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grounding kits, are they worth the money?

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Old 11-11-2010, 05:44 AM
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grounding kits, are they worth the money?

hey quick question, I'm looking into these grounding kits that are for sale on here and i was wondering if anybody has had this installed this in their max and actually saw some results? do you guys think that its worth the money for these or no? if it makes any difference i have a 5.5 6 speed. any input is better than my own, thanks
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Old 11-11-2010, 08:10 AM
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I just got one. I say go for it!
I have a 5.5 6 speed and the ground kit helped my headlight shine brighter, the cars idal is smoother, and starts up stronger then ever!
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Old 11-11-2010, 08:52 AM
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I'd say so, especially since its a minor price for a minor mod. I built mine about a year ago (Big 3 plus both heads) and when I installed it I noticed a smoother idle and slightly quicker response. Plus with imports and their notoriously bad grounds and electronic component's aversion to bad grounds I'd say a grounding kit is cheap preventative maintenance.
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Old 11-11-2010, 09:03 AM
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Put one on my 4th gen. Def. helped with a starting issue I had and also made my lights brighter. At first I thought it was a just me, but even my better half noticed the change.
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Old 11-11-2010, 09:26 AM
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I recently installed a kit on my 5.5 AT that I purchased from shinjiduo. It definitely made a noticeable difference in the way the car shifts---much smoother and crisper while accelerating and braking (reduced hesitation). My headlights, which still have the factory HID bulbs, are also slightly brighter. I'd say go for it...the kit is inexpensive and it improves the driveability of the car. But you should check out the sellers' original thread for comments from fellow 6spd owners: http://forums.maxima.org/5th-generat...round-kit.html

Last edited by lake985; 11-11-2010 at 09:29 AM.
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Old 11-11-2010, 10:00 AM
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Originally Posted by lake985
It definitely made a noticeable difference in the way the car shifts---much smoother and crisper while accelerating and braking (reduced hesitation).
x2 - My tranny shifts much better, has less hesitation and the power windows are much stronger!
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Old 11-11-2010, 11:08 AM
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sounds like its a done deal, thanks for the input guys! how much should i be looking to spend and would you recommend the ones that are for sale in the classifieds?
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Old 11-11-2010, 11:12 AM
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Originally Posted by jonnypax09
sounds like its a done deal, thanks for the input guys! how much should i be looking to spend and would you recommend the ones that are for sale in the classifieds?
yes buy from him. he has great cs skills for sure.

here is his link
http://forums.maxima.org/5th-generat...round-kit.html
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Old 11-11-2010, 11:22 AM
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I made my own. Even with buying the bulky crimper for the brass grommets it was still under $40. I only Saved 10, but the crimpers are what put it over the top, something like $14 just for the tool. I really liked them and have used them since. The best part was that I was able to make all my lengths custom, so it was more satisfying then saving the $10.

That said, I didn't expect much from a mod like this, but wow, improvements all over the car. Lights, windows, startup...even the stereo sounded much better, (with added Sub before grounding kit was installed)

The custom kits are a good deal even at $50. If you don't want to waste time, just get one of them and bolt it right on. Takes mabye 30 minutes.
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Old 11-11-2010, 04:53 PM
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unless your car is old and the copper has oxidized, it makes no difference. that said, its cheap and you can't hurt anything so why the heck not?
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Old 11-11-2010, 11:10 PM
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Originally Posted by crypticsaga
You'll get to 25 soon enough lol.


Of say go with a higher gauge high strand count quality copper wire and do it on your own. Mine is out of 0 gauge and the same results as above.
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Old 11-12-2010, 03:55 AM
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Originally Posted by PGT
unless your car is old and the copper has oxidized, it makes no difference. that said, its cheap and you can't hurt anything so why the heck not?
Wait, you actually posted this in the 5th gen section which means every single car in there has at least 7 years of service...

=)

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Old 11-12-2010, 08:30 AM
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Originally Posted by Cant_Get_Ryte
Of say go with a higher gauge high strand count quality copper wire and do it on your own. Mine is out of 0 gauge and the same results as above.
Same here but with 4 gauge welding cable. Figured it's better than what was in there stock plus the cable I used is heat, oil and abrasion resistant. Not to mention the cable tends to be a bit more flexible and conductive than an equivalent cable.
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Old 11-12-2010, 09:25 AM
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I guess I messed up my kit from Shinjiduo? The bolt on the battery wasn't long enough to attach the ground wire from the headlamps, so that wire is currently just chillin' on the metal, adding resistance to my electrical system.

