3 amps?

[Hitson16]

Just curious if 3 amps is too much to run on the stock p5 electrical system? The total watts would not exceed 1000 and that would be absolute max.

 

[KYREDP5]

No it's not too much. I'm assuming your speaking of 1000max and not RMS. That would [most likely] put you aroung 500 RMS, which is perfectly fine. You may need a 1 farad cap though. Also assuming that the amps you will be running aren't super un-efficent, you should be good to go.

 

[1sty]

1000 rms is to much for the stock system.
My JL 1000/1 would be to much on its own.

What amps were you going to use.

 

[Hitson16]

300/2
500/1 and maybe a small alpine to run seperate midbass

 

[chuyler1]

First off, what kind of music do you listen to, and how how loud?

Those amps would be fine with an upgraded battery and a capacitor, but not if you are thumping rap 24/7 at ear popping levels.

btw: What's the deal on the warrantee for the alternator? is it covered?

 

[Hitson16]

I really listen to all kind of music one day it could be led zep or floyd next it could be Miles Davis or Ornette Coleman and plenty of rap. I'm at about 800 cd's plus tons of vinyl that I'm in the process of record to cds.

I had a idea for my setup. Basically, I want a set-up that work in two different configurations, one main and a second when I want to remove my tens for moving/cargo room:
I want to have my 300/2 and a small 2 channel on my back seat, and my older kenwood amp and cap mounted to the box, eventually though I want a 500/1. This way I can pull the subs and it amp out and the turn the real midbass up and go wooferless if need be (I'm a DJ and it's pretty tough to get 4 crates of record, 2 turntables and a mixer in the p5 with a box in the hatch)
Anyway I want to run big enough wires and all this time so it won't have to be done again.

I'm not sure about the alternator being covered either

 

[chuyler1]

I know this requires some handywork, but building a false floor to house the amps might be a good route for you.

Putting the amps on the backs of the seats means you will be stacking stuff on top of them when you fold them down. It also means things will knock up against them in the hatch.

Some people on this site have done it with great results and all you really need is a jig saw, a drill, and some wood glue. If you put both amps in the floor, with a metal grill over them (you can pick up the material at home depot), you can put the sub box on top and take it out when you need the extra room.

I hate to see people take nice equipment and abuse it by not taking a few extra steps to protect it.

 

[Hitson16]

Yeah I have thought of the false floor option, I have access to a few wood shops with everything I should need, I have a few friends that teach technology and wood shop courses in highschool and could do all the work there. Do I need to run a cooling fan if the amps are enclosed in a false floor? I may still stick with the back of the seat. I never stack anything on my amps on the back of the seats just use the room with out 60/40 split.

 

[Hitson16]

also will I still be able to get to the spare in the truck in case of emergency with a flase floor? thats why I originally decided against it

 

[chuyler1]

Using fans depends on the amps and what kind of grill you make. (I know Rockford Fosgate and MTX get really hot) If you just get another piece of wood to cover them you will have to have fans, but if you use metal mesh or (my favorite) material for an outdoor bbq grill covered in speaker grill cloth, there should be enough circulation for the amps to stay cool.

If you're worried about it, you can create a cross ventilation system with two 3-4" fans from radio shack. Its hard to describe but basically you create an opening on each side of the floor (in the corners) then mount the fans so they suck air in from one side and blow it across the face of the amps and out the other side.

The only challenging part of building a false floor setup is access to the spare tire (if you want to keep it) You need some sort of trap door to get at it. A popular option is to put the amps close to the back seat, then build the trap door close to the back of the car. I'm sure your friends that teach tech-ed would jump at the opportunity to do something like this.