Gordee's Grounding Kit Installed and Reviewed
 

So last Friday I installed a 10 wire Grounding Gear grounding kit I purchased from Gordee…

You can check out his website here:

GroundingGear.com


I waited a little over a week to post because I wanted to have some time to get a feel for the kit and to be able to give a little more insight as to the differences it made. I have been a big fan of grounding kits for about 4 years now, ever since I put one on an 03 Accord Coupe I owned. The kit I installed on that car was not the same quality as this one and it still made a difference.
Quality:
The kit comes well packaged. It took about a week and a half to get to my house from the day I ordered it. In case you didn’t know, it came from Canada. That’s why it took a little longer than it normally would.

Out of the box:

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member...19_48_full.jpg

The overall quality is excellent. Very nice thick (4 gage if I remember correctly) wire with solid copper connectors. All the hardware that you need is included and the instructions are very clear and easy to follow.

Installation:

It took me about 2 hours for the install. That included fishing a wrench on one occasion and a socket on a different occasion from the pan under the engine. Try very hard not to drop stuff. It is a PITA!!! The instructions are good and even running the wire to the ECU behind the glove box was not as hard as I thought it would be. Here are a couple of install pics:

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member...19_50_full.jpg

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member...19_53_full.jpg

Impressions:
After the installation I did the manual ECU reset. Per the instructions I then took it for a “spirited” 15 minute drive. It wasn’t too spirited because I did not have any real open spaces to run off to… Mostly neighborhood stuff so I didn’t go too crazy, I didn’t want a ticket or anything.
There was definitely a difference. The most noticeable the first night was the smoother shifting. Over the following week I got to really appreciate what a difference in shifting there is. Shifts from 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 3rd are smooth now in D mode and smooth but quicker in DS or manual mode. I don’t get those hard shifts like I did before, it’s really pretty nice. The throttle response is better as well. Press the gas and you go, no hesitation. I can really tell the difference just revving the car in neutral in my garage. Very nice! The ECU also reacts quicker to aggressive driving. It is much quicker to respond in both D and DS mode, it is like it keeps up with you better. Get on the gas and it responds and keeps up the pace until you are ready to settle down. It is very nice if you are quickly trying to move through traffic but don’t want to be in manual mode. That is one of the biggest differences besides the smoother shifting. It has also been reported that installing a grounding kit can increase your horsepower. I have not had a chance to dyno my car yet but when I do I will let you know the results.

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member...19_54_full.jpg

All in all I would recommend this kit, especially if you drive an AT. There are benefits for those who drive the 6MT and I would still highly recommend it to them as well. If you go to my cardomain page there are additional pictures there.
Thanks Gordee for a great product!!! Count me in as a believer!!!

:biggthumpup:

What does this thing do? How does it work?

Supposedly it adds further improved grounding from the battery ground to the electronics, thereby decreasing resistance in car electronics.

I've installed a grounding kit on my old Supercharged 97 Maxima and did thurough resistance testing on all points. There was 0 improvement in that case. Although I felt the car ran better, that resistance check and later a Dyno proved it was just in my head.

Not saying this doesn't work, just saying I'm not purchasing one because they usually don't work. Unless I see a side-by-side compare on a Dyno.

What would it do for a 6mt?
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How much was this? You should scan and post the instructions. and AWG of the wire.

Should of done some before and after dyno runs?

i should be looking into this. thanks for the information.

This is a heavily debated topic.... different results from different car makes... I think Id have to see some type of proof that it helps on a 6MT before Id pay money for it... That said.... 5ATs should get these for better shifting... I have heard that in every debate on this topic....ATs always are said to shift better...

Looks nice under the hood but this mod did absolutely nothing for G35 and 350Z.

I upgraded the ground and power wires on my '96 maxima and it made a world of difference. I didn't buy someone's grounding kit, it's really easy and much cheaper to just buy the wire and connectors and do it yourself if you know how. I don't know about any true HP gains, but it helped immensely with starter problems common on those models, made shifting smoother, and throttele response better. It's also a must if you add any aftermarket audio system. What gauge wire did you use?

What components would you need if you want to do this yourself?
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-Flexible (usually premium audio) 4-gauge wires
-4 gauge wire connectors
-Heat Shrinks
-Hair Dryer/Heat Gun
-New battery terminal to support the 4-gauge wires coming off the negative terminal? (might not need)
-All applicable hand tools
-Wire looms by choice

I would suggest doing the power system cable upgrade in addition to the grounding kit:
-Battery + to starter
-Battery + to alternator
-Battery + to others* (whichever else is connected to the battery + terminal in stock trim)

You can choose to piggyback the upgraded wires in parallel to the stock wires. But I would recommend pulling out/disconnect the stock wirings. There should also be a fuse (same as stock rated amperage fuse) if so required in stock trim.

With the time involved in prepping the components (5+ hours if it is your first time and don't know the car very well) and the fact that premium audio cables/connectors/fuse holders are quite expensive, I think you are better off buying a kit vs. DIY. You really don't save all that much, at most a full tank worth of gas money.

Advantages for upgrading both the power and ground lines are basically what others have pointed out earlier including smoother idle (don't think anyone mentioned this).

Thicker wires provide less resistance and increased capability in delivering the amperage required to drive the individual electrical components more efficiently thus increase their overall operating efficiency and prolong operational lifespan.

Resistance point check on this would not show you the advantage of upgraded grounding wire because the stock wires are just as properly grounded as your newly upgraded grounding wire. The multimeter should read 0 to 0.5 Ohms either way unless you have an uber nice multimeter (even with that it should be within 1-2 Ohms of difference at max). What you are getting is increased overall efficiency by decreasing the "load" on the ground side created by the stock grounding route which has many grounding points. A little resistance drop on the ground side goes a long way in increasing efficiency. For those of you who knows what I am talking about - it's basically the same difference as having various floating grounds vs. one common earth ground in noise sensitive circuitries. You get clearer signals with a common earth grounding point = better operation.

My dissenting opinion is that you are mostly right on everything here with a few exceptions: There is no need to remove the stock wiring unless it's really in the way of the new wiring and it shouldn't be in most cases, all you need to do is add to, not take away. There is no way in hell this should take you 5 hours even if you don't have a clue. My first time doing it I only took maybe an hour or an hour and a half. Find a good bargain on 4 GA (or better yet, 0 GA) wire and it will likely cost you far less than what these premade "kits" cost. You can often buy very short runs of cable from audio shops for dirt cheap because they can't use them. The "Big 3" upgrade that you mentioned is all you usually need if you use heavy enough wire. Mine is 0 and 4 GA.

Wow 0Ga for a grounding kit... nice... Id like the oval 3ga wire from Stinger... That would be perfect IMO.