When upgrading your car audio, it’s important to consider the additional power requirements that come with an amplified sound system. Your factory alternator may be sufficient, or it may not be. The question is usually not whether you need a more powerful alternator, but how much bigger it should be and how much is too much.
How to choose a high amperage dynamo?
The good news is that replacing the stock alternator with a high output alternator will not in itself harm the rest of the electronics in your car, even if the new alternator is much, much larger than the old one.
As an example that is closer to the ridiculous than the plausible, let’s say you determine that your new sound system, plus your car’s existing current requirements, add up to well over 200 amps. As a safety net, you opt for a 300 amp alternator.
Even if you find a high amp alternator that can deliver a whopping 300 amps and still somehow fit in your engine bay, those extra amps will only be used if and when your equipment actually needs them. Rest assured that the only downside to an oversized alternator is that it’s a waste of money and won’t harm your electrical system.
