Yes you dare :hide: :grin:

B-spot for president :beerchug: :popc1:

seems like I got slammed on this topic before with no rebuttal.....so which one is it? I've always been taught by my father and grandfather that if you were ever scared you were about to run out of gas, turn off all electrical items in the car (radio, heater fan, etc.) to reduce drag on the engine, increasing the chance of making it further on the fumes....ROFL....I always just assumed it was true.

Quote:

Originally posted by BlackJack@Mar 28 2005, 04:20 AM and furthermore, yes, the electric fan is (all caps) ELECTRIC, hence load on the alternator, resulting on more drag to the engine, and every stinkin bit counts fighting the timer.....BS that. Quoted post

<!--QuoteBegin-Fast Eddie@Mar 28 2005, 04:12 PM
The alternator is going to produce a load on the engine as long is it is mechanically attached to the crank, only way to reduce that drag is to remove it (not advisable if you have a street driven car). The amount of resistance being produced by the alternator is also a constant, regardless of current is being drawn from the battery. So adding an electric fan will not produce more drag on the engine b/c the alternator is not a variable resistance unit, its either there or its not.
So yeah BS :P

Quoted post

[/quote]

^ would help, but in the case that you're already running on fumes, you may save enough to make it an extra 10 feet.

Just want to add that while forcing more air into and out of the end via intake and exhaust will add power but to get the full effect you will need to increase your fuel into the engine.

wow this is an old post, but i also agree fans slow u down, i have a toggle switch for my fans, made them from a broken aftermarket fog kit, the switch switches my fans on instead of the fogs, i can explain if any one needs it, my fans just stopped working so i had to, anyway, i do notice a difference in my cars power when the fans are on or off, especially when im on the highway, but i agree to that, and think its the fact that the electricity that is supplied to the spark plugs and computer and all that good stuff is being drawn to power my fans or my system, and because the size of the alternator wheel stayes the same your generating power at a constant, thats why when u change that wheel to a different size its either better or worse for your system, it either speeds up the generator allowing more rotaions, making more power or slows it down making less rotations, making less power, but if u turn on all the power in your car the generator make a set amount that has to get distributed to everything it will put drag and strain on your electrical system, taking power that can be used for spark and sending it to ur fans or system. making your electrical system not as efficient as possible.

im not sure if ur alternator send power to ur systems, or the battery, either way the same effect, the alternator has to recharge the battery to power the items, or your altornator has to work equally hard to power your other crap

WOW, this is an old post.

Since I never saw B-spot's post; The alt gets a constant 14V from the battery assuming it is properly charged. then depending on the power needed to recharge the battery the regulator adjusts the amount of voltage going into the alt. The regulator converts this unneeded voltage to HEAT, it does not magically disappear, I'm aware that you cannot simply make energy disappear. Once again you are comparing a generator to an alternator. Read up, the two are different, modern street cars have a 3-phase alternator. The work needed to turn the alt will increase but it is < 0.3% (crank HP)so IMO, and my physics profs. opinion, its negligible. Of cousre the oil in the engine has been documented to make 3+% difference in WHP.

But, alas, I am just an owned tool who knows nothing of physics, chemistry, or the fact that modern cars have alternators, not generators, or any knowledge of how alternators, or any other car part works. But please carry on with schooling on the peeps :notworthy:

Forget about drag on the engine or how hard the alternator is to spin under different loads for a minute. The fans are electric. Lets say they kick on just as you're taking off at the track... there will be a temporary drop in voltage to the fuel pump as they spin up. It's not much, but it will still rob some power. So the fan switch is a good idea anyway! :P

</2cents>

What happened to the battery? It would normally prevent a voltage drop. Like I stated before, its acts as a giant cap. in the system.

i have to agree with fasteddie battery is just a large cap after the car has started, alt always maintaining (not charging) the battery charge level
battery voltage per cell is 2.1volts with a total of 12.6 fully charged

WOW this is an old post. (Third person to say that, you just made an over 2 year bump)

But he's from Michigan w00t another member from MI

Headers $600 to $900
4,2,1 or 4 to 1 headers for a 4 banger and 3 to 1 headers for 3400's move exhaust gases faster, and hotter. For a 3400 it adds about 20 HP at the wheels and is a very serious mod. Works best with a 2.5" exhaust system. The down pipe is 2.5" A high quality header will have holes pre drilled and threaded for O2 sensors. Power coating will be the heat inside the header pipes, but I would still suggest a high temp heat wrap

where'd u get this i can't find headers for the 6 :(

http://www.headermania.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?

feel free to pm me if you have any more performance questions lol

Just reading this old thread and wanted to post something about the alternator pulley argument. I think the alternator pulley will help. It wont help much, but it will help because while the alternator is constantly charging the battery it is doing so at a slower rate. It is kind of the same as geting the smaller water pump pulley. There will still be water (current) delivered, but not as much as with a regular sized pulley. That is why reddog said that the alt pulley is not recommended for big sound systems.

Yep. Underdrive pulleys aren't that great. Better just to get lightened stock size pulleys.

How much horsepower does an alternator pull ? You can mathematically determine the horsepower cost at any given load. (Remember, alternators respond to load. If there is no load present the alternator is basically freewheeling.)


Amps x Volts = Watts
Watts / 745.7 (one HP) = Electrical HP Produced by the Alternator
HP x 15% Efficiency Loss = HP Loss
HP + HP Loss = Total HP Used


Example:
57A x 14.9V = 849.3 Watts
849.3 Watts / 745.7 = 1.14 HP
1.14 HP x 15% = 0.17 HP
1.14 + 0.17 = 1.31 HP Total

Now we know the cost to run the electrical system. The most important question is what is the payback ? Which way does the horsepower benefit you ?

good job thread jesus...........
anyways alternator is more than 57A. for our aleros is 102A.
1519.8 Watts
1519.8/ 745.7 = 2.038 HP
2.038 X 15% = 0.3057
2.038 + 0.3057 = 2.3427 HP total

also don't forget about A/c compressor uses hp and everything else that is driven by the crank via belt.

Sorry I'm only an electrician. But just needed to clear up some mis conceptions on the alternator and the power it consumes. The AC also pulls down power but thats outside of my expertise :)

This is a stickied thread...

yea, but its a stickied thread and here for the reason of people seeing it and getting help. plus, he contributed to it instead of asking a question.