What are you folks using for a high outout alternator in your hotrods?

[71Demon540]

Disconnecting it before the run is a great idea! I think the best words are "elegant solution". I've spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to disconnect the alternator using the kill switch.

I’ve heard of people wiring theirs to not use them while running down the track trying for every last bit of HP, however, keeping the battery full is going to outweigh the extra couple HP to spin the alternator. Especially with a 12v system. I know people who have disconnected them at the track to see if it was any faster, and actually it had the opposite effect, it went .01-.03 slower. That was my experience with it at least.

But if you wanted to, you could run the wire into the car and make a mount with a disconnect switch, and turn the alternator off in the driver seat before a run. Close friend of mine has a separate disconnect switch for his alternator because we had an issue once with the alternator draining the battery from sitting. Since race cars use the positive side to kill the power on the disconnect switch. The alternator can show a slight drain on the battery over time.

 

[MOPARMAGA]

I thought I was going to be cool and buy a 75 amp 1 wire until I figured out it put out 7 amps at idle.
I'm trying to keep my program simple.
That means, no generator, jump box , stuff like that...I can't afford it anyways.
So I now have a 165 amp or 135 amp1 wire that will charge my **** up lol. (Now I can't remember which one I have..duh)

 

[Jeremiah (jd)]

I agree on the simplicity aspect and don't care to listen to a generator run between passes. For now I'm staying the course due to all of my cars using identical charging system components.

 

[B3422w5]

These alternator threads seem to have the same overkill mindset( in my opinion) as fuel pump posts.
People forget the factory alternators were 37 amps on these cars.
I had kinda forgotten, but my 70 Duster I owned for years( 9 sec W5 street strip car that was a ticket printer at the track) ran the stock 37 amp alternator.
I remember making the solid decision at auto zone to get a lifetime warranty the first time I bought a new alternator. It proved wise, probably spit out 6 or 7 of them over the years, generally in the water box.
That car was semi typical, electric fan and water pump, electric fuel pump, MSD stuff, transbrake, working lights, taillights etc, etc, etc.
Somehow it worked great for years and years.

 

[66Valiant528]

Close friend of mine has a separate disconnect switch for his alternator because we had an issue once with the alternator draining the battery from sitting. Since race cars use the positive side to kill the power on the disconnect switch. The alternator can show a slight drain on the battery over time.

Keep in mind a self exciting alternator (1 wire) is always live and drawing a small amount of juice. This is the VR) If left alone it will kill your battery without a shut off switch.

 

[tvt59]

I’ve heard of people wiring theirs to not use them while running down the track trying for every last bit of HP, however, keeping the battery full is going to outweigh the extra couple HP to spin the alternator. Especially with a 12v system. I know people who have disconnected them at the track to see if it was any faster, and actually it had the opposite effect, it went .01-.03 slower. That was my experience with it at least.

But if you wanted to, you could run the wire into the car and make a mount with a disconnect switch, and turn the alternator off in the driver seat before a run. Close friend of mine has a separate disconnect switch for his alternator because we had an issue once with the alternator draining the battery from sitting. Since race cars use the positive side to kill the power on the disconnect switch. The alternator can show a slight drain on the battery over time.

I have a micro switch on the carb with a normally closed relay wired in, at WOT it turns the alt off. I don't do it for speed I do it for consistency. We braket race and we double enter at pretty much every race. Lots of times we don't even stop at the trailer before we go back to staging. So with the battery at different states of charge it effects how much power it takes to spin the alt. It's not much. But in the current state of braket racing .0001 can mean the difference between winning and losing.