Need to buy an alternator and fresh batteries so I was wondering about upgrading to 16 volt. Bracket car with typical electric waterpump/fans/fuel pump ect ....


From what I've read everything kinda works better with 16 volts, only downside seems to cost.

Worth the expense ????

I went to the 16 volt system last year and I like it. You can buy the regulator on Ebay to convert your 12 volt alternator to 16 volt.
For me my old alternator would not fit in my new dragster chassis so I decided it would be a good time to convert to 16 volt and went with smaller alternator. I bought the XS power batter and matching charger and most everyone that I talked to said to make sure you get their charger.

Also GoLithium 16 volt batteries is a good way to save about 35 Lbs if you need to do that. May kill two birds with one stone.

Now the 16 volt does spin it over faster but I do not know that the reserve is as much? Fans and water pump works better motor cools better. Overall good deal and worth while.

If you are buying an alternator buy Powermaster with the adjustable regulator so if you have battery failure and can only come up with a 12 volt one you can back off regulator and keep on going.

16 volt all the way. This is the seventh season on my XS Power battery. It might quit tomorrow but it owes me nothing. I will buy another to replace it.

East Coast 16 volt alternator and the only step down I have goes to my water pump. It was spinning the pump so fast that it was cavitating.

I can pull a trailer battery and replace it and cut the belt if I have to in order to get me by if it quits. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Oh, you can buy the big charger but I never use mine. It's a spare. I use an Autometer 16 volt maintainer all the time. They have a newer design out than mine which might even be better.

Over 12 years running 16v, would never run 12v again. Turbo Start battery and House of Payne 16v alternator
BB JMO

I installed a twist lock plug in the side panel of the trunk for a 12v connection. With the master switch off I can run the fans and waterpump on 12 v while charging the 16 v after the run. Doing nothing more than switch off and plug in, and it powers all the electronics as well, you can download your computer, change delay box settings, shift timers, etc.

There hasn't been a good argument here about this for a while. Likely will stay civil considering who is not here though.

Is the 12V causing you problems? Is the extra cost buying you something you want or need? If the car starts fine now, will it start finer? Will everything else work finer?
Honestly I have considered 16V and may go that route some day. Right now I have two 21 lb deka batteries in the nose of the dragster that really seem to do a good job and have not let me down yet. Cost wise, this combo has been hard for me to beat. Mine is not the hardest car around to start though.

This has been debated for several years and during that time I have never heard anyone say that after changing to a 16 volt system they were unhappy with the results.

Just sayin'

Bob

With a 16 volt system you can get away with little things that you may not with a 12v system, mainly voltage loss from connections not up to par, bad ground paths etc. But one thing you should know, a 16 volt battery with 15 volts is as dead as an 12 volt battery with 11 volts!

I run a 12v setup with no issues so I see no reason to switch. The only reason I would switch to a 16v setup would be if I decided to run with no alternator.

I have an East Coast super mini alternator (pn 2006). It is 16V 120A. I'll make you a deal if you're interested.

quote:

a 16 volt battery with 15 volts is as dead as an 12 volt battery with 11 volts!

Actually that is incorrect. a 16 volt at 15 volts is DEAD. a 12 volt at 10 volts will still turn a car over lol.

I am certainly a 16 volt guy, but you DON'T want to let it run low. Obviously an alternator takes care of that.

We run the Altronics Lithium Pro 16v for the past 4 years and love them.

SL...

I can't see switching if your 12 volt now and on alternator.

To me your putting yourself in a corner of something last minute goes wrong. Any track likely has a 12v battery store within 5 miles in an emergency. Or one could be borrowed easily at the track.

I don't imagine one shred of consistency is gained over a good 12v system and alternator combo.

No alternator and that is a different story. But why would anyone bracket racing do that? Whole different debate...

I have been running a 16V system for 12 years. When the battery falls below 16V, it doesn't give any warning, it dies. It spins the motor over really fast, but if your floats stick you can hydraulic the motor from how fast it turns. As said, if you have a 12V system why change?

!2 would spin motor in car ok. Went to 16 and sounds like its twice as fast and since I run a mag it made cold starts lot easier, I have fired car half dozen time and showed ni sign for battery dropping any. This is injected with mag and a non tuned system, Well non tuned till after all those fire ups.

I run a 3 terminal (Lifeline) 16 volt battery w/an alt.The only thing on 16 is the starter,I run 2 cables one to the starter,one to the main panel for everything else.Can run all weekend w/o charging and the elec. system likes it better that way.

I agree with others, anything sbc and less than 500 bbc I don’t see the need for 16v and all that goes with it. MSD ignition will run 100% on as little as 9 volts.

I don't know what all goes with it. I took 2 12v batteries out and installed 2 16v batteries. I don't have an alternator. Its a small block 406 and cranks over a heck of a lot better on 16v. My new charger has 12 and 16v so my tow vehicle batteries will do in a pinch if necessary. Now that i have tried them i don't see me going back to 12v. I do see me somehow trying to add an alternator in the future.

16 volt . Done .

alternators are for street cars

C'mon Rusty, alternators are used on race cars that make 35 laps a weekend...not top dragsters that make 35 laps in 6 months...

Seriously, today's big money bracket cars may not hit the chargers after 6th or 7th round being double teched...the use of which a battery in a TD will never see.

I guess it could be a matter of opinion...I have alternators on every race car we have...every one of them 16V.