phatyaspen
New member
so i have my two sets of hellas on my jeep now and i will be soon installing a set of daylighters...will i have 2 upgrade my alternator to higher amp one?
new alternator?
- Thread starter phatyaspen
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Bounty__Hunter
Super Moderator
There's a lot better electricity gurus here than I could ever be, but I remember them mentioning adding up the current draw in amps of all your accessories, plus engine draw, plus electric fan if you have one. If you need to upgrade check out the other alternator thread about the 136A unit that's a direct bolt-in.
Hi,
Adding the amperage of all of your accessories up and comparing it to the alternator's output isn't very helpful for two reasons: 1) you don't always have the same combonation of stuff on everytime you use the Jeep, and 2) it is common to have the amperage load of the accessories be much higher than the output amperage of the alternator.
I would go ahead and install the lights, and you can then determine if you'll need a higher capacity alternator. When using the lights pay attention to how the electrical system reacts. Do you notice any change in the voltmeter or brightness of the lights? If not, chances are you'll be fine. If so, sounds like upgrading that alternator woudn't be a bad idea.
Of course, the whole problem here is that accessories for vehicles consume gross amounts of power due to the fact that the manufacturers could care less, and that that's the nature of low-voltage (especially 12-volt) systems.
This is why two things are happening:
1) The automotive industry is seriously considering switching to 42 volt systems in new vehicles. Although 42-volts is still considered low voltage, it is much more manageable and efficient since higher voltages mean lower currents.
2) Light Emitting Diode (L.E.D.) technology is becoming more popular in automotive use. L.E.D.s use like 1/20 of the power of their incandescent counterparts, last over 200,000 hours (you do the math) , and are more visable at night. :mrgreen:
Ok, I'm through now....
-Nick :!:
Adding the amperage of all of your accessories up and comparing it to the alternator's output isn't very helpful for two reasons: 1) you don't always have the same combonation of stuff on everytime you use the Jeep, and 2) it is common to have the amperage load of the accessories be much higher than the output amperage of the alternator.
I would go ahead and install the lights, and you can then determine if you'll need a higher capacity alternator. When using the lights pay attention to how the electrical system reacts. Do you notice any change in the voltmeter or brightness of the lights? If not, chances are you'll be fine. If so, sounds like upgrading that alternator woudn't be a bad idea.
Of course, the whole problem here is that accessories for vehicles consume gross amounts of power due to the fact that the manufacturers could care less, and that that's the nature of low-voltage (especially 12-volt) systems.
This is why two things are happening:
1) The automotive industry is seriously considering switching to 42 volt systems in new vehicles. Although 42-volts is still considered low voltage, it is much more manageable and efficient since higher voltages mean lower currents.
2) Light Emitting Diode (L.E.D.) technology is becoming more popular in automotive use. L.E.D.s use like 1/20 of the power of their incandescent counterparts, last over 200,000 hours (you do the math) , and are more visable at night. :mrgreen:
Ok, I'm through now....
-Nick :!:
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