tejcurrent

Alright! I'm ordering the 4 alt bracket from iraggi this upcoming week, as well as 3 powermaster 200a alts with adjustable internal voltage regulators (easily changed from the rear of the case). Advance auto can get them just 15 minutes from my house 450 each with warranty from a reputable business, so I'm not going to complain. Then I'll be switching my yellowtops to 4 16v batts and seeing what these amps will do Thanks for all the different input guys, even if it didn't answer my exact question all help has been appreciated and led me in the right direction (I think).

Thanks for the info on that, it helps a lot. I wasn't sure I thought they charged around 18v at the most, but I was told by someone they floated around 16.8-16.9. Will there be any problems running the batteries at 17-17.5v with only turning it up for comps? I would be afraid to go over 17.5 daily, and even though I wouldn't be taking full advantage of the equipment it should be safer for daily usage, right? I have been told by several people that it doesn't matter if the batteries have less storage- that I will need fewer batteries to achieve the same thing with a higher voltage setup, and that's sort of what I'm counting on. Thanks for the help, now I just need to find someone who can sell me powermaster alts- since advance is the only local dealer and they don't carry the alts I need. I thought I had a guy who could get them for me but I can't get in touch with him and the next closest place is about 180 miles away

Sorry to hear that bro- glad you didn't get hurt. Is the car fixable? Will your insurance cover it? Good luck, sorry to see this happen but its good you're ok.

I talked to Memphis tech support yesterday for a bit about my problem. The guy told me that they love high voltage setups- even for daily usage all day long. He told me that if I was using it for daily the amps would still perform better on a 16v setup with the alts set around 17.5v. I might just turn them about 17.2 just enough to keep the batts charged and turn them up for comps around 18v- does anyone see any problems with that idea? Thanks I really have been trying to get around it, but I suppose there's no reason I can't run about 800rms off a yellowtop and 130a alternator for my mids/highs and the memphis 4ks (which from what I've also been told will put out much more with that high a voltage even 5krms+ ) on 3 dedicated 16v alternators with a mid/small battery bank. Please someone tell me there's less into going 16v than I think.. 16v alts 16v batts + and ground wire run seperate for this setup? Isn't the actual chassis of the alt grounded to the vehicle? Does anyone with more experience than me see a reason not to do this? And does it sound like a good solution to run 4 16v batteries and 3 200a alternators? Thanks for the help guys.

I've asked around and no one seems to be able to tell me which setup I'd be better off with. I'm about to call memphis and see if the 4ks can handle a 16v setup on daily listening I thought about doing this a long time ago but ruled it out, but I don't want keep sending equipment into them- esp. for low voltage issues.

That's what people keep saying about iraggi. I just want whats going to be best for my charging system.

Thanks I won't be competing much, I will go to competitions but I really don't intend to do great numbers. NO local shop has a meter- the biggest show is the Funk Master Flex that comes here once a year- and last year they had the crowd cheer who they thought was loudest because no one had a meter This is more for really loud music, and maybe bassrace. You can def. listen to it when it's finished, I know evan challenged me to a deathmatch so we'll have to see how that goes..

Okay, let me try and rephrase my question: Would I be better off with a higher idling amperage at a lower voltage (14.4volts) that would increase quite a bit at a higher rpm, or would I be better off with a lower amperage alternator at a higher voltage (16v)? Basically a 200a alternator at 16v, or a 280a alternator at 14.4v? I will keep my stock alternator in place to prevent problems with the vehicle not getting enough idling amperage, and add 3 of whatever will power me the best. Thanks guys, I hope I'm not being to vague to get specific answers, it's just a nice chunk of change to drop without talking to people who are more experienced first.

If you definitely don't want to do a h/o alternator try to add a 2nd or 3rd battery of decent size. I don't think you'll have a whole lot of trouble with about 1600rms on 2 batteries, I'd just try it first and see where your voltage sits. I've heard pretty good things about those batteries but I have no personal experience. Seems similar/a little better than a yellowtop- but again thats just comparing numbers. If it drops too low than add as many batteries as it takes - but you wont get your batteries to keep your voltage much above 13v even without a drain, that's really where an alternator would come in. Good luck!

As far as the sq comments- I know I've had numerous people comment on the 'punchy' sound of my btls, often saying how they like the sound of my 18s more than so-and-sos 10s/12s while obviously getting much louder. The only thing I'm interested in trading my btls for would be newer btls

Thanks again guys! I like it pretty well too- I was doing some painting on her car while she was out of town this week and I really enjoyed listening to it. She REALLY needs a better front stage- but she doesn't care and doesn't have the ear for it Still sounds better being able to hear below 80hz (about where he factory setup let out), but you really don't hear the sub the way I have it- it just blends in smoothly. Thanks for all the great feedback- makes it worth the effort when she's talking about buying a different car next month or so. New build time then

x2. I'd do at least 2 runs power and beef up all the connections.

