I know that there are the Blehmco kits the BuddyClub kits the ones by Stillen, AEM, HKS etc etc etc..... Anyway, are they all the same? I cant see why they go anywhere from 80 bucks to 200!!!! Ive been looking at the one from www.buddyclub.us and it seems reasonable priced and donesnt look like crap. Anyway, just looking for insight.

 

heres the direct link, as its a little hard to locate on the site. Its at the bottom of this page..

http://www.buddyclub.us/buddyclub/top_m.html

Also, the MSRP is $198 but I found it for $139 at www.robearracing.com

 

Yes, they are all the same for the most part. You want a higher strand count to better electron flow. In all honesty, you can make the kit yourself using 1/0 GA wire for around $30 that will work infinitley better than a 4-GA kit. You can get some really nice 1/0 from weldingsupply.com.

 

I wouldnt even know where to begin on that. I like the ease of just buying and installing. I hate putting parts together. I would have already bought one of those brake caliper kits from whats-his-name on here if it all came in one kit and you didnt have to contact a hundred different people for parts.

 

With all due respect, don't be so lazy as to provide a website and no link to the item.

That stuff you are looking at 4 gauge TRASH that looks pretty. It does not even ground the most important spots!

Dude, do it yourself. All you have to do is cut the wire and add crimps...plus you can ground many more points

 

How did I not provide a link to the item???

Are there any write ups on this as far as how-to's? I dont even know what points to ground. I also dont want to get some wire from x-company and make the engine bay look like i drug it through the local metal recycling plant.

 

I'll get you all the links you need shortly.

 

..........

 

just clean up your stock grounding points.

 

...

 

Please explain those comments in real, bonafide technical terms.

What are these "important spots" in your opinion, and why are they significant to a properly running engine?
Why would grounding more points be more beneficial?
Why is a 1/0awg wire better than a 4awg or 8awg wire in these conditions?

 

... but im just gonna wait to see those links he comes up with.

 

Me too.. I'd like to see who's spouting crap so I can eliminate the source of the blatant BS.

 

The most important spots in a grounding kit for an automobile consist of the coveted "Big 3" which include:
(1) Battery Negative to Chassis - gives the current a larger path to flow through to get back to the battery.
(2) Alternator to batter positive - works in conjuction with step 1 to allow for a more complete circut between the battery chassis and alternator
(3) Chassis to engine - further completes the circut as described in items 1 & 2 as to increase to total path of the circut and a more complete electron flow.

More nodes on the path = lower total resistance for the circut thereby increasing electron flow.

Larger wire = more strands = increased handling capability of the circut.

As far as the actual cable is concerned, Click here, and in the search menu type in CABLE, and click ALL. Hit search. There you will find a variety of cable gauges including 1/0 for $1.65 per foot in a variety of colors.

Here is a how to for a complete max grounding kit, DIY

Now, last but not least - Matt, I noticed in your sig that you sell grounding kits. There would not be an alterior motive for chiming here, huh?

 

So whats your opinion on the ground wires???

 

I am guessing he likes them, he has in his sig that he sells them.

 

That didnt work.

Oh and Matt sells the Blehmco kits I spoke of.

 

Also, that link on the how to says to use 6ga wire. God the deeper I go the more confused I get. Can I get some hard facts??? at all???

 

1. Sure.
2. not applicable to a ground kit. minor improvements, if any, unless you're running a HUGE stereo. For daily driving, you're not goign to see any improvements at all.
3. Sure.
4. You've missed many key points on the engine. Ground kits aren't to increase current capacity of the system- the alternator can only put out roughly 100A (give or take a few based on individual car, year, options, etc. 3gen GXEs have a 95A alternator. 5th gens have roughly 135, IIRC)
Tell me how electron flow equates to horsepower. Specifically, tell me how grounding your intake manifold and throttle body will help make power. Use those two particular points (because the link below has them shown) and explain in technical terms how that benefits the cause.
Please tell me what "increased handling capacity of the circuit" means. So the engine can flow more current now?

FYI, I know all of the correct answers to this, but I'd like to see your input because you seem to be against the design of my kits. I'd like to know what you think before I tell you why I did what I did.

Thanks for the link... I've bought cable from them in the past, but you can usually buy it cheaper locally. Last time I bought 1/0 cable for my welders, I paid $1.10 a foot for it.

Nice. But blanket grounds just cover everything in the engine and don't actually target the issues.. kinda like banning ALL guns in the country because a few criminals are shooting people. (another controversial issue, but you get my point.)

