I know it doesn't have a dramatic impact but I also don't believe that all of the feedback is placebo effect - the data does not seem to support that. Making the battery neg terminal the common ground point (essentially what is being done) can prevent floating grounds for those circuits that previously relied on the chassis as the common ground point. That's it imo, but that small bit can potentially lead to some perceptible differences in the car. No ground loop hum through the audio for one thing!

 

You know, there was one grounding kit I saw that really made me laugh hard.

It had a Nitrous looking 0 AWG braided wire going from the left side of the plenum to the right side of the plenum. With huge copper lugs. And the wire didn't connect to anything else.

Like that's going to do anything. The plenum is nothing but a big chunk of aluminum. There is no current flowing through it.

It sure did look like the guy had a bad azz nitrous system hooked up to his plenum though.

...snip...
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OK But a little more seriously. I recall that there was a TSB for G35 ground wires. In some cases the grounding was bad enough (due to galvanic corrosion) that it actually caused functional problems with the ECU. This in turn caused operational problems with the engine.

If the stock grounding system is indeed faulty or corroded, it is possible or even reasonable that a aftermarket grounding system could make an improvement.

 

Ummm, I did the "big three mod". 1 AWG wire from the (+) battery to the alternator, 1 AWG from the alternator to the chassis, and 1 awg from the chassis back to the (-) battery.

I did this because my lights would dim when the system hit at high volume. The mod did fix my electrical system from being taxed so hard. No more dimming lights. Did I get more WHP from the mod? Probably not, but maybe. Who knows? Neglegible either way.

 

Nah, they're were only maimed. But I do have a little education and experience in this area, so I try to spread some of that around.

YES, that's what a larger ground is for, to reduce ground losses in high amperage circuits. Unfortunately, instrumentation does not require that hefty a ground wire. In some cases, a separate ground is not even needed because the instrument cables contain their own ground wire through the harness.

 

i just did a diy grounding kit on my 07 and it made my stereo come in better and my brights i noticed reached alot further... some say that it smoothes out your idle but i didnt really notice that... if you have subs and amps and stuff it is supposed to reduce the load on your battery

 

I said the same thing.. But Undergrnd says i dont know what im talking about.. *** em......

http://translate.google.com/translat...m%2B%26hl%3Den

 

You all do know that the placebo effect is well documented in various areas, including medicine, horsepower mods, etc...

Unless you have a bad ground in the first place, due to rust or some other reason, a grounding kit will do nothing. I say this, as an owner of grounding kit myself.

Anyways, though, if you *think* it helps your engine/stereo/headlights, then it is worth it, to you.

 

I put one on shortly after I got my Z because I won it as a door prize at a meet. I was surprised to find out later that they cost upwards of $100. I never noticed a difference but figured it would not hurt to let it stay on.

 

grounding kits = mind over matter

 

It is also the case that they claimed it did this or that so i bought it and it worked.Ok what ever you guys might think as i was a fool and bought one thinking that it claimed to make the auto shift faster..........................yea right.

 

I don't know why this is such a hard concept. The existing ground system in a properly working car has a resistance of almost zero ohms. Very little battery voltage is dropped across the ground system. By installing more grounding wires in parallel with the existing wiring, the resistance is reduced even closer to zero ohms. Consequently, whatever miniscule voltage was 'wasted' across the ground system, is now reduced even further. Per Ohm's law, the higher the current draw by the load, the more voltage will be dropped across the ground, all else being equal. That's why a good ground is essential for high amperage stereo systems and lights. However, other electrical and electronics systems typically don't care if they have 12.6 or 11.6 volts, and a good ground may make a difference of a few millivolts (1/1000 of a volt). A good ground DOES apply the full battery voltage to the load, and reduces wasted power, but it will NOT reduce the load on the battery. You will not notice the difference, and your car won't idle better, the tranny won't shift quicker, nor will the car make more power. If you like the looks, go for it. If you think it helped your car, get two of them.

 

In theory, its supposed to work, but after installing I could barely tell a difference. If anything, I might have seen a SLIGHT decrease in needle fluctuation during idle but thats about it. Hey, it can't hurt so why not? As for the best one, I think they're all about the same. Just make sure that it's at least a 10 gauge wire. I purchased mine on the forums here and it was made of amp power wires, 8 gauge if I remember correctly. They also have kits that have grounding for the transmission, but I can't vouch for it.

 

For those of you with grouding kit questions or doubts. There are quite a few people on here that knock this mod or state that they do not work. In fact this is not a performance mod, or something that is going to make a big difference. To be honest you will not notice any power increase, not much difference in electrical system increase, but it does stabilize the ground system for the car. What you gain is better voltage throughout the vehicle, less strain when using A/C, rolling windows up and down, wipers etc. Basicly you are just stabilizing the engine, as well as the electronics. This is a fact and not a myth or an oppinion. As I said you will not get a gain, or have any noticable changes. I would recommend just building a kit yourself from some decent guage wire and just hit all the basic engine grounds. I think that the kits you are buying for $80+ dollars are a rip off they all do the same thing, unless you are getting an ignition stabilizer with it. Just some informative knowledge. Good luck