Alternator cable upgrade?

[Fraimr8]

I need to upgrade the wire from my p5s alterator to the battery. anyone who has done this please help. First I am confused because when i removed the wire at the alternator post it has two smaller gauge wires(black/white stripes).On the other end at the battery its one larger gauge wire(black/red striped). Is this the wire that needs to be replaced with 4 gauge?Is there a reason why its two smaller wires at the alternator, for instance another component inline between the alt. and battery? I guess what im asking is do i just run a wire from the battery positive to the alt post or is there more to it then that?should i leave the stock alt wire connected under the new one? Any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

[rx7_drifter_]

I haven't done this upgrade myself yet, but from what I've heard people who do this mod (or any of the "Big 3") just add an extra wire over the stock ones. So, leave the stock ones there they can't do any bad...

 

[Fraimr8]

thxs drift any other tips on this will be greatly apreciated

 

[Fraimr8]

well I ran the cable. JUst left the old one in place. Used 2 gauge, seems to help nicely. I didnt use a fuse but i ran the wire close to the harness and hoses.I am still very nervous that it may short and fry some stuff bad,so i think ill go back and add somekinda aftermarket harness that i can run this cable through. Even though all im running is a 500/1 and 300/4 I figure on adding another 500/1 and sub at a later time. not to mention that jl recomends to upgrade alt to bat in the 500/1 manual.

 

[rx7_drifter_]

well I ran the cable. JUst left the old one in place. Used 2 gauge, seems to help nicely.

What improvements did you notice? I just want to know if it's really worth it after all!

I didnt use a fuse but i ran the wire close to the harness and hoses.I am still very nervous that it may short and fry some stuff bad,so i think ill go back and add somekinda aftermarket harness that i can run this cable through. Even though all im running is a 500/1 and 300/4 I figure on adding another 500/1 and sub at a later time. not to mention that jl recomends to upgrade alt to bat in the 500/1 manual.

I don't see why your 2 guage would burn through its thick insulation and short something if the bad stock cable didn't.. So IMO the harness wouldn't be necessary unless you think it looks better.

 

[Fraimr8]

What improvements did you notice? I just want to know if it's really worth it after all!

My system seems more solid and the car seems to run a little smoother.(obviously not as in more horsepower heheh)

I don't see why your 2 guage would burn through its thick insulation and short something if the bad stock cable didn't.. So IMO the harness wouldn't be necessary unless you think it looks better.

Yes but the wire runs down past some sharp edges and i imagine it gets hot down there behind the motor. I was just gonna try to get a piece of harness that is made like the stock harness just for some added piece of mind. I remember 1 time when i was 16 i installed some aftermarket fogs that somehow got a nick in the wire and would make the wire extremely hot(obviosly i didnt use a fuse duhhh!) but just think about what would happen if that wire was to short to the alt. boom!! or s*** there goes my p5 electrical system hehe.if it was a ground wires it woudnt matter if it gets a nick!

 

[rx7_drifter_]

Ya I guess you're taking the right precautions... I haven't really had time to check where that alt cable really passes in the engine bay but I have the feeling u know what you're doing.

BTW: What improvements did you notice after this mod?

 

[Fraimr8]

Ya I guess you're taking the right precautions... I haven't really had time to check where that alt cable really passes in the engine bay but I have the feeling u know what you're doing.

BTW: What improvements did you notice after this mod?

My system seems more solid(a little better bass and a little louder highs) and the car seems to run a little smoother.(obviously not as in more horsepower heheh)

 

[chuyler1]

Please fuse any and every wire connected directly to the battery. I would hate to see an electrical fire destroy your car.

The only affect this type of mod will have is to increase maximum output in an SPL burp sort of contest. For daily listening it may reduce the dimming of your lights but any alledged "improvement" in sound is all placebo.

Back when amps were all class A/B and used unregulated power supplies electrical system mods like upgraded wiring, super guage wire, and capacitors helped keep voltage stable for the amps. Now that most sub amps are class D and run off regulated power supplies, all of that is pretty much for not. The amp only needs about 9-11v to put out max power so 0.1v drop over 18ft of wire is chump change and the amp's onboard capacitors make external caps pointless. 4ga is plenty thick for 1-3Kwatts and as long as you have decent terminals and upgrade the ground to negative terminal.

Buy a decent amp that puts out decent power and forget about the electrical system voodoo.

 

[Fraimr8]

Thxs for the reply chuyler. Since JL recomends it I figured id do this mod. I figured not many people do it based on the number of responses here hehehe. Ive upgraded the grounds the same way as the ist kit with 4 gauge and Im using decent termianals from tsunami. woulda used 4gauge But i had 2 gauge left over from a yellow jl kit i got from dealer for 20 bucks(discontinued you had to wipe it down a bunch of times before installing it or youd have a shade of yellow over everything). I know its dangerous to have that wire unfused but im about to run it inside afactory type loom and zip tie it to the actual factory loom so it should be fine. Ive checked the wire along its length several times to make sure the motor isnt getting too hot and its in a location that doesnt get very hot.my biggest concern is if it was to melt the insulator.

 

[Fraimr8]

Please fuse any and every wire connected directly to the battery. I would hate to see an electrical fire destroy your car.

The only affect this type of mod will have is to increase maximum output in an SPL burp sort of contest. For daily listening it may reduce the dimming of your lights but any alledged "improvement" in sound is all placebo.

Back when amps were all class A/B and used unregulated power supplies electrical system mods like upgraded wiring, super guage wire, and capacitors helped keep voltage stable for the amps. Now that most sub amps are class D and run off regulated power supplies, all of that is pretty much for not. The amp only needs about 9-11v to put out max power so 0.1v drop over 18ft of wire is chump change and the amp's onboard capacitors make external caps pointless. 4ga is plenty thick for 1-3Kwatts and as long as you have decent terminals and upgrade the ground to negative terminal.

Buy a decent amp that puts out decent power and forget about the electrical system voodoo.

I see alot of people are viewing this thread even though not many have replied. I just wanted to say I did upgrade the alt to pos wire with no problems so far but also what chuyler said is no joke. This upgrade can cause serious problems if not done correctly. So be careful and if you dont know exactly what your doing then dont do this. I reran this cable through a piece of plastic(looks like the factory stuff) I got from advanced auto. If you must do this mod Id suggest you use the same covering or something similar to protect the wire better then just its own jacket. Other then a short to ground on this wire I cant see why there would be a problem. All Im saying is do this at your own risk And be real careful its your car for heavens sake.