dchengmd

Just thought I'd share my impressions after installing a cheapo grounding kit purchased on eBay.

I recently bought the Spike "Circle Earth System" set of blue colored grounding wires for $18 plus $13 FedEx overnight shipping. This is the set that many of you probably have seen around on various websites. It comes with a set of 7 heavy-duty (looks to be 4 guage) wires of different lengths, a battery terminal adapter, brackets, and a bagful of nuts and bolts. I'd never heard of the Spike brand, so I took a good look at the package - lots of Japanese lettering.

Following the instructions for a standard 5-wire ground install, I was able to complete the job in about 40 minutes. There was no problem with the lengths of the wires - everything fit fine and the included bolts match perfectly with the grounding points on the Z.

There is quite a noticeable difference in the 'feel' of the engine after the kit is installed. The idle is much, much smoother and throttle response just feels more responsive.

So far, so good. If anyone's looking for a nice, inexpensive mod, I highly recommend installing a grounding kit. The difference in engine feel is quite impressive. If you're averse to paying a lot of $, you can get what appears to be a fairly decent kit for about $20 off eBay.

teh215

iTrader: (8)

Thanks for the tip. I checked out the auction and I have a question. Where does that disc go that all of the wires attach to?

dchengmd

I didn't use the disc. I wired everything up in serial, like how everyone else has been (check other threads for how to do this).

If you do want to use the disc and wire everything in parallel, the disc connects to the negative terminal of the battery. In the Z, it'd look pretty ugly, with all those wires going under the battery cover.

teh215

iTrader: (8)

Thanks, I think I'll pick one up. For under $20 what have I got to lose. I just couldn't bring myself to spend the $75 or so other vendors are asking for 5 pieces of wire.

reiver

Thanks for checking this out bro!

bhk1004

iTrader: (6)

cant find the grounding kit on ebay...? maybe im looking for the wrong thing?

teh215

iTrader: (8)

This the one that I found: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=2442760473

Here is a pic:

jabroney12

Can you elaborate on smoother idle and the faster throttle response. IS that saying that the when the car on idle would vibrate and and the gears arent as reponsive before?

vfr350

I have had a grounding kit for quite sometime. Does it actually help??? That is really a good ? I could see this helping older cars with corrosion but nothing noticable on a new z.

yobri

iTrader: (2)

Thanks for the report doc. Posts like this make visiting online forums valuable.

dchengmd

I'm afraid I don't have any actual numbers to back up what I'm saying, so take my words with whatever grains of salt you're willing to spill.

Before I installed the kit, I noticed that when stopped at a light I could feel the engine stutter slightly, and the tach would display a fluctuation in the RPMs over about a 250 to 500 RPM range. After the kit was installed, this fluctuation has disappeared, or has decreased to a range where I don't 'feel' the stuttering anymore. The engine just feels smoother overall. When accelerating, the power band appears smoother as well with better, more immediate starts.

I don't see much difference when revving high or at high speeds, but at lower RPMs there is definitely a difference.

All this is purely anecdotal, so if you don't believe what I'm saying, that's fine.

dchengmd

That's exactly how I felt. The kit was only $18, and the install is completely reversible, so I thought I'd take the small plunge and give it a shot.

So far, this cheapo kit appears to be working well (the one you pictured is the one I bought, BTW).

dchengmd

You're welcome. Give it a try if you haven't already