Personally I love to hear and feel my car. I feel that a stereo takes away from the driving experience as well as adding lots of weight. Besides that, can anyone tell me specifics about what happens to an alternator when you run the high power amps and what not?

 

I must be gettin' old. I put in an Alpine usb unit with Polk speakers in the stock locations and it sounds great. And weighs less than what I took out.

 

Sometimes I leave the stereo off and drive. Listening to the car is enjoyable

 

If a CD plays in an RX-7 and the exhaust is too loud to hear it, does it make a sound?

I might put a radio back in when the new exhaust is finished. But I'd like something lightweight and small. I don't need a radio or a CD player, I just want a tiny amp that I can hide in the dash and plug my phone or an iPod into. Less weight and more space for gauges. Any ideas?

 

Yea +1, that is what I would like too, a hideaway amp, small, but a bit of power for my iphone. Never listen to the radio to begin with.

 

Completely agree with this.

I replaced mine and it sounds awesome, and was completely worth it. And I know that the speakers and head unit that I replaced the stock stuff with actually cut weight - as previously stated.

 

The stock deluxe stereo (radio + cassette + equalizer + two external power amps) averages about 2 amps (25 watts) so a lot less than even turning on the running lights. Modern amps and decks are more efficient than the old ones so unless you are ruining your hearing playing white noise you won't see much more than perhaps twice that load even if you put in a lot of gear. Basically if you are actually listening to music it is not a particularly large load on the alternator. Having the headlights on is probably around three times the average load of a reasonable car stereo. Can you put in something that would kill your electrical system, of course you can.

I have an inexpensive Sony head unit and it has a 4x50 integrated amp and sounds pretty good with just reasonable speakers mounted in the factory positions. I think the head unit weighs about 2 lbs which is quite a lot less than the original stereo (a little over 8 lbs).

Of course earbuds driven by a smartphone probably sounds better and weighs nothing when you don't bring it along <grin>

 

Unless you're really trying to save weight, having the option of a radio there is nice. I always prefer it.

 

Get the boss radio at Walmart.com 4x50 and only USB and aux. the radio is 1/2 the size of a normal deck and stays quite cool. 35 bucks

 

That looks like a viable option, although I'd still rather have one without an interface because racecar. I want to tuck it away down inside the dash.

 

My issue I'm trying to point out is with those who have the big 400-2000 watts . I mean honestly even when I turn on the headlight I can feel the slight power drain. With a big amp and subwoofers I know it's gotta more significant. Besides that like I was saying about the experience of driving these sports cars. Do you really need a stereo when you have the music of a Wankle and Racing Beat exhaust

 

Headlights on high beams if you put in illegal bulbs still only draw in extreme cases 150 watts. A terrible charging system would add another 20% bumping that to 180 watts. This is 1/4 horsepower. Normal headlights on low beams are about half that. You are very sensitive if you can feel 1/8th horsepower difference.

The big stereos like you mention above (2000 watts) is about 2.5 horsepower at peak load. But they dont draw that all the time. Only when knocking your teeth loose and making your ears bleed. The average load is less than 1/10 hp at normal listening levels with normal material.

And I agree with you that a lot of the time the sound of the engine is music.

 

That's the info I was hoping for some specific power drain specs. Thanks. It's just that my friends with loud stereos seem to always be replacing Alternators...The rev of the motor and burning rubber is all I need.

 

Alternators are rated for peak current and not average current. Switching from a 60A to a 90A alternator might not make any difference if the average current exceeds design. It is heat that is the problem and that comes from the average load. The heat losses are going to be similar if you just change out the alternator for a larger one because the efficiency is the same. So unless the larger alternator has a better way to shed its heat it wont help. The engine compartment is a cruel place for electronics.

The alternator was chosen by the designers so that it could recharge the battery after starting in just a few minutes. That is what defines the peak load. The average is going to be set based on all the loads that are turned on and maintaining that load after recharge from starting. They put in a little over this for safety. Adding a few amps with an oversized car stereo is going to use up the safety margin. A hot day at altitude with high humidity will degrade the ability of the alternator to cool itself while adding extra load from the airconditioner blower running wide open. This may not cause an immediate failure but will age the electronics more quickly.

Or it could be crappy OEM alternators built on a least cost wins the bid deal <grin>.

 

I put 4 12" fosgate punch's in mine pushing them with 3600 watts, and installs 4 farad cap, most of the time I don't even use them because I like the sound as I burst down the roads in my RX7 but it is nice to have them there when I want them so I would install a sound system and use it when wanted but I think you will find that most of the time it would be off, In fact most of the time the DVD player is going playing one of the Fast and furious, I am still looking to make a compilation DVD of RX7 footage but its hard to find quality footage and not shaking noisy footage. good luck with your system. Make sure to let us know what you decide to do or not do.

 

I'd be interested in seeing pics of that setup.

I have mine all replaced and upgraded - soon to add a 400w amp to power the speakers better. It's all personal preference - nice to have when you want it though

 

I will get pictures up once its viewable right now the wires are everywhere and the snow is on the ground, so I am a bit embarrassed by the install right now because I was in a hurry to get it in I am also waiting on a new box for 2 of the 12" subs that is made by fosgate...

 

Lizard I'm deep in the scheming stages and have been researching every damned input / output gimmick and snake-oil scam out there. all junk.

however only this afternoon have I begun thinking about bypassing the head unit altogether. I rarely listen to radio, 99% just from my iPhone.

Then I was like, well why not just plug my iphone via headphone-to-RCA straight into my amp? Get some Y-splitters and split the signal for front / rear /sub channel.

A quick search yielded this result:
iPod to Amp cable. No Radio Needed. Connect iPod directly to Amp. iPodCarPros.com

I have only just begun researching this pathway however its looking viable. I don't see why it wouldn't work.

Personally I'm going to retain the factory head unit and EQ, hacking into the tape-deck for an auxiliary input and hacking a cigarette lighter - to -USB plug into the harness for power

 

OK so scratch that no-name junk I just posted. Here's the legit way to do it.

Volume control & signal booster / cleaner by JL:
CL-RLC - Car Audio - OEM Interface - System Expansion - JL Audio

Charging cord / signal output from iPhone:
iPod Charging and Interface Adaptor - $19.95 : Zen Cart!, The Art of E-commerce

 

unless you have ears on your ankles dont bother with the 4'' in the footwell. i was dumb and replaced those too well they dont do much. the PO on my car decided it was a good idea to drill holes in the bin lids and stuff 6x9's in them. so now aparently i have ears on my back. the speaker placements are so screwed up in these cars.