http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NISMO...86859134QQrdZ1

Is this worth buying, What i mean does it do anything performance wise, or just make my engine look pretty...

Also is there different quality between brands, or are they all the same pretty much.

 

Those arent made by nismo.

 

I know, but thats not what i am asking

 

I say they are worth it. It doesn't help with performance. If it does, it's unnoticable. I've seen it in a few cars, helped my brother install a kit in his, and ordering a set for myself this week. As you may or may not know already, the factory grounding is sufficient, but not optimal.

Lets say for instance, you have your head lights on and you decide to open all your windows up. When you hit the window switches, you notice a slight dimming of all your lights until you release the switch. Another case is when someone is running a high powered stereo system. Everytime the sub-woofer hits, the lights dim slightly through out the car. A grounding kit eliminates this completely.

It may not give power gains, but it does improve the car in a way. Alot of diff kits out there for you to try. Prices range from $10-up. The kit you are pointing to, I've never seen at work, but I have heard good things about the kits sold by Active Tuning and Matt Blehm. A bit more expensive than the ones you usually see on Ebay for 10 bucks. It's up to you really. I think any extra grounding on top of the factory would be an improvement. Even if you go with the cheap Ebay ones.

 

oh I was just letting you know because you asked about the brands.

 

I just started looking, I want red wires, and figured a genaric e-bay would be fine...

I could care less if it has a namebrand on it...

 

You could always make it your self like using 4awg wire, if your crafty

Oh ya, that kit is 30 bucks, i would spend the extra 15 and get a kit from Matt Blehm like 99Automagic said

 

To me - that means they are NOT worth it.

 

It helps "electrical" performance.

 

does nothing else but make your engine bay colorful.

 

Nah man. It does help with the over all electrical flow. That feeling of the engine slowing down when the battery is crying out cause it is being drained from the extra demand in power when you use multiple electrical devices, will be a thing of the past. It may not show power gains per say, but the grounding kit will make sure all your electrical devices, including your ECU, are receiving the optimal current at all times. In turn, the whole car will run smoother.

And you can choose to make it colorful if you wish, but you can also choose clear or doo doo brown if pretty looking wires makes no difference to you.

 

http://mattblehm.com/enginegrounding.htm

 

ever looked at the stock grounds? they are painted.... which is no good for electrical.

 

thanks for the help guys, i think i am goint to build my own, and was just looking for your opinion on this mod...

Any advice, Wire size, grounding points, amount/color of wire, dist. block, solder?...

 

forget the ground kit, get an optima yellow top and call it a much happier day. Even with my ground kit i got horrible dimage from my stereo even the window switches dimmed my interior lights.

optima yellow top later my HIDS dont dim at all from my bass, and i havnt seen any interior dimming. a QUALITY battery.

 

I got a grounding Kit about a month ago. Just as some other org members said, the grounding kit definetely ensures that the ECU and all electrical parts are working properly. The factory ground points are not sufficient for the cars today and the amount of power it consumes.

 

http://www.vqpower.com/v2/modules.ph...rticle&sid=149

Read This.


VQPower just did a review on the Active Tuning Grounding Kit. I ordered this earlier this week and got it in the mail today. Installed it in about an hour or so. It would have been a shorter install but I ran into a minor problem. The connector on my battery cable is diff from the one pictured in Active Tuning's installation instructions they have on their web site. So the cable for the battery ground was too short to accomplish what was directed. I ran it from a diff point. Turns out that VQPower had the same prob and ended up doing the same thing I did. You can see where they routed the ground in their pics.


Over all impression is exactly the same as what VQPower mentions in their review.
Smoother idle, stronger start, my autotragic feels more alive, and the acceleration seems a bit better.


For $40, I think it was money well spent. If you have a auto tranny, I believe this is a must have.

 

Maybe a stupid and/or irrelevant question, but can this reduce alternator whine with an aftermarket audio setup? Just wondering.

 

Alternator whine, as in a sound that comes from the alternator itself, or the whine that comes through your speakers? If you hear it from under the hood, the bearings on your alternator is worn. If you hear it through your speakers, it has something to do with where the power wire to the amp was ran, or not being well shielded from an electro magnetic source.

I have not seen grounding kits help audio systems in the area of sound quality. It helps with the lights dimming when the base hits.

 

8 gauge, multi stranded wire such as audio power wires; all the factory gound points or things that are electrical; i used about 30' of red; you dont need a block but it would be easier to use one; you should solder the terminals on then shrink tube or tape to protect the connection.

 

actually, its not the power wire, it would be the RCAs ran from the stereo to the amp, if they are run next to the power line, especially in the 4 channel amp install, and you use cheaper RCAs, you pick up engine noise through the power wire into the RCAs, which give you engine noise through the speakers. Run your RCA cables on the other side of the car.

 

I stand corrected. I knew it was one of those wires being ran to the back.

 

im going to be honest that is a waste of money because. For one when you are grounding those wires to your engine bay thats not really bare metal which wont give you a good ground Its like aluminum or something. But in anycase. UPGRADE the FACTORY GROUNDS ON YOUR CAR. I upgraded my grounds sanded down the areas that connected to the negative terminal on the battery. All you need to do is buy a GOOD Ground battery terminal for direct plugin for 1 - 4 gauge and 1 - 0 gauge wire. Im doing it to sterlingmaximas car for him as soon as he gets the battery terminal. Ill take pics for you guys its such an incredible improvement. Gives you like 30hp Lol j/k. But it really improves your headlights. And if you have a system in your car youll notice your lights wont dimm nearly as much.

 

Read my earlier post. The improvements I saw with the grounding it, I can't say that it was a waste of money. And the grounding points are actually bare metal. The directions specified that you ground out the contact points so you get a clean, metal to metal contact.

 

Ill be looking for your posts with pics, i am going to do this soon too, as it is a fairly cheep mod.

Thanks guys

 

anythings better than his alternator

 

lol but remember a 16 volt alternator will allow more bass . But when u said about soldering i hate to say that will make the worst connection when using a crimp ring : ) . All you have to do is put the connector in the ring and make sure its on a flat ground like cement. and smack it with a hammer. That will indeed be a much better contact than solder. Im still laughing at the fact that sterlingmaxima actually was looking for a product called "Gold solder" lol because the solder wouldnt stick to the CRIMP ring. I was like this kids on crack . But the hammer technique is definatly the way to go unless u have some 4 gauge crimpers