I guess so. The Tahoe I have now had like a 7 sec 0-60 when I bought it- not far enough behind the mustang to make it sluggish feeling. After about 1/2 ton of audio equipment it's slower (now it's sluggish feeling lol) but it's still quicker than most 4 bangers and def. fun to drive in its own right (got to love going off curbs and through mud). Man I want my wife to get a mustang gt like yours- I miss the speed so bad

Sweet grill! I really haven't used gas before so I'm picking up a new charc. one that's nice- but that takes the cake

I went from a Mustang GT to a Yukon so I could buy a bigger system. I will always miss the speed but it was sooooooooo worth it. I had the same problem when I had 3 type-rs in my trunk, and I put 1 in my bros blazer and it was louder. It really was exasperating. The sub I now have in my wifes trunk was soooo much louder in my old suv, even though it's in a better box now. Only other thing for me would be a hatch or wagon.

I try to use as much MDF as possible since it will take a bit of work to get fiberglass as strong. Then stretch the cloth over the 'skeleton' as tight as possible so there's no sag or anything. Paint on the resin- but don't bother wasting it where it will be cut out (sub holes, monitor locations, etc.) If possible I like to layer the fiberglass mat or cloth inside the enclosure so there's less bondo/work to get it smooth, but make sure you put several layers either way. When you're sure it's strong enough I put another layer of resin around the entire inside of the enclosure just to seal everything good. Then you just have to bondo (making sure you get it really smooth so you have as little sanding as possible to do). The trickiest part for me has always been getting the mix just right- but I found out if you buy the type of hardener that comes in a 1gal jug instead of using the tube that comes with it the resin sets much much quicker. Just talking from the bit of experience I have, hope it helps.

User error pretty often, but a lot of people recone RE MTs because they abused them- and it's cheaper to get a fi/re hybrid than recone RE (or several other brands for that matter.)

It should be fine. Mine have had between 8 and 5 ft, tuned between 32 and 36hz. I liked 36hz better, and they sound good in the current 5 ft.

I have 5 yellowtops total w/ 1 memphis 4k and I still need a h/o alt. Id get your alt first.

Thanks guys. I'm putting the other 3 amps in, but mainly so I can see where to put some trim panels. I may hook up the power and grounds, but just for looks and so when I get the electrical backed up all I have to do is hook up the speakers to their designated amp. Several reasons for the panels: 1. It looks more flush 2. It will make it just that much harder to get to the lower amps to steal them, and impossible to remove the box without removing them first (time consuming). I'm just dryfitting things in place, but here's where the amps go on the sides. They really won't be visible. At night you can sort of see the Memphis logo glowing through the tint, but only barely. More as work gets done- I'll have to place an order for wire and fuse holders soon- I don't want to use Raptor 1/0 lol.

Looking great.

http://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/ind...15609&st=40 Power accoustic 5500s. one on each amp at 2ohms would be good. You could find a memphis 4k, RF T4000, or several others used for that price, or around 1000 new if you search. The termpro forum is down right now, but they have AB 500.1s pretty often. A little more than you're budget but you can find used ones pretty often. http://cgi.ebay.com/Hifonics-Goliath-5000w...1QQcmdZViewItem Good luck

Here's a bit of an update. I'll be adding 3 more alts within the next month or two, as soon as I sell my boat I'll have some extra cash for it. I worked on the top plate, and I'm going to call this finished for a while. It really needs buffed good- I didn't have any pads for my buffer so I just went over it by hand a little. There's a few blemishes, but it's my first attempt at spraying and they were really just from trash that got in the paint On to pics, but do you guys think black accents would look good around the equipment? I already have paint, I'd just hate to have to sand it all down just to undo it. Just thrown in back- still plenty more panels and amps to go there, so it' looks kind of awkward. Crap camera, but from inside the panel adds a nice touch imo. Like I said, the amps will be on top of part of it, and there will be a few beauty panels vinyled to match the box and flush it in there. Like I said, opinions and criticism are much appreciated!

I can see both sides. I lean towards SPL myself, but I suppose I sacrifice quite a bit of the "peak" by going for a lower peak point, but regardless it is in no way SQ. I literally do turn my subs most of the way down when I want it to sound 'good'. I'm going to do a bit of digging, but I'm sure I'm going to ask the SQ guys for help pretty soon, because while I'm pretty happy at the moment, there's always a new project on the horizon and their experience is such a great help. If you ask for help in a way that doesn't make you sound like an idiot or a snob you normally get really sound advice, even if it comes with a bit of cynicism or sarcasm.

So it seems Powermaster is really favored over iraggi? I was leaning towards the 280s because of price (there would be about a $50 difference per alt), and from what I understand I'll get more idling amperage by quite a bit from the larger iraggis. The only variable would be the voltage, since with the powermasters I could turn it where I want it, and I'd be able to run a dedicated 16v system down the road if I wanted to w/out buying more alts. Like I said, I just don't know and no one can tell me for sure which would put out more power- 4 200a powermasters turned to 15v, or 3 Iraggi 280s and 1 220. I don't have room for a ton of batteries so it's pretty important to get the most I can, but I'm sure I'll be OK with either one. Thanks for all the help everyone.