My reason for chiming in was because you blasted my kits, and I'm here to show you why it's not just another hack job like the Stillen/HKS/Courtesy/ebay/blanket ground kits are... and to also dispell the myths that you need 1/0 wire on them.

 

I'm spent. Get the kits from Matt or Blehmco. I tried.

 

.......Same person. Or place, or whatever you want to say.


And WOW, that just erupted there for a minute. Anybody got a "one line answer" for my question on who make the best quality? Trust me, Im not going to buy just a bunch of wires and be an electrician for a day. I want a kit, and I want it to look like it belongs in my bay.

 

Would you consider an Eclipse 5435 H/U, and Arc 4150XXK and some Rainbow Profi's qualify for this? I know one of my concearns for getting a grounding kit is because of my stereo. I dont want any stray voltage.

 

My opinion.... my ground kit for $50 will do the same thing everyone else's $200 kit will do, if not do it better because it's actualyl designed to fit the car.

but don't take my word for it. read some of the comments in the last GD I did on them: http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=376292


As for the stereo, looks like a small and simple, but very high quality system. quality is good, but the stuff we're concerned about here is quantity. Sure, beefing up your alternator wiring is a good idea, but IMO you don't really NEED to, even when you're running 1000W+. (mine is a 2500W RMS system using all PPI stuff. fuse at the battery is 350A, and I'm still running the factory alternator wiring with no problems).

Reducing noise on the ground path is good for any system though, as I had some small problems with alternator whine before my ground kit. afterwards, it was gone. I've heard the same thing from a few other people, but I certainly won't say it will cure a ground loop problem..

 

What do they actually look like installed? I was pretty settled on that BuddyClub one (Not too hyped about the name) But it looks like it includes everything and has a nice appearance.

 

Mine is pretty sealth, if that's what you're going for.
if you want it to be nearly invisible, then order it in soled black, and run the grounds under the factory harnesses.

want it flashy? buy red or blue and mount it on top of the harness..

 

Id probably go with the black. What do they run? Also, is it just the wires or does it come with the condenser box like some of the other places, such as the BuddyClub one?

 

the 5th gen kits are $50, shipped. will take me a day or two to build, but should be there a few days after that.
mine is just the wires, as you use a factory grounding point for the main connection. it's hidden and very clean.

 

got any pics of it all installed? No color preference.

 

so.

has anyone done a before and after dyno?

did the nissan engineers build a car with crappy grounds and then not choose to fix them for 7 years?

just curious...

 

bump for pics...?

 

M-N, there's a few pics on my website of the VE installed, and a few on my Altima as well.. Neither is as clean as the VQ install though. I don't post pics of the installed kits online simply because it's too easy for cheap 1@#)(!$ to copy my work.

Torgus, Nissan engineers designed the car with costs and convenience in mind. If they wanted more performance, they could do many many things with the car to tweak a few more HP out of it from the factory, but it comes down to a cost issue. $0.0005/foot for 24awg wire to run a sensor, or $0.50 a foot for 8 awg wire that weighs more and is much harder to install and terminate.

 

I was blasting spending $80 to $200 for the kit. No where did I make a personal attack on your kits.

 

Wow, he came back like a thief in the night at 6:54 am..... LoL

 

Ever consider that fact that some of us have to be at work @ 6am?

 

http://www.courtesyparts.com/Merchan..._Code=GRND-A33

grounding kit can be found at this link above

http://groups.msn.com/Bretts2K2Maxim...ox.msnw?Page=1

How to can be found at this link above

 

Cheer up! I was only joking! Trust me, I have to be in here @ 7am, so I know about getting up early. It just looked funny, thats all.

 

Thanks! But isnt that basicly the same kit that Matt sells?

 

really?


Cause it sounds like an attack on my stuff to me. :shrug:

 

It was never intended to be that.

 

Matt,
If I am wrong here, please correct me.

The whole purpose of a grounding kit (at least in the case of car audio) is to protect against voltage drops. During transient state (voltage drops) your alternator kicks in to provide the additional electrons the electrical system needs. By increasing the total length of the circut (more ground wire/points)you thereby increase the total electron flow availible to the car...as to better safeguard against the voltage drop. Of course, this is limited by the capacity of the alternator, which would dictate the useage of either 8, 4, or 1/0 AWG. In retrospect, you are probably right in saying that the 4 AWG will do since the alternator probably won't provide more juice than a 4AWG could handle.

This is why a bigger kit is better, IMHO.