hoe much stereo can the ZX Alt. handle?

[2sixTZombii]

Alright awhile back I did the ZX alternator conversion on my car, my wiring is still a little goofy as I think I have a short somewhere in the dash, but that'll get fixed soon, and everything work for now. Mine is the standard ZX alternator, I beleive its a 60 amp, i see alot people with some sweet stereo systems in there cars, and the ZX had some fancy stereo for a stock system AFAIK, but I don't know how much junk I can run with this alt. I plan to run a single 8 or 10" sub, two 6x9s, and two smaller speaker in the kick panels probably 6", and for all this probably a midsize amp. Do you guys run this much in a Z without upgrading to a 90 or 100 amp alternator? I am willingly to do another alt upgrade but if I don't have too then I won't. Basicly need advice from people that already have systems in there car, cause I need loud music in any car I daily, which this one is getting very close to being my everyday transportation.

Edited May 28, 2014 by 2sixTZombii
my car is not a hoe!!!

[Walter Moore]

You have added 20A @14V to your electrical system. (Less than that at idle.) That computes to 280 Watts of additional power available at the alternator. Subtract from that any other aftermarket lighting and electronics that you have added, and plan accordingly.

Be aware however that to get that extra power you will have to tap more or less directly into the alternator. The existing wiring is maxed out at 40A.

Personally, I think that adding even a 200W amplifier in a 40 year old car is asking for trouble. But to each his own.

[2sixTZombii]

You have added 20A @14V to your electrical system. (Less than that at idle.) That computes to 280 Watts of additional power available at the alternator. Subtract from that any other aftermarket lighting and electronics that you have added, and plan accordingly.

Be aware however that to get that extra power you will have to tap more or less directly into the alternator. The existing wiring is maxed out at 40A.

Personally, I think that adding even a 200W amplifier in a 40 year old car is asking for trouble. But to each his own.

My brother has a small Rockford fosgate that I might try and buy off of him, it's small, not sure how many watts though keep in mind the alt was for a 30 year car, so not as bad right?

[beermanpete]

You should be fine with a system that is only a few hundred watts total. As Walter said, run the main power wire for the amp directly to the battery (standard practice when I did car stereo years ago). The amps only draw a lot of power when you play the music loud so unless you are cranking it to 11 all time the load on the alternator is small enough that it should not be an issue.

[Kurbycar32]

Your ideal stereo sounds alot like what i just installed. The 2 6x9's in the rear arent necessary if you are doing door or kick panel speakers. If you want them anyway you can remove your toolbox lids and build a box in there, this keeps everything totally reversible. I listen to alot of rock music and some occasional techno, the 8" sub hits hard enough for this tiny cabin. Everything is powered by a 700w kenwood 5 channel amp. I'm running a stock 260z alternator which i think is a 40 amp, and a optima red top battery without issues. An alternator upgrade is in the works but i havent had any issues after i upgraded the battery. If i had to do it all over again i would do it the exact same way minus the rear 6x9's

Edited May 27, 2014 by Kurbycar32

[2sixTZombii]

Your ideal stereo sounds alot like what i just installed. The 2 6x9's in the rear arent necessary if you are doing door or kick panel speakers. If you want them anyway you can remove your toolbox lids and build a box in there, this keeps everything totally reversible. I listen to alot of rock music and some occasional techno, the 8" sub hits hard enough for this tiny cabin. Everything is powered by a 700w kenwood 5 channel amp. I'm running a stock 260z alternator which i think is a 40 amp, and a optima red top battery without issues. An alternator upgrade is in the works but i havent had any issues after i upgraded the battery. If i had to do it all over again i would do it the exact same way minus the rear 6x9's

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Awesome, that pretty much settles it for me. I actually already hve two Boston Acoustics 6x9s that are really nice so if I was gonna drop anything it would be the kick panel speakers. I alway thought about doing the sub in the tire well, but I have popped alot of tires while driving, and I intend to daily this car, so I like having a spare along.

[2sixTZombii]

Oh and Kurbycar, if you intend to do an alternator swap, the method used in post #13 on this thread is where I found out how to do it.

Picked up an early 260Z - S30 Series - 240z, 260z, 280z - HybridZ

Worked great for me, the only problem is your pump stays running if the motor dies, and always run when the key is in run position. I've heard you can use an oil pressure switch to fix this though, and I don't really consider it a problem as it primes my carbs for me and makes it easy to start. Alt. Was cheaper at oreillys than a new voltage reg.