I put in an 800 watt car music system with a 12-inch subwoofer and a 1200 watt amp kit because the wires were large enough, but it pulls on my RPMs and reduces my gas mileage. It also feels like my car is using a lot of power, which makes my alternator work too hard. What’s the fix for that? Is a larger ground wire or alternator adequate for your battery?
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That’s not correct; after installing an amplifier, especially one that only has 800 watts, I’ve never had a customer complain about poor gas mileage.
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Sounds like maybe your alternator is going out the door. Have you checked the voltage at the battery with the car just running?
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It’s a fact, I don’t know why some people in this subreddit dispute it. A magnetic counter force is applied to a pulley by your alternator in order to generate power. The belt that turns that pulley is wound around another pulley that is fastened to your crankshaft. That power comes from some source, and in the case of internal combustion engines, more engine effort results in increased gas consumption. When not in use, the majority of contemporary cars can turn this off. The cause? RUNNING YOUR ALTERNATOR FULL TILT HURT GAS MILAGE.
I have a fresh, healthy alternator that is tested at 180 amps at idle, and I drive a 6 liter V12. I also use an Odyssey H8 battery. I currently only have a rather efficient 900w JL class D running on top of stock amplifiers, and even when I cruise at highway speeds, I lose two to three mpg, as seen by the instantaneous results of my wheel speed and fuel consumption. An 800w amp will consume a significant portion of any alternator power in 80% of cases.
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If a sensor that keeps an eye on the battery, alt, or both are malfunctioning, etc. To charge the system, the vehicle may idle more quickly. Perhaps you’re eating at your mpgs? Perhaps some 13-year-old links need to be cleaned up as well?
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It’s high 13s. Capacitor could be issue? Could it be stealing power instead of holding it?
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It’s happening. I turn off amp and I get like 25 in 2011 ford fusion. I bump it and I’m like at 21
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Measure voltage drop on your amp connections. bad amp ground could cause more current being drawn than whats really necessary. upgrade your ground strap too
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So I have a capacitor installed. Before that my rpm bounce with the bass
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Ditch your capacitor and see/feel how much better things are.