofers which push 720w continuous.
Already have Polk Momo Component's which do I believe 125w continuous
Already have Infinity Reference 5x7's which are 75w I think.

amps going to get a Polk PA500.4 which is 125x4 @ 4 ohms for my components + 5x7's
and a PA1200.1 Mono amp for my Subs which is 800 watts @ 2ohms.

I have a 2000 Ford Taurus which already has a pretty weird electrical system on it's own. My previous system wasn't as powerful, I only had 1 sub, but I still noticed my lights would dim when bass hit hard. I know the new setup will have an even bigger drain on my system. My knowledge here is above average, but I wouldn't say in depth. Both of the amps are if anything underrated, and the speakers I have should be able to handle about everything I throw at them. So estimating 1200 watts seems reasonable.

Now here's my Dilemma, I have a neighbor telling me I should get a H.O.alternator, which is a solid suggestion. But I'm also hearing I should forget that and get a 2nd battery and run a relay so my main battery won't drain. This seems to me like it would lead to problems because if my main battery can't keep up adding a 2nd wouldn't fix the problem, it would just prolong the amount of time my system could play before I notice a problem. I'm not understanding where this 2nd battery is magically going to keep getting juice from, if my system is able to drain it completely on it's own, then it will drain both right?

Am I off base in my thoughts about the 2nd battery + the relay being a poor idea? Or rather a poor idea on it's own. It would be a good deal cheaper but I don't know if it makes any sense. Basically I want to have my electrical system function normally with the system going. Taurus's are notorious for having electrical problems, even without a beefy audio setup.

 

[Doodoo]

I would just go with the HO alternator, but make sure its within spec for the car. I think the only time the 2nd battery would help would be if you were using it with the car turned off.

 

[BassBomb]

A capacitor would help reduce the stress on the battery

 

[Demon-Xanth]

A second battery would help, as it can provide a few hundred short term amps. But I can't imagine a situation where you'd want a relay while your car is running. I'm going to bet that your car's alternator is in the range of 70 amps, but the regulator might not be able to act fast enough to hold the spikes.

 

[Riverhound777]

How about upgrading the big 3.

 

[mooseracing]

The way I would do it is at least a 130 amp alt, 2 batteries on an Isolator setup. During normal operations ther car charges both batteries, run the stereo off the 2nd batt only. When the car is off the 2nd battery is isolated from the first.

 

[LTC8K6]

http://www.taurusclub.com/forum/index.php

 

[SoulAssassin]

So how close is the value of your system to the value of the car? I think the system wins out.

KBB.com says trade-in value on a 2000 Ford Taurus LX Sedan 4D in Excellent condition with 96K miles and default selected options is $1,000. In fair it's only $485.

 

[QueBert]

KBB is saying $4,415 for mine, (good condition, 80k miles, moon roof, premium wheels etc) I have everything minus the amps already in it, that's a good $1,200 or so right there. And when I get rid of the I can just pull everything out and put it in the new ride. The Head Unit & Speakers already in there are worth a decent amount, and have been in since I got the car. The Momo components I have can't be pushed by my Panasonic HU's digital amp at all, the sound like crap.

I would say once everything is installed my stereo will a little over half the value of my car. But the Taurus's have awesome trunks for bass, plus my entire car has been Dynomated so the sound overall is excellent. The car might be older but it still runs great. When I get something new I will gut out the stereo and put the stock Mach system back in. But that's a year or more away, unless it up and dies on me. And until then I'd like to have my audio back.

 

[jtvang125]

Do the Big 3 and go from there. Use atleast 4g power cables.

 

[scorp00]

A 1 farad capacitor fixed my light dimming problems. It also stopped me from killing alternators and batteries every year or two. A bigger alternator is a better solution than a 2nd battery.

