If these were actually any good at actually increasing power, I think every manufacturer would ship their cars with them as it would essentially be "free horsepower".

For increasing hp, I'd get a grounding kit right after I bought an engine brace since they basically do the same thing = wallet lightening with zero roi.

 

I'm installing one because I like the difference it made in my G35 AT tranny, not for power gains. It ought to do the same for my G37 AT.

Stillen claims a pony or two in their catalog but I wouldn't count on it.

I'll bet you've never used a grounding kit. Correct?

 

installed my kit today and reset the ecu. I noticed a VERY big difference in the car. My AT shifted alot firmer and idle was smoothed out. Throttle response was way better and tranny downshifted quicker and tighter. Very good mod for AT cars!!

 

Oh, I did use a grounding kit when I got one for free on a previous car I owned. The only time I've seen a difference swapping out wiring was in an F body, when people hooked up thicker gauge cables to their fuel pumps. This did not add power, but it did assist in better fuel delivery. Anyhow, I as I've stated before, there is no way a manufacturer would leave such a simple addition out of their car if it made that big of a difference.

Grounding kits are a great money maker for a few simple reasons.

1. They are generally cheap, so people can buy them easily and satisfy their need to mod without harming their pocket book. It's not a pricey turbo kit or supercharger, so it's a no brainer.
2. The differences they make are difficult to quantify. This means you can buy it and you can state you feel a difference without having to prove as such.
3. They are cheap to manufacture. It's a simple game of margins and there is likely a huge one in favor of the manufacturer.

1 or 2 hp gain is an easy claim to make when the dyno variances cannot be controlled to such an absolute, due to heat, tire slippage if you're not using a Dynapack, whatever.

 

Well, I'd say that if you got a car with one already installed, you weren't in a position to tell any difference. I'd also bet that better fuel delivery made for a bit more power although I'd never look for any power gains.

I'm looking for the tranny improvement that AZ is talking about. On my G35, it was noticable.

 

The car I put a grounding kit didn't have one on, which is why I put one on to see if there was actually a difference and there was none that I could tell. I think SCC magazine did a write up on grounding kits and found there to be no noticeable change as well.

 

IMO they do provide a tangible value in drivability although they don't help the actual HP output of the engine. I can also personally attest to the huge improvement in smoother and faster shifts in an automatic (both upshifts and downshifts), increased audio performance, and in my case complete resolution of starter realted problems. The starter on my car was grounded with a single strand of with 14 GA wire! Replaced it with a hefty 4 GA witre and have never had a problem since. There are numerous other Maxima owners who have experienced the same, it's not in our heads.

If you use quality heavy gauge wire, it's not a "cheap" mod. Manufacturers don't do it because it's way cheaper for them to use crappy light gauge wiring instead of quality heavier wire. The average consumer wouldn't know the difference and wouldn't be inclined to pay extra for it so it's a cost saving measure like anything else the manufacturers do in production. Upgrading wiring is indeed worthwhile. Have you ever driven an older car that had spark plug wires? Have you ever replaced crappy OEM spark plug wires with high quality aftermarket ones? Can you honestly say there was not a very noticeable difference?

 

spyder do u feel faster shifting?