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.

Yeah, agreed. Sorry I forgot to mention my suggestion of 5+ hours if you are doing a complete swap of the wires and make the swap look like stock. You are right on not having to remove the stock wirings since current will flow through the path of least resistance anyway. I am all for the clean/stock look that's why I suggested pulling/disconnect the stock wirings/connectors so you don't clutter up the connection terminals.

Good suggestion on buying short runs of cables from audio shops though, I have never thought about that. 0 gauge cable is crazy fat though hahaha

Hm how would I know where to connect the wires to :confused2:

Someone interested in doing a DIY, please??
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Ya what you are doing is eliminating current loops. But now we are getting on the technical side. We could also look at the use of proper shielding of wire but then it can get messy and time consuming. Grounding kit should help.


I just saw that these guys are out of Edmonton Alberta and that my dealer is a certified installer. When i get back I will go talk to my dealer and talk to some people that had this done and hopfully get some more feed back.

Grounding is especially important on an Aluminum engine like we have. Considering aluminum is such a bad conductor of electricity. Compared to steel.

Someone should mass produce them and sell G37 spec Grounding Kits. (premeasured/proper locations/different colors) I know a guy from another forum I am on, My.IS, who does them for our community. Maybe he'd do them for ours....Usually go for $80ish-120ish depending on the gauge of wire, the materials used, and the way they are constructed.

The kit I purchased is for the G37 specificly. Even my wife said the car shifts smoother now, and she doesn't notice hardly anything I do to my car....

I don't care what the company claims....Grounding kits make NO HORSEPOWER gains....at all.

For those who are fooled into thinking so...ask yourselves this....how do they make more hp?

Where did anyone claim any HP gains?

The claims are out there but I didn't do it for HP gains nor did I expect any. I did it mostly to smooth out my AT and that is what I got. I think there are other benefits as well but HP is not one of them. This is the second car I have installed a grounding kit on and the second time I have been impressed with the improvement. To each his own. I see the benefit and promote the product because I believe in it. For the others who come along and have an opposite opinion that's fine too. They wont change my mind.

Check their site...they even have dynos that show HP gains....Now for a company to go as far as produce BS dyno sheets of a product that cannot be proven to add HP just shows the real intention of trying to market the product.

However, I do agree that it helps with smoother shifting. Hence, it can be proven as to how it does so.

Some say the HP factor comes from the fact that EVERY aspect of modern cars are controlled by electronics, and thats where grounding kits tend to help. If the tranny shifts improve, and all the electronic brains are running better on the car, I can maybe let the idea of a HP or 2 creep into my head. I said MAYBE, remember that :) I could more easily see better times at the track or something along those lines do to the increased response of the electrical components.

I used Gordee's kit on my G35 and agree with spyder. I like the way my 35 shifts better than my 37 and I believe Gordees's kit did it. :)

I also grounded my manual GSR well to make sure the extra ECU electronics had a solid ground. No HP gains but I never had any ECU glitches.

Gordee's kit was terrific as decribed up front on this thread. I really like the kit and would buy another one but, this time, I decided I'd go with all parts from one manufacturer. I've never done that before.

As soon as Stillen releases their kit, Dean will call me and I'll get it. That will make my ride 100% Stillen; long tube intakes, headers, HFCs and exhaust. Then the grounding kit will complete it. Another bonus, you have NO warranty issues with Stillen (or Nismo) parts according to the dealer. :icon38:

when is stillen coming out with their grounding kit for the G?

Don't know but it should be soon.

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? :dunno:

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?