Grounding Kits

[1stMerc]

Has anyone ever heard of these, and if so your opinions please. I know a good ground is essential for a good sounding stereo, but torque and fuel mileage is this feasible.

http://www.sfxperformance.com/parts/SUNHG00002K.htm

[CRUZTAKER]

The price is ridiculous....but yes, as far as a high powered amp for a car stereo is concerned, these big cables are good. The ground cable should be the shortest, heaviest cable as this is the direction of flow.

If anyone feels the need for these, just see me before I quit my stinking job. I have cable as small as 8awg and as big as 750. I will cut to length and crimp the apprpriate lugs for you.

1/0 should be sufficient for anyone around here. ;)

[MENINBLK]

I have cable as small as 8awg and as big as 750.

Cruz...

Isn't it the other way around ???

[David Morton]

Save your money and follow a few simple rules for the same "good ground" this kit offers.

DC current likes surface area. The more the better, so fine wires bundled together have much less resistance than fat wires even if they have bigger bundles. Go buy 10 guage cable made with the finest wires and solder them into the eyelets. Use heat shrink tubing to seal the connections from moisture for durability. Ideally, three coming from the negative battery clamp going to engine, body and chassis; and for redundance, two from the engine to the body and chassis and one from the body to chassis.

Contrary to popular belief though, the negative side can be the worst and still function. On a good battery you can loosen the negative clamp and just touch it to the battery post and the engine will crank! The positive side of the system is the weakest link because current flows from the negative, where the electrons are at high energy and eager to jump across the weakest of connections, then go do their "work" at the starter or amp or whatever and then are coming back on the positive side wires all pooped out and tired where they need an easy road home or they just stop. Manufacturers know this and try to get away with cheap fat wire ground cables, which put extra requirement for the positive wires to be good. This is the root cause of many electrical problems.

Expensive jumper cables use the finest wire available and will jump a car in minutes.

[CRUZTAKER]

Cruz...

Isn't it the other way around ???
No.

8 awg is about as big as a #2 pencil.
750 is is nearly 3" round and weighs like 7lbs a foot.

Trust me...this is what I do every day.;)

[dwasson]

It looks like it is proven effective at wasting $114.

[rookie1]

smoke and mirrors.
The grounding for a car stereo is important but only as it relates to noise like alternator whine and crosstalk between units. It has nothing to do with the performance of a system.

[STLR FN]

I"ll get some to go with the muffler bearings I got. 5.1 hp plus what the beaings give me :woohoo:

[Wires]

No.

8 awg is about as big as a #2 pencil.
750 is is nearly 3" round and weighs like 7lbs a foot.

Trust me...this is what I do every day.;)
When you get bigger than 0000 (or 4/0), the "gauge" system is not used. I think that's 750 kcmil - or 750 thousand circular mills. Larger numbers = bigger wire.


These "grounding kits" have been touted in just about all car forums. I think it's a waste of money - their wire is overpriced.

If you are grounding an amp, driving lights, etc, then I can see adding ground wires, but the engine sensors are all grounded with separate wires, which are all run to the ECU - adding large ground wires won't do squat for performance, in my opinion.

Many folks swear that they have inproved torque, or improved idle quality, etc. etc. I think it's an example of the "placebo effect."

[RF Overlord]

"SUN Hyper-Ground System"

I can't afford it...I guess I'll just have to make do with my old "Ultra-Ground" system for a while longer... :shake:

I only have one word to say about this ground kit:

"Ricer."

[VERN]

The wire nomeclature changes as the cable gets physically larger than #1. The general order is (going from physically small cable to larger):


#6 AWG
#4 AWG
#2 AWG
#1 AWG
1/0 (0) 1 aught
2/0 (00) 2 aught
3/0 (000) 3 aught
4/0 (0000) 4 aught
250 kcmil (thousands of circular mils) - a circular mil is the area of a circle that fits INSIDE a square that is 1 mil on each side.
500 kcmil
...And so on

I generally deal with 2500 kcmil cables. The copper itself weighs 7.8 lbs/ foot and with the insulation weighs 14 lbs/ft. The diameter of the copper is 1.8 inches and over the insulation is almost 4 inches.

The positive and negative cables in a car are designed to withstand the amps required to turn the engine over for a short amount of time. Once the starter is not cranking the engine, the cables only need to carry the current required by the rest of the equipment in the car. Larger cables are needed with larger or high compression engines since the starter will require more current to turn over the engine. Add to that a hot engine and it becomes apparent that small cables may not hold up. Also the large sound systems require so much current, upgrading the battery leads reduces the voltage drop to the sound equipment.

Vern

[CRUZTAKER]

The wire nomeclature changes as the cable gets physically larger than #1. The general order is (going from physically small cable to larger.......Vern
Right on man!
Oh, and by the way....around here it's pronounced "OTT" :P

Nice post, gives new meaning to " ....know whatta I mean Vern? "

:up:

2500??? Wow...tough guy ehh? The power plants in Telecom offices never use bigger than 750. And that shat is a major PITA to pull through the racks. God help us if we don't have the hydraulic Burndy to put the lugs on.

Can't you say squeek...squeek...squeek...."your turn...I'm done!"