Hi all,

I searched through the forum but didn't have much luck finding anything addressing my one remaining question. But I *did* find a *ton* of info that answered a LOT of my other questions - thanks!

I have a un-tweaked 2008 Sport and am getting ready to drop in a decent entry-level system. Thanks to lurking the forum for years I feel a lot more confident in doing most of the work myself, saving me $$$$$ in installation costs. I don't plan on doing anything competition-grade, but I do want reasonable sound quality on a budget. That said I'm sticking mainly with Kenwood / MTX gear (because it's what has worked for me in the past). My main amp is 40x4 RMS. I'll have a second amp driving a single 12" sealed enclosure at around 400 RMS. I say "around" because I haven't absolutely settled on the amp yet.

I've seen multiple threads where people complain about electrical problems in their Fits. Dimming lights, sound cuts out when the fan cycles on, etc. Given the choice between "factory sound with no electrical problems" and "decent sound but killing the battery every two years", I'll take the former.

My question is this: How big of a system can the alternator handle? I've seen mentions of HO alts - are they worth it?

Thanks!

 

In my many years of competing, and having every conceivable type of sound system, just install your stuff and enjoy the sounds. The one thing that kills batteries, factory or aftermarket, is current draw without recharging. Listening with motor off will bring the voltage down on the battery and the alternator will have to work overtime to make up for the drop. In my Accord that uses three amps, one of which is around 1400 watts with the oem alternator and two upgraded batteries. My Accord has 198k and I've made sure to always listen with the motor running. Ask any chemist what kills a battery is discharging that drops the water level that lets the plates corrode.

If the oem battery has been abused by someone else then you may still have trouble with it and may need to replace it. Currently I have a simple 3 channel amp driving some 3 way separates up front and a single 10" sub in the well.

Now upgrading the battery is handy since it will help with some problems created by aftermarket components but you could install your equipment and enjoy the sounds.

 

I just installed a 12" RF sub with a 200w punch bridged amp. w OEM head and a LOC80 and it a real nice system Great bass hits and the OEM works well w/the high and mid range, and no dimming. But as lashlee stated DO NOT run the system w/o the engine running. I still have the org. 08 battery as bad as we say they are it still hang'n in there. And one more thing use big gauge power wire and ground to the frame not just sheetmetal. GLW the amp and let us know what you do and how it goes.
Mike

 

I have 1500watts between the two amps I am running, and I only ever see a light dimmer very very slightly at night. Other than that, nothing all the factory charging system and battery are in my fit. I do plan to upgrade my battery and alternator sometime in the future but I do not pound it day in and day out for extended periods of time so I am in no hurry to do so yet.

 

Thanks for the input everyone. I'm a little less concerned about it now, sounds like it should take the added workload as long as the engine's running.