85 Amp alternator a good idea?

[rover1]

my 318i "e30" alternator cannot keep up  im running spall fan, electric fuel pump, h4's, hella 5000 fog lights, megajolt. my system is at about 12.9 volts reguardless of engine RPM turn most of it off 14.0 volts? i need a more powerfull alternator.

[Rocan]

85 amp alternator from BNR... find it on ebay. Excellent service, no questions asked warranty. 

 

I drive my car 40 miles a day every day, winter and summer, and having the extra juice is fantastic. I can have everything on full blast without any dimming at all and the engine runs better with a nice fat charge. Especially for short trip/city cars in the winter the bigger alternator is a must. 

[bnam]

Has anyone measured the difference in hp consumption between the various alternator outputs?  How much more does the 55, 85, 130 etc consume?

[Harv]

Goes up with load.

John

[TobyB]

Better get 85 amp wiring (130 amp, whatever)

 

to go with it.

 

Old threads, ftw.

 

btw.

 

fwiw

 

t

[Kidasters]

Toby makes a good point.  When I went to the bigger alt, I added additional wiring to be able to get all that juice back to the battery (in the trunk) without melting anything.

 

Wow - this is an old thread.

[Rocan]

jeez toby, good catch. 

 

FWIW the BnR alternator includes a new lead that you attach directly to the battery + terminal. Tape off the end of the original connection and tuck it away. that way all the extra juice goes straight to the battery and no risk of making your car smell like a british car with lucas electrics