[Honkeytonk Monkey]

NOS2Go4Me,Apr 20 2005, 10:23 PM Wrote:That's a good idea. Where can we get better-than-stock alternators for the Focus?

For almost all applications, the stock alternator on the Focus is more than adequate. I've driven vehicles with sub 100A alternators that handles 1000+ watt systems. Our alternators are not a weak link, but the wires under our hoods are. If you're using a 1/0 guage power cable, and an 8 guage wire for your battery ground, you have a huge bottleneck.

Go buy some bulk runs or 1/0AWG welding cable, it's really cheap. It has a thick sleeve and it's copper, the only things you need to worry about with power wire. Buy some beefy ends and clap them on, then go through your wiring under the hood and replace your ground, your engine/chassis ground, and your main alternator power cable with the bigger wire. Now welding cable uses a low strand count so it's not overly flexible, but it really doesn't need to be for this application so it's perfect and the price is right. Run the cable to the ass of the car The end result is better current flow to and from the battery and alternator, making the purchase of a cap pointless.

Think about it, if you add a cap to the system, it needs charging. What charges that cap? Your alternator. In the end, the cap is just another strain on the whole system.

As for beefier alternators, and Optima batteries. If it's time for a replacement because the old one is shot, or you want the battery as aa partial aesthetic mod, then by all means it's never a bad Iidea to upgrade. But until then, stock equipment in our case is more than adequate.