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What does a Ground System do?

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Old Aug 17, 2005 | 07:30 AM
  #21  
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Originally Posted by Altimat
There is plenty of direct correlation. I put on a grounding kit and my VQ runs smoother and responds to the throttle quicker.
But its subjective and not objective or technical, like the snake oil story or any other psychological effect that makes people imagine things.

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Old Aug 17, 2005 | 07:38 AM
  #22  
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I did it for show.
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Old Aug 17, 2005 | 07:40 AM
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Originally Posted by spcemn_spiff
But its subjective and not objective or technical, like the snake oil story or any other psychological effect that makes people imagine things.

Yes thats true, and that part does bother me some too since I like real data, but I'm happy with the results and thats what really matters.
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Old Aug 17, 2005 | 08:37 AM
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Originally Posted by Altimat
Yes thats true, and that part does bother me some too since I like real data, but I'm happy with the results and thats what really matters.
...which is a smoother running engine, better throttle response, and it looks good. Justifyed my time.
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Old Aug 17, 2005 | 08:38 AM
  #25  
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I wonder has anyone else put this mod on a dyno.
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Old Aug 17, 2005 | 09:09 AM
  #26  
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How about the ones sold on ebay?
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Old Aug 17, 2005 | 09:18 AM
  #27  
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Originally Posted by Monsta
I wonder has anyone else put this mod on a dyno.
I don't think anybody has done it particularly for the 350Z, but they have in this article:

http://www.caraudiomag.com/testreports/0401cae_hyper

How about the ones sold on ebay?
Not sure what quality those ones are. How well the kit performs is dependant on the parts used. Thicker wire, better materials, better terminals, etc can all play a big part.

For example our kits use 4 gauge high-quality, high-strand (1666) 99.9% oxygen-free copper free wire which is high-temp/heat resistant, with gold-plated terminals which are double crimped, and the included nuts, bolts, and washers are all stainless steel so they will not rust over time. On top of that, the shorter the ground, the more effective it is. Ours are custom cut to size to fit specifically the 350Z...I think most of those kits on eBay are universal, so there could potentially be a lot of slack or not enough wire, etc.
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Old Aug 17, 2005 | 09:19 AM
  #28  
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Originally Posted by Monsta
I wonder has anyone else put this mod on a dyno.
Earlier in this thread, a dyno chart was posted.

Being an engineer though, I find that one suspect because it was a simple before and after run.

I did not see multiple dyno runs nor was it under the best of controlled conditions.

After reading all these posts, I at least understand WHAT this mode is all about, so thanks to all.

However, I can not help but feel that I am in the same discussion about whether high end speaker wires really make a difference.
I am the kind who spends $1.00/foot for quality 10 guage Radio Shack wire for my speakers and forgoes the $15 (and up) per foot for the 'magical' speaker wire.

Can you spell Monster brand

Last edited by tmb; Aug 17, 2005 at 09:23 AM.
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Old Aug 17, 2005 | 09:21 AM
  #29  
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If anyone has an old issue of Turbo Magazine April 03 they did dyno test and got out of 3 cars tested, the smallest gain was 5WHP and the largest 15WHP
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Old Aug 17, 2005 | 09:26 AM
  #30  
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Originally Posted by westpak
If anyone has an old issue of Turbo Magazine April 03 they did dyno test and got out of 3 cars tested, the smallest gain was 5WHP and the largest 15WHP
I'd love to see that if anybody has a scan?
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Old Aug 17, 2005 | 09:38 AM
  #31  
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I read somewhere that Nissan was aware of certain electronic inefficacies and compensated for it in the ECU. So the post I read indicated that a grounding kit on a Z actually made things worse in certain RPM ranges...

I would love to have this factoid confirmed or denied...
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Old Aug 17, 2005 | 09:45 AM
  #32  
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Originally Posted by Lawndart
I read somewhere that Nissan was aware of certain electronic inefficacies and compensated for it in the ECU. So the post I read indicated that a grounding kit on a Z actually made things worse in certain RPM ranges...

I would love to have this factoid confirmed or denied...
I don't see how having a better ground could make things worse in any way unless it was something else by coincidence.
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Old Aug 17, 2005 | 09:52 AM
  #33  
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Default Where are you getting this 0 to 5v

I have been away from serious electronics for a few years, but when I left 0.8vdc and below was always to be a low and 2.x vdc was high. I measured numberous digital chips that went from low to high (off to on) at 1.1 to 1.3 vdc. Have you ever attached a scope to a ground connection on anything?

Are you under the misconception that a digitial signal looks like this _-_--_---.
In the real world of digital electronics those high and low levels are anything but horizontal or strait.

Don't confuse my comments as supporting secondary grounds on automobiles as I do know when I don't know enough to give advice on something that can be as complicated as ground circuits in high frequency dc circuits. I do feel that for there to be significant gains there would have to be a fault in the base ground; that connections, ground or other, deteriate over time;
that using the unibody for ground path is marginal for anything more complicated than a relay; and that these gound kits might be worth installing.

Now that I think of it, the experts have data that proves I don't need to change my oil every 4k miles and I do it anyway. Could perseption really be reality.

Originally Posted by spcemn_spiff
That link doesnt discuss anything about fundamentals of digital circuits and affect of voltage spikes in them. A 1V output changed to 2V doesnt make a difference in the reading of the signal. Theoretically 0-5V is treated as a 0. So a little variation is not a big problem. The link talks about physics of electricity (atomic level), battery and alternator. Battery and alternator are probably the least sophisticated parts of the car electrical system.

Also the grounding kits have really thick cable, 4-6 guage, applications for cables like these in high power tranmission, example in a car would be a spark plug cable. If you have ever been shocked by a plug, you know what I mean. Most 12V and 5V signals in all the sensors (low power) and electronics dont need thick cables like that. If you look at the circuit boards in the sensors or contacts, the conductors are really tiny. What does that tell me, thick wires are not necessary and I still havent seen any real information why grounding is necessary or how the electrical system in the car is inadequately designed to need grounding.

I dont have a problem with people modding for a placebo effect or looks. But claiming that it has technical merit without direct correlation is not acceptable to me.

I dont know why the point would come up if companies skimp on quality for saving, but if they did japanese car makers wouldnt be where they are today.
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Old Aug 17, 2005 | 01:43 PM
  #34  
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I used the word 'theoretically', so for practical reasons it could change and that was an example that I used for 5V, it could be 3V as well. I do know that signals are not perfectly horizontal or straight and have ramp up/down times. I have engineering background, but I am not an electrical engineer. But fundamental electrical engineering principles is what I based things on.

I havent found any explainations so far in this thread that explain the needing of a grounding system in cars and if the problem exists, why wouldnt carmakers wont design a electrical system that doesnt need grounding.

And direct claim that grounding INCREASES power and not decrease power or change speedometer accuracy or anything else in the electrical system is just BS in my opinion.

I do change my oil at 3K miles because its peace of mind to me and changing oil often may increase the life of the mating parts because of constant supply of cleaner lubricants.
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