I have done a number of grounding kits in the past, I always use stranded 4 gauge copper from the hardware store. I also like to solder on my ring connectors and coat everything in ridged tubing and electrical tape for that super OEM look.

I wouldnt use 16 gauge to replace your grounding straps, Spend the extra $15-$20 and get some 4 gauge if you plan on doing it. If you just want to add an extra accessory ground then 16 gauge should be fine for applications using less than 10 amps for lengths shorter than 10 feet.

 

yea i plan on soldering all my connection and then adveshive heat shrink wrap.

but 4 GAUGE!?!? i was told 10 would be enough. thats pretty thick wire to be running everywhere. thats like power wire for amps and stereo's isnt it? i guess better grounding doesnt hurt but wont 4 gauge be overkill? not to disregard your advice, which i appreciate, just seems a little much.

and to double check, i start at neg ternimal, ground to drivers side head, alternator, throttle body, pass side intake, pass side head and finish on pass fender? not connected in series but in parallel.
some write ups include the struts. should i do those aswell?

either way i wont use 16, thankyou

 

Your list looks good, I like to make a loom in some thick hose back to the firewall and then branch out to your listed components.

I use 4 gauge because I like knowing that when I select a bolt on the chassis that it will be a complete ground capable of handling high power audio equipment.

 

ahh that makes sense. i dont ever plan on adding a stereo.

i got it all finished but something happened....

i accidentally undid a head bolt on the passenger head. i thought that was where the ground point was till i found the threaded hole behind the timing belt under the MAF hose for the passenger side head.

am i good to just torque it back down to spec? i cant really follow a pattern if its just 1 bolt. or did i really fudge something up here lol

 

If you only loosened one bolt then thats the last one in the pattern. torque it back down to spec and you should be good. : )

 

oh ok awesome. thanks dude!


first drive on it this morning on the way to work and its a noticeable difference. its not like !!!!!ZOMGTHEPOWWWEEEEERRRRRR!!!!! but my butt dyno tells me its working 100%. my idle is a good 300-400 rpm lower and throttle response is improved. also being a 4EAT i notice way faster/smoother shifts. definitely no placebo like half the internet says.

 

So what is the grounding mod. And what is it supposed to do? Its not something I have heard of before

 

Its basically adding extra grounding points to the engine using larger wire. Its supposed to provide better ground for a smoother running engine and electronics (sensors, lights, stereo, and anything electronic).

 

@arcticscythe Thanks!! I get the concept, but unless there was A problem I dont know how much performance would be gaind by doing it.

 

thats the debate. Ive seen dyno logs with as much a s a 10 WHP gains but I don't take any stock in them.

The concept is definitely valid but aside from the lighting world I havent really seen a huge benefit. I typically do grounding cables when I install halogen off road lighting, anything above 300W I like to add a heavier ground. without the additional ground cables I feel like lights just tend to underperform. Take that concept to an extreme and say an o2 sensor was not getting the cleanest ground possible, replacing that line with one with a greater capacity would make the signal cleaner and give the sensor an more accurate reading. You could use the more accurate reading to better tune the engine.

Its not something I would do just because, but if you plan on having any high drain hardware in the vehicle its not a terrible idea.

 

blue wire

on a stock car there are no performance gains in the horsepower category. but performance to me is all around the car.
on a 13 year old car like mine alot of the connections needed to be redone anyways (one of my grounds on the drivers side was actually broken). honestly i couldnt really see this helping a new car or one only a few years old. but without a doubt, my engine runs smoother. i put a lazer level on the engine and watched the beam on the wall. there was less vibration after the mod. im idleing at a hair sliver under the 500 line when it used to be up at about 800-900. also being a 4EAT my tranny reacts quicker and i no long have any "engine braking" upon de-acceleration.

also considering it takes $20 in some simple hardware and only took about an hour or 2. i would say its well worth it. but i would never ever waste money on a kit. $100+ for some wires?? even more if u want thicker gauge...

ps: alot of the people that have dyno resulst of HP gains are from people that didnt let thier IAM count up after the ECU reset. just resetting your ECU and doing a few dyno pulls will see a fluctuation of +/- 10HP untill your IAM count gets back to 16

 

I've got some snake oil you can rub on your intake filter to add 10whp too.

Sheesh.

Grounding kids are not for unibody cars. They're a relic of the transitional period when electrics first arrived and the car's frame was in pieces that weren't designed with concerns about electrical isolation being minimized. Cars haven't needed grounding kits for a very long time.

 

I've got some snake oil you can rub on your intake filter to add 10whp too.

oiled filters are bad for MAF sensors

i never said it would give you 10hp, i said there are NO HP GAINS ona stock car. ppl seeing HP gains are not taking into the account of the IAM resetting back to 0

 

Snake oil isn't bad for your MAF, you just need to make sure is from your region. I like western diamondback rattlsnake-oil myself.

I feel like we may have gotten off topic... Probably my fault :|

 

lol we got high quality canadian snake oil up here. good for temps to -40C

 

This thread had some really good information that helped to confirm some things that I thought to be true, but wasn't really sure about. I want to view some of the other threads that you have started. I thought I saw a post about jdm suspension by you, but now I can't find it...oh well.

 

Theres a search tool at the top of the page

dont worry though, i dont mind helping, i found it for you
http://www.wrxtuners.com/forums/f139/jdm-suspension-bugeye-wagon-60450/

hope u find the information your looking for