I can't remember the other things that got grounded, but nothing changed for me in my six-speed. I'd recommend replacing existing wiring with nice, heavy gauge wire like they sell in the kits.
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Old 11-12-2010, 02:15 PM
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Originally Posted by j23a45m9
I just got one. I say go for it!
I have a 5.5 6 speed and the ground kit helped my headlight shine brighter, the cars idal is smoother, and starts up stronger then ever!

i got a 5.5 6speed to with a grounding kit...didnt help me at all lolll didnt notice anything different...
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Old 11-12-2010, 04:21 PM
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Grounding kits are those things that some folks swear by and others call Snake Oil.
I don't think there is any proof that they do anything except by what you would call the butt dyno.
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Old 11-12-2010, 07:59 PM
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I'm not sure about the 5.5's, as I haven't put a set on mine yet, but I did notice a noticable difference in my 4th gen. The stock grounding points weren't in the best condition, so when I added my own ground kit, I noticed less light dimming when turning on accessories (such as the rear defrost), and prolonged life of the starter....since 4th gens love to burn those out.
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Old 11-12-2010, 10:06 PM
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Originally Posted by TLMNICK
and prolonged life of the starter....since 4th gens love to burn those out.
So do 5th gens, and 2nd and 3rd gen Altimas, and just about all Nissan products from 1995 to 2004, maybe even later.
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Old 11-12-2010, 10:26 PM
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I installed the RL grounding kit on my 3rd gen Altima. The only noticable improvement for me was: improved look of the engine bay, and better stereo reception. There may be other improvements but I couldn't tell.
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Old 11-12-2010, 11:14 PM
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Shinjiduo's kit is really good, too bad my messed up maf sensor screwed things up but I felt quicker acceleration and quicker starts.
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Old 11-12-2010, 11:18 PM
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go for it.

As far as grounding kits go. If u spend over $30 your being silly and wasting ur money. honestly hit up ebay they are like $25 shipped all day everyday:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/UNIVE...item588acadcda
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Old 11-12-2010, 11:21 PM
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Originally Posted by trooplewis
Grounding kits are those things that some folks swear by and others call Snake Oil.
I don't think there is any proof that they do anything except by what you would call the butt dyno.
If your stock grounds are in good shape then they dont do a thing. but if they are alittle worn, and if your running HIDs and have a system etc they help with light dimming and random misc. Its the reason why older car benefit from them so much.
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Old 11-13-2010, 12:17 AM
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man seems to be a hit or miss with this kit huh? some say that they like it others say that there is no point besides a better look to the engine bay ha. i cant say i really know what to do here. not to shift the topic of this thread but ii was looking into the nwp engine torque link brace too which is a little more expensive but these are the two upgrades that are on my radar at the moment and im having a pretty hard time deciding which one to go with here
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Old 11-13-2010, 12:20 AM
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Originally Posted by 2000_MAXIMA_KING
Shinjiduo's kit is really good, too bad my messed up maf sensor screwed things up but I felt quicker acceleration and quicker starts.
Originally Posted by maxima dude
i got a 5.5 6speed to with a grounding kit...didnt help me at all lolll didnt notice anything different...
that what sucks this right here is holding me up hah
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Old 11-13-2010, 04:34 AM
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Well, if the stock grounding is still working as it did when it left the factory, no, you won't notice a difference.

If it isn't, then you will.

Seriously, what are you expecting?
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Old 11-13-2010, 01:10 PM
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Originally Posted by SteveB123

Seriously, what are you expecting?
i dont know what to expect thats why im asking others on here to see if they noticed any advantages after installing the kit. if they did what were they. for example this is why i post, some people say they see advantages and some dont:

Originally Posted by trooplewis
Grounding kits are those things that some folks swear by and others call Snake Oil.
I don't think there is any proof that they do anything except by what you would call the butt dyno.
Originally Posted by TLMNICK
I'm not sure about the 5.5's, as I haven't put a set on mine yet, but I did notice a noticable difference in my 4th gen. The stock grounding points weren't in the best condition, so when I added my own ground kit, I noticed less light dimming when turning on accessories (such as the rear defrost), and prolonged life of the starter....since 4th gens love to burn those out.
Originally Posted by 03Alt3.5Biz
I installed the RL grounding kit on my 3rd gen Altima. The only noticable improvement for me was: improved look of the engine bay, and better stereo reception. There may be other improvements but I couldn't tell.
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Old 11-13-2010, 03:14 PM
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Looks like two for two to me!

The guys that have an opinion, without actually trying them, don't really count, at least for me.

Better reception? Hell, I'd take that.
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Old 11-13-2010, 03:17 PM
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thanks for the opinion than
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Old 11-14-2010, 08:06 AM
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Originally Posted by PGT
unless your car is old and the copper has oxidized, it makes no difference. that said, its cheap and you can't hurt anything so why the heck not?
Our cars are old....
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