200AMP Alternators

[BBQ_HotDogs]

I know many of you have bought these 200 amp alternators. There is a question about those that did. Did you change your battery wires to heavier gauged wires, like maybe 0 awg? Or did you just leave them stock?

HotDogs

 

[Makahveli]

I changed the wires that go directly from the battery to the alternator to 2 AWG

 

[BBQ_HotDogs]

I guess my curiosity is killing me. I am wondering about those that did purchase and install the 200amp alternator and did nothing extra like upgrading wires. Are anyone of them doing a serious amp pull with like extra sterio equipment, tow motors, etc? Do your stock wires get hot, or melt? Did you notice a big difference with the alternator while driving and at idle?

HotDogs

 

[B94Sport]

I put a 200 amp alternator in and then upgraded the ground, power, and alternator to battery wires to 1/0 gauge. The other miscellaneous wires that come off of the stock terminals were upgraded to 8 gauge (overkill, I know, but I had a ton of it laying around). This was all done because I put in a 2400 watt stereo system, and my stock wires were 9 years old, showing signs of corrosion and abnormally high resistance.

When I first started running my sytem, I had already upgraded all of the wiring and the alternator. I did run the alternator with the stock wiring for a while and did not notice any problems, but then again I was not running any high current equipment. The 200 amp alternators from mralternator.com come with a smaller pulley than the stock alt so that they have a higher idle amp rating... I had a problem with this: The belt was not tight enough and I could only get 11-11.5 volts. I ended up buying some spacers, washers, and longer bolts to raise the alternator about 3/4" up from its stock position so that the belt would be tighter.