Grounding

[rowhard]

Was just viewing the page mentioned by MrCrowley about the Dynamometer that StaticX Motorsports set up. one of their items they offer, (and I have seen it elsewhere) is a Grounding Kit. What is the skinny on this and is it worth it?

[MrCrowley]

You may find more information by searching on the web, but i will give you my objective opinion. I did bug him about fabbing me a kit for the Trooper and VX, but never followed up. Since I woke the barn queen up for the dyno run ( I drive 1 hour each way to work everyday, and cant afford to drive the VX as a daily driver anymore), I may have him do one.
A grounding kit especially an aftermarket one will actually allow electrical accessories to run a little more efficiently and therefore draw less current. Some people would also argue a hotter spark in the combustion chamber due to the electrical efficiency that is added. If you have an aftermarket stereo you will know the importance of a good ground with an amplifier. Ground actually determines the power, quality, draw, and or excessive heat due to electrical demand that is asked for by the amplifier. This is especially important on aged vehicles since there is corrosion that limits the original grounding straps from providing a good ground. An old timer method I used to use was to remove and clean the bolt, screw, etc. Clean the contacts, and spray WD-40 on all ground strap contact points to try to prevent this corrosion. Some automobiles do not have an efficient grounding system from the factory anyways. This is an engineering and/ or cost issue. These types of vehicles do see a performance difference albeit small. Mostly smoother running accessories.

The decision to use a grounding kit is speculative from one vehicle to another. Eye candy under the hood? Check. Peace of mind because of proper grounding for years to come? Check. One less thing to worry about because of some diagnostic investigation you may be performing? Check. Possibly at the most a 2 to 3 horsepower gain on a factory insufficient ground? Check. Less corrosion due to quality less corrosive materials used in the system? Check.

Also, one other thing to consider is the cost. This is one thing that can be done for a less substantial amount of money than just about any other modification. I would rank this mod about the same cost/ benefit as a breather/ pcv valve catch can to keep oil fumes from gumming up an intake and throttle body, or upgraded spark plug wires, or even synthetic fluids for less viscosity, protection, and less wear.

[rowhard]

Thanks for your input and opinion. I totally understand the benifit of good grounds, espically having fooled around with old British sports car and Lucas Electrics. I always used dielectric grease when cleaning connections.

The few photo's Ive seen makes me think it wouldn't be that hard to make one.

[morgan-tec]

You can make your own kit for a lot less then buying a prefabbed one. All you need to do is go to a good car audio store and but a few feet of at least 4gauge power cable, as well as new battery clamps and a body grounding unit. You need to go bigger on the battery to body ground as well as the alternator to battery. Here are a few pics of my install with the stock battery.Total investment including Stinger competition grade cables and gold plated Stinger clamps and grounding unit was less than $100.

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-5/195531/Battery1.jpg
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-5/195531/Battery2.jpg

And here is one with the new Stinger SP1000 audio battery

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-5/195531/newbattery1.jpg