I need advice on what alternator I should get. I dont have any fancy audio, just an aftermarket deck and speakers, no subs or amps. I want my car to run as required but I dont want to rob the engine of power with a big hefty one. What brands are good? Also, what amperage should I go with? Is 100 the baseline? Any info would help alot! Thanks!

 

Stock replacement should be fine.

 

stock huh? arent there some that supposedly free up a lil bit of power? i plan to put it on an engine im building up for street/strip pro performance. specs unknown this early on tho.

 

No, not really.

 

You could underdrive it with a bigger pulley, or shrink the crank pulley. March has pulley setups. I say this because that's basically how you "save HP" with your accessories.
I don't recommend it. That's how to get HP on an engine that's producing the absolute max possible already and you're trying to squeeze an extra few (2-5HP) out of it. *cough r|cers cough*. On your car theres a lot better places to spend the cash to get more HP for less money and with less negative effects

 

wow only 2-5 huh? well thanks for the info bro!

 

You can easily turn the pulley on an alternator by hand with little resistance. The load it puts on the engine comes from the electrical load of the systems it's powering. You can reduce the amount of power the alternator uses by reducing the demands of the electrical system, or by underpowering the electrical system (which is what underdrive pulleys do).