 

[marincounty]

Read this first:

Text

As anyone that reads our newsletter knows, we are categorically against upgrading alternators. Seldomare they really needed. More often than not, changing alternators causes secondary problems related tothe function of the vehicle. As cars become more and more complicated and charging systems becomeeven more integrated into the vehicle, "upgrading" alternators may not even be possible. Only a few shortyears ago large alternators and multiple batteries were the norm in high-end car audio. These electricalbehemoths were usually connected together with another unnecessary product. This device was thediode isolator. From the very first issue of A2TB, we took a hard stand against electrical systems builtaround so called "high output alternators," second batteries, and diode isolators. Nevertheless, in anindustry that is slow to accept change we feel that our influence has been positive. Most large car audiosystems of today rarely include larger alternators and more than two batteries. And the device that wasdesigned to work in campers and RVs, the diode isolator, has all but disappeared from car audio. Onlythe technically unenlightened still adhere to these antiquated techniques

 

[QueBert]

interesting link marincounty, but I have to do something. The Big 3 jtvang125 suggested is a great solution, one I forgot about totally. If I put the amps in my car and leave everything as it is, my ALT and battery will both be dead within 4 months. to scorp00 Capacitors just mask the problem and won't prolong the life of anything in my car, they're great at stopping the dimming lights but aren't a solution because your ALT & battery will still die at the exact same rate.

maybe my best solution would be to put smaller amps lol. Putting 1,500+ watts in a car is just asking for trouble.

 

[Throckmorton]

You know loud sound causes hearing damage right? Do they not teach that in grade school?

 

[AMCRambler]

QueBert, you may already have a pretty beefy alternator in there. Believe it or not my 2000 Ford Contour which shares a lot of parts with the Taurus had a 130amp alternator in there stock. Looking at Napa autoparts they list a 110amp and a 130amp for a 2000 Taurus as well. 130amps is a pretty big alternator and I'm thinking it should be more than enough to keep up.

 

[LTC8K6]

Stock alternator is 130amp IIRC.

Of course, the output at idle is nowhere near that, and it won't actually reach 130 amps either.

Perhaps a pulley change to boost idle output?

 

[alkemyst]

I would do the install and then see what you really will need. Unless you are bumping for a sound off you aren't going to be running 125 continuous nor the 720 for the sub.

What sized fuses do your amps have?

 

[LTC8K6]

"I would do the install and then see what you really will need. "

That's what I'd do, too.

 

[mooseracing]

Originally posted by: marincounty
Read this first:

Text

As anyone that reads our newsletter knows, we are categorically against upgrading alternators. Seldomare they really needed. More often than not, changing alternators causes secondary problems related tothe function of the vehicle. As cars become more and more complicated and charging systems becomeeven more integrated into the vehicle, "upgrading" alternators may not even be possible. Only a few shortyears ago large alternators and multiple batteries were the norm in high-end car audio. These electricalbehemoths were usually connected together with another unnecessary product. This device was thediode isolator. From the very first issue of A2TB, we took a hard stand against electrical systems builtaround so called "high output alternators," second batteries, and diode isolators. Nevertheless, in anindustry that is slow to accept change we feel that our influence has been positive. Most large car audiosystems of today rarely include larger alternators and more than two batteries. And the device that wasdesigned to work in campers and RVs, the diode isolator, has all but disappeared from car audio. Onlythe technically unenlightened still adhere to these antiquated techniques

Isolation to me means I can start my car after I have had some fun. That is the reason so many off roaders do it for Dual batt setups. They let their winch (400 amps or more) and lighting on one side and can work it without having to worry about being stranded. It is the only solution on that side.

 

[QueBert]

Originally posted by: alkemyst
I would do the install and then see what you really will need. Unless you are bumping for a sound off you aren't going to be running 125 continuous nor the 720 for the sub.

What sized fuses do your amps have?

I understand this, with my old system I wouldn't say I was playing it loud enough to enter sound comps. It still ended up killing my Alternator & a battery. It could have been just dumb luck though since Taurus's are notorious for electrical problems.

I would like to do the 2nd battery with a relay regardless because I do like to go the Drive In to watch movies and without a 2nd battery I would have to pretty much keep my car running thru both movies or I would have a dead battery for sure.

 

[alkemyst]

i'd hit up sounddomain.com first.