Shasta

Has anyone done this modification to their car? I was on the AutoEXE website and was wondering where do you get a kit like that in N. America and how is it installed?

KrayzieFox

Link? You just talking about a regular grounding kit?

Shasta

http://www.autoexe.co.jp/english/fun...spension%20top

I've never seen this before and wondered how they work and how they are installed.

_Kansei_

yeah just a regular grounding kit. It replaces the ground cable from the battery, and adds a bunch of grounds like from the alternator, engine, throttle body, etc.

Some people report that it smooths things out but until I see a dyno sheet on a 3rd gen protege it's all just placebo effect to me.

KrayzieFox

I dunno if it really adds any power, but it certainly does smooth out your idle and improve the overall effectiveness of your electrical system. I made my own from scratch for about $50 and once I installed it the biggest difference I noticed is that my headlights wouldn't dim anymore when locking/unlocking the car, rolling down windows, etc.

Here are some pics for ya Shasta.

KrayzieFox

One last thing, for those who are interested in making their own kit .. I'll try to make life a little bit easier for you.

Here are the items you will need to buy:

1. 14-16 feet of 4 gauge power wire
If you want yellow, discountcarstereo is the ONLY website that still carries it, and you better hurry if you want it cuz Stringer discontinued it.
http://www.discountcarstereo.com/detail.aspx?ID=284

2. 20 gold (24K) plated ring terminals
If possible, do NOT buy Stringer terminals cuz they're a pain in the ***! The rings aren't wide enough for a lot of the bolts (12 mm, 14mm, 17mm) so I had to dremel mine to widen them. Not a big deal .. but kind of a pain in the end.

3. Postive/Negative 200-series Monster battery terminals
Look on eBay, you can pick up both for $20 or so.


Here are the measurements of each wire as well, so you know how much to cut for each one:
1st wire: 18 inches
2nd wire: 14 inches
3rd wire: 11 inches
4th wire: 14 inches
5th wire: 18 inches
6th wire: 16 inches
7th wire: 18 inches
8th wire: 24 inches
9th wire: 11 inches
10th wire: 14 inches

The wires should roughly look like the first picture in the post above, 1-10 from outside to inside / right to left (switch 3 & 4 and 4 & 5 should be longer .. I messed up so learn from my mistakes).

Shasta

Wow cool dude, awesome. But one question do they replace existing wires? Thats where I am stumped.

KrayzieFox

Yes they do. It replaces the first wire that goes behind the power steering fluid tank (wire #1), and replaces the wires that go from both positive and negative terminals. Three wires total (AKA "The Big 3") get thrown out and replaced with bigger/better wires instead.

EDIT: Here's a guide for the MSP but it's exactly the same for the P5 with one minor difference. The P5 has a different grounding spot for the factory negative wire, and I listed a pic on page 4 after I did my install to help out others. This post will have EVERYTHING you need to do this install from scratch.
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=45141

J-Protege

I used to have the dimming problem, but ever since I dropped in a good spiral cell (Optima Yellow), doesn't seem to do that anymore.

I might do the kit, but it'd just be for looks, and any minor performance changes would just be a bonus.

You'd figure with all the sites selling these, there would be at least 1 dyno for it.

Shasta

Thank you KF.

KrayzieFox

No problem bro, check out the attachment for more info on "The Big 3" of the electrical system. Those are pretty much the three wires that get replaced..