I have a different grounding kit for my 03 sedan, but it made a difference and I am happy with it.

Glad you like this new "mod".

 

Just ordered a set for my 07 G35S, hope to see the result soon

 

+1 For SxExCx's Grounding Kits.... They are very effective...

 

I think unless there's a major flaw with the electrical system, these kits will not do anything except add some cool looking wires under you hood. If you do some googling, lot's of people, even those who bought these, don't think they do anything. The burden of proof is on the people with the new gadget to show it actually does anything besides inspire visual happiness.

Maybe the same people who are claiming a huge HP boost by slapping in a new K&N air filter to replace their stock one, or saying a certain synthetic oil makes their car so much faster are saying this makes a huge improvement as well.

 

Ive done research on these grounding kits for the g35/g37. From what i can tell, only automatic transmissions benefit the most from these kits. Reviews of the 6mt arent as great as you actually do the shifting yourself. Most people who have gotten these kits that drive A/T have benefitted in decreasing the lag in the D, DS and M mode. I dont think anyone really gets these in hope of achieving some HP gains or making their stock stereo louder.

For 100-130, its a faily affordable mod if you can atleast decrease that lag in the shifting on the A/T.

 

So where did you get your research data from? Just people saying it made a difference, or some actual tests done? I would think you would need pretty sophisticated equipment to measure the difference properly in a controlled environment...

Also, for how much the wire must cost to a manufacturer like Nissan ( maybe $10 ), if it made a decent different, I think they would add it stock.

I mean these manufacturers are spending tons of money to try to get more efficiency out of their engines and such, if they can spend $10 on parts and get improvements, they will do so.

 

I, for one, think and still believe they do something. I don't take mods lightly and always lean towards function.

http://gshack.org/?p=128 -- FWIW.

Not necessarily. You have to remember that manufacturers will find every single way possible to lower their overhead. I can no longer find the article i saw this in, but they even go through several variations of a particular bolt just to save a cent here and there. In the grand scheme of things, those few cents add up fast and quick.

 

Interesting. So the only thing measured scientifically was the amount of noise in the car. I just had a genius idea, I'll submit the whole grounding kit thing to "MythBusters" and maybe they'll do an episode on it


Oh I know they want to shave off pennies from their bottom line. But I believe what they want is to get the same performance for cheaper. So yes, they'll re-design bolts to be cheaper to produce as long as they still function as well as the original.

Car companies are looking for ways to improve fuel economy, so if throwing a couple wires at the problem would fix the problem, I think they'd be doing that already.

But, this is just my opinion, I don't really have any scientific proof that they don't do anything, just like I haven't really seen any scientific proof that they DO something. But at least I'm not throwing $$ at unproven tech!

 

It was the only way i could objectively test it, so yes. But there's an idea right there. I, for one, would be interested in a more scientific test, even if it's Hollywood.

Honestly, i did not see any power or fuel efficiency effect with the grounding kit. Most of those that i subjectively felt all were brought about by something you normally would gain from better grounding, regardless of application.

 

The 3db change in SPL is a bit suspect to me... 3dB is the same as a doubling of power - something that a fraction of an ohm reduction in resistance on a 12/13.8V system can't possibly provide.

What was the frequency of the test tone? Was it a sine, square or other pattern?

I can see how improving the grounding might tighten up the bass response of an amplifier since bass causes the amp to draw a lot more current. Square waves (which don't happen in real music) are a real challenge for amps as well (but usually on frequency response more than current capability)... so, in theory, better grounding could help.

But, the smoother shifts thing has me baffled... the transmission uses hydraulics to shift the gears - correct? So are we saying that the better grounding is increasing the speed of the solenoids?

Sunil

 

I don't remember anymore, but i have it in one of my older posts explaining the tests.

As for the shifts, your guess is as good as mine. My 2c is that since this is electrical in nature, and the tranny is controlled by electronics, then something there is being affected by the additional grounds.

 

Do the ground kits include a strap for the transmission itself? Or for the ECU?

As far as the ECU electronics of the transmission go - they are digital. A bad ground would have to be *really really* bad in order to effect a digital circuit. If it were that bad then a lot more would be broken.

But, as I eluded to above, if there are electronically controlled solenoids that activate the shifts, and these solenoids draw a large instantaneous current, then a better ground could (in theory) cause the solenoid to react faster. I just don't know enough about how the transmission actually works to know if this would be the case though.

Sunil
(BSEE Penn Status University)

 

well, when ever i get the time i am going to be dynoing my car w/out and w/ the grounding kit to see the true results. You guys will soon know for a 2nd gen

 

I dont believe these kits ground the ECU or Transmission like the SentientbyDesign kits. Black betty kits dont ground them either.

What i find confusing thought is that they all do the same thing. Slight improvement in audio response, Slight improvement in the throttle response, and faster shifts.

I dont understand how there can be quicker shifts if the transmission is not even regrounded. Is it because the rest is (battery, throttle body, engine etc), allowing more current for the transmission?

And would grounding the ECU really do anything? I can see that adding a new transmission ground can be beneficial, but will also most likely have some kind of marginal utlity.

 

Ive been back and forth on getting a grounding kit. I really hate the delay in slap/paddle shift mode and would like the shifting to be a little crisper.