Curious...how many racers run an alternator?

You can think about this with an easy 10:1 ratio. The system should run at 13.5--14V charging. The battery is less than 12 with a load on running

Imagine this in terms of 120VAC. If your appliances were down to 100V or less they would not perform very well.

In other words a 2V change in a 12V system is as bad as a 20V change in your 120V system