So i want to pick up a dc power alt but wanted to know a few things.

1. Is it worth the extra 70 bucks or so to get a 190 amp vs a 185 amp.
2. How long does it actually take to get them? I have heard of a few issues with charging and no shipping for weeks.
3. Anyone have the upgraded cables, and what do you think? Are they correct in size, etc...
I am putting this in my sig vehicle, stock stereo for now, but am going to eventually do a front deer killer with winch, hid bulbs, maybe over cab lights. nothing major planned is that 5 extra amps a big deal. It looks like the setpoint is the same. For the last week i have observed my battery voltage on startup drop from about 10 to 9 with sc2. I checked batterys seperately all good except one was low so topped with distilled. does the colder weather effect this or is it the 14.2 setpoint on my current alt that is not fully recharging the batteries? i only see it at 13.9-14.1.
I want to take advantage of the sale

 

I'm not sure you'd notice the extra 5 amps but the internals of the larger alternator may be quite different from the smaller. In other words, the 190 may be at the bottom of it's capability and the 185 at the top, if that makes sense.

AFA avalability goes, I'd call them BEFORE ordering and giving a card #. I know EODguyJake waited a month before he got his, which I thought was TOTALLY unacceptable. I know things happen, but the website NEVER showed out of stock, which was obviously not true.

 

what i was told by their tech guy (i was gonna buy the spx instead of
the xp) was.... "buy the XP, it's a better alternator". his actual words.

the difference between the xp and the other alternators they sell is
that the field windings are hairpin windings, not wave wound,
and they are wound with square wire

without revisiting ohm's law and a bunch of arcane crap, square wire
makes a tighter wind, and produces a higher quality of AC power,
which makes for a better DC output after you rectify it. they also split
the winding, so you have TWO three phase windings instead of one,
and they are shifted 60 degrees relative to each other, so the ripple
effect is cut drastically. so the DC output is far smoother than a
straight 3 phase alternator.

the diodes in both the xp and spx alternators are the same, i was told.

hairpin winding and square drawn wire cost more to fabricate. that is
why the price difference. i don't think anyone else in the automotive
market does it.

now, they have an spx-i that is new, it seems, but i' bet it's just a
bumped up version of the spx, and i'm guessing it's for the pimped
out car stereo market. meh. whatever.

i'd still go with the XP. 270 amps is enough for any sane purpose.

consider this.... if i was running an oasis air compressor, rated for
200 PSI @ 100% duty cycle, which will run a 1/2" impact wrench
without a tank.... i'd need 180 amps to produce 8 CFM at
120 PSI. i'd never even get into the batteries when running the
air compressor.

Item # XD4000-12, XD4000 Continuous-Duty Air Compressors on Oasis Manufacturing

cranking the 6.0 draws about 650 amps, for a couple seconds.
that is really all the batteries do. the rest of the time, with a good
alternator, all the electrical load is serviced by the alternator,
as well as keeping the batteries charged for the next dab of
600 amps.

the other thing the batteries do, is provide a "flywheel" effect to
smooth out the electrical system, and prevent fluctuations. the
batteries serve to dampen the alternator output, and without them,
the alternator wouldn't regulate voltage as well as it does.

as for getting delivery of the unit, i had ed@ficmrepair.com place
the order for me, and i drove over and will called it, at the factory.

i can assure you that when i walked in the front door, there was
an alternator on the front desk with my name on it. no empty
box with an apology note.

consider that this is also a relatively small business, and as such,
you don't know what issues they are having getting materials.
my wife works in management for a fortune 500 japanese company,
and they are having a hell of a time getting parts from japan, from
their own subsidiaries.

supplying firms don't stock inventory any more. everyone is running
hand to mouth. and these alternators don't come over in a container
from china, they are made here.

i've been working in the port of long beach, and that week long strike
they had caused a ripple thru the economy. when a company with 2,000
employees sends half of them home, 'cause they can't get parts to assemble,
the little guys are in worse shape.

the fact that in a crummy economy, they are selling everything they
can make as fast as they can make it says something.

 

For what it's worth, the higher end DC Alternators are actually GM alternators in a Ford specific case.

And to add another FWIW the other high end aftermarket alternator suppliers (Tenney, Excessive Amperage etc) aren't having supply and delivery issues like DC and I gaurantee each of those companies sell considerably more alternators than DC.

Josh

 

I looked at the tenney 270 amp for 325.00 vs the dc power with 10% is 305.00...makes me wonder why dc is so damn expensive

 

The DC 270 amp is $530

Josh

 

yeah my point exactly

 

Just making sure... your post says $305 and not $530

Josh

 

yeah so lets recap at dc power with 10% off a 190 amp is 305. at tenney a 270 amp is 325.00...im thinking im going this route...more bang for the buck and tenney is also lifetime warranty where dc is 2 yrs ...btw what alt r u using josh

 

I run a large case 130 amp 3G rated at 170 amps built by a local rebuilder. Most 130 amp 3G alternators are 150-170 amps stock BTW.

The 270 amp alternators are on sale for $285 shipped at Tenney right now.

Josh

 

im not seeing that on their site can u link it please?

 

It was in their Youtube announcement, good thru 12/31 I believe. Don't see their video anymore, but I see one of their suppliers has a ghetto Youtube video...

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/xEhXrzcQVuE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Tenney Alts are huge in the car audio world, it's all word of mouth with them and Excessive Amperage.

Josh

 

i have heard some 4 week ship times for EA also. so how would i actually get that price from tenney...mention you tube? i don't really use that

 

I would call and ask for the Christmas specials.

Tenney posted this:

Tenney Alternators Holiday Sale

And it's constantly mentioned on their Facebook page.

http://www.facebook.com/TenneyAlts

One thing I am liking about Tenney... he uses the Ford 3G as the basis for a lot of his big amp conversions for Nissan and Hondas.

Almost makes me wish I needed an alternator to try this guy out.

My current alternator was built by Auto Electric in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Josh

 

So why would a guy go with a DC Power versus a Tenney? I'm looking at the 190 DC Power or the 270 Tenney.