PA Performance Alt 130 or 200 amp

My alternator just died on me and I was looking at the PA Performance alternator. I have a 95 Cobra with the stock 130 amp alternator. Should I upgrade to the 200 amp alternator and if so is it necessary to upgrade the wiring for the 200 amp alternator. Are there other better alternator choices. Could anyone provide the pros and cons of upgrading to a 200 amp alternator. Help. Thanks[img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_frown.gif[/img]

Alternator is only going to supply the power necessary dependant on the load the entire electrical system is under. A modern car has a lot of electrical this and that which can add up quickly.

The answer will depend on what you have added to the car's electrical load and what you think you may add in the future. Things such as stereo equipment, higher ouput fuel pumps, etc. will start to tax the stock electrical system eventually.

So, stepping up to a 200 amp alt. will give you the ability to add on in the future.

The downside is that you can't make all that electrical power for free. It takes power to make power. One horsepower is roughly 750 watts give or take. At 13.5 volts times 130 amps you're talking 1755 watts of power. Thats about 2.3 horsepower. 200 amps is going to figure out to be about 3.6 horsepower. Keep in mind, though, that the alt. regulates its power output based on demand, so you're only going to loose the extra pony when you load the system up.
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I went with the 200 amp alt. because of stereo system and future upgrades. Peace