16 volt questions

[kingvern]

what all is needed and how hard is it to convert to 16 volt. Is it worth it. My 12 volt system with 95 amp alternated will only charge at 12 volts so the battery is dead by the end of the day. Or is it possible to have alternater amperage increased.

 

[67Dart273]

There is probably something wrong with your alternator or the system wiring............

I really REALLY don't like all this 16V stuff, some guys are running 16V WITH alternator

Here's how I think this all likely got started................12V systems RUN nominally at 14V with alternator. That is pretty much a standard (13.8--14.2)

So then someone got the idea 'not' running a charging system and using one or more extra cells in a battery. Lead acid cells are about 2.1V fully charged open circuit, but if you LOAD them with much and no charger, this means that "one more cell" will run somewhere around 14V with no load, and TWO more cells will run about 16.

NOW if you RUN the battery that way WITH NO ALTERNATOR, and you have lots of battery, and keep it recharged between rounds, you will STILL HAVE a 14V nominal system but with no alternator.

Confused?

Carry on................NOWadays some of these guys are running a SIXTEEN VOLT ALTERNATOR. But the system DOES NOT RUN at 16V!!!! Just like a 12V runs at about 14 with alternator, this means that a 16V nominal battery must be run (with alternator) at 2.3---2.37V per cell, that is 18.4--18.96V!!!

Think about this!!!! This is approximately the same as running your 125V AC line at 180 some odd volts!!!

The answer? Find out and fix what you have there, and then see where you stand

 

[MoparLeo]

The only guys that really do that and it gives them an advantage are racers who make their runs with no alternator and rely on battery power only. Hotter juice to the coil and no dead battery when you get back to the pits.

 

[dukeboy440]

what all is needed and how hard is it to convert to 16 volt. Is it worth it. My 12 volt system with 95 amp alternated will only charge at 12 volts so the battery is dead by the end of the day. Or is it possible to have alternater amperage increased.

They make much higher amperage alternators, I've seen as high as 240 amp ones being used