Welcome to Speaker Box Audio

I am a car audio enthusiast. I do all my own installs and learn as I go. I will try anything from a basic box to a custom fiberglass or carbon fiber install. I will be learning this stuff and posting pictures. I make the mistakes so you don't have to.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

High Output Alternator search

Part of the 2007 Mazda 3 stereo build is that I am running too high amperage to use a stock alternator. The kicker 2500.1 + the kicker 700.5 have the potential to run 200-220 amps at maximum power with 14.4v (alternator output). That doesn't factor in much effiiciency loss either. I will realistically be running the them at the highest to draw about 140 - 180 amps. The stock alternator puts out 90 amps so you can see the problem. I hooked up the kicker 2500 and the subs and my lights were dimming severely and the voltage going into the amp dropped to 12.4 several times which means that it was running off the the battery and the alternator was struggling to keep up. My lights were dimming badly. I definitely need to upgrade my alternator.

Many places will rewind a stock alternator for more output, but unfortunately for me, no one will rewind a Mazda 3's Alternator because it is foreign and it is a Mitsibishi. I have to buy one somewhere. I looked online and almost no where offers a HO ALT for my car, but so far this is what I've found.

Iraggi Alternators 200 amps with a Idle performance chart to prove it ($360)
Manicelectroncis These guys don't have a performance chart but say that it does 160 amps at 1800 rpms. ($300)

Both brands sell on ebay. Iraggi Alternators is run by a guy named Dominick Iraggi. I think he  runs the whole show by himself. Either way I've heard awesome things about his work. Steve Meade uses Iraggi Alternators for his SPL builds. The only worry I have is some of the feedback left about them on ebay. Manicelectronics however has perfect feedback but I don't trust the quality of alternator as much. I'm still leaning towards Iraggi for the quality of alternators he builds and because he just emailed me with his work phone, cell phone and email. I should be able to buy this alternator in February for my birthday.

If you have the same car and are looking for one DO NOT BUY A one size fits all or conversion brackets. I promise they will not fit. You will have to do some very custom brackets to make it fit. I have a picture of an example of a one size fits all high output alternator and the mazda's alternator.


The one on the left is a once size fits all and the one on the right is a mazda 3 alternator. Notice the brackets on both of them. That would not be fun to cut and weld brackets to fit. It's not impossible, just time consuming.

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