I'm thinking of switching to a 16v battery and will run an alternator... is it necessary to step anything down to 12?

we never did. Worked great. Make sure the alternator does not put out more than battery company recommends.

I run a 16 volt with alternator and I do not step down anything to 12 volts.

My water pump was cavitating. I stepped it down.

Same here 16V with an alternator for years and no step downs. We also have a car with a 16V lithium and no step downs. But that alternator is set up to be at 16.5 volts only due tot he lithium battery

Those that have switched is it worth the money? Can you allude to the advantages - not to hijack but it is all sorta related (pros/cons)

It was worth every penny to switch to a single 16 volt battery, I wish I had done it sooner. I had a 16 volt alternator built but I still run the larger pulley. I did not step down the voltage, I run everything at 16 volts, never had a problem.

Bob

quote:

Originally posted by ski_dwn_it:
Those that have switched is it worth the money? Can you allude to the advantages - not to hijack but it is all sorta related (pros/cons)

"Worth the Money?" Well it depends. It DOES spin motor over faster but it has less reserve meaning battery will go dead faster. 16 volt is sprinter, 12 volt Marathon. So in a way it is 6 of one and Half Dozen of the other. I do think the motor cools faster on 16 volts I guess because fan and water pump spin faster. But I run alcohol and never had cooling problem with 12 volt.

On my new car I probably stay 12 volt simply because it is there and not much difference. I think there are other places you can spend your money and get better return on it. Nothing wrong with 16 volt at all but do not expect much difference.

Long before go to 16 Volt I would go the 139 tooth flexplate starter deal. It spins motor faster and it is very hard to break a tooth off flex plate.

Switched my S/C pipe rack to 16volt battery and alternator. No issues, did not step down a thing. It also eliminated a charging worry at the track. New build is 16volt w/alternator. Not looking back.

quote:

Originally posted by maliciousintent:
Switched my S/C pipe rack to 16volt battery and alternator. No issues, did not step down a thing. It also eliminated a charging worry at the track. New build is 16volt w/alternator. Not looking back.

How does it eliminate a charging worry?

I also run an alternator and recommend it. One thing I have been running 16 volts for a while and have had two alternators fail.Lucky I caught it on my data logger before it let me down. I certainly would not trust a 16 volt system with out an alternator or charging between rounds.

Are you able to convert a 12v alternator to 16v?

YES! Sent ours to Mark at House of Payne performance.

I went from single 12V to a single 16V no alternator then added the 16V alternator down the road and never had to change any other electronic part. I will say, I love my XS D1600 battery and HOP alternator. I even run an electric fuel pump on gas so my fan is always on and I can usually charge once in the morning before first round and be good the rest of the day.

quote:

Originally posted by vega3410:
Are you able to convert a 12v alternator to 16v?

Most local starter alternator shops can do it and they sell the parts to do it cheap on Ebay if you want to convert it yourself.

Mark Payne @ House of Payne can be your biggest help with a 16v alternator.

I frequently go to a local circle track supply House for odds and ends. They have the go lithium series and they are amazingly light and with charger go 750 dollars.

The guy says they race all weekend without charging. Multiple events which I thought was pretty amazing without alternator.

Guess if your running without alternator it might make sense to use one or if your trying to save weight definitely.

I personally can't see the justification. My 12volt autozone special with alternator spins my 582 14:1 to start without issues. Grid timing retarded for easier spinning/starting with no kickback. Same flywheel for last 16 years.

Thanks for the info. Definitely have had the urge but can't find the justification.

I run a Eastcoast electric 16V 120 amp Alternator on my dragster

What voltage are you usually seeing with the alternator running? With efi I want to make sure I’m not going much over 18v for injector dead time considerations

19v-ish with engine running what I saw on my racepak.