Stueck

what does better grounding do for you? how does it work? and what are the gains?

juddz

The factory ground strap to the block is more than sufficient. Those "jdm ground strap" kits you see on e-Bay are a sham. Measure the resistance between the negative battery terminal and the engine block and you'll see that the stock grounding is good. Your car will not operate any better if you put it on. It will look different, but that's about it.

macdaddyslomo

that isnt 100% true..although you wont feel much of a power increase, tests have proven a good grounding system will slightly increase power and mileage,plus the electrical system will work more effectively,thus increasing alternator and battery life. Instead of buying one of those expensive kits though, it can be done cheaply with regular cable used for amplifier installs.

gottacatchup

My brother used speaker cable and custom made a new grounding system for his truck. 'Course he did it cause his headlights were dimming when his subs hit, worked good for the headlights, dunno what it did for anything else though.

juddz

Please post a link to the test results, or let us know where we can reference them. If there is something to be gained, I want to know how much to expect.

macdaddyslomo

check sport compact car...expect a 1-2 hp increase

Stueck

would new spark plug wires help also? i dont see how electrical grounding can gain HP

macdaddyslomo

makes your electrical system work more efficiently...this means means alternator doesnt have to work as hard and better spark from ignition...make sense now?

juddz

Dunno if I buy this one. My multimeter says the stock ground is plenty good. Where's Matty when you need his daring wit and profound skill of deductive reasoning?

macdaddyslomo

Matty will agree with me, and he isnt the only knowledgable mod here..I'm hardly a newbie here....If you can do it cheap, it's not a bad mod...I guarantee if you do,you may not notice a diff in the butt dyno, but lights will be brighter, and the DYNO will prove me right...know what parasitic loss is?? If the the alternator does not have to work as hard it puts less drag on your engine...In the future also,please don't go spreading your opinion as fact...the only way your Multimeter is going to give you good solid info is if you compare the stock readings to readings you take after doing the ground

Stueck

ah yes, that is what i was thinking, more spark = more fuel burned = more power. i guess thats the only way the electrical system gives you HP minus the alternator not working as hard.

macdaddyslomo

exactly....granted it's not much..

juddz

Yeah, but I was hoping for a more amusing response....

Stueck

somethings better than nothing! thanks for the info

vielster

I grounded a few points with some 10 gague wire right to the neg terminal of the battery. Noticed very little difference, but it was something. Slightly better throttle response and maybe a horse or two (not that I can tell without hitting up a dyno). If you've got the supplies, you may as well do it. It's like $5 in wires and $2 in end spades for the wires....