bike4miles

Hey Romad, how did you replace that power wire? I tried to do that one day and couln't figure out how I would go about attaching a new wire to the old location since it had a special conector. I would really like to replace that wire since the origonal owner spliced it.

ROMAD

That stumped me at first too - then I got the assembly from a wrecking yard to test out some ideas with.

Basically all I did was cut off the crimp from the brass plate. The you add in the replacement wire to the screw in terminal that is holding the 'slow blow' fuse into the assembly. It is a tight fit but not unreasonably so - you just have to pay attention when reconnecting everything and be aware of the clearances.

I have a mini write up here and feel free to contact me for any questions about this. I have some more pictures I can post once I get home that show things in a bit more detail.

wvuviv30

I know several people that have put one of these KITs on to their Ford Probe and Mazda MX6. Well everyone said that they had a brighter head lights, and the car's lights didn't dim when at lower RPMS. On the performance side, only a couple people reported an increase in their Butt Dyno, but then again these people where running aftermarket fuel pumps and a other MAJOR (Turbo, Supercharger, and/or NOS) mods.

yoda-g2

Your right, I have a Legacy 2.5 GT had a 2.5 RS and there are a lot of Subaru guys that swear by these. In fact I remember some Racing Development company making them (I think it was STI)

Anyways the Subaru hype wasn't due to increased HP, it was all about smother idle, less hesitation, etc. The theory was that the grounding "delay" (I'm guessing impedence) made by all your many sensors, solonoids, etc isn't as smoth as it could be, at least in Subies. I'm not an electrician but it seems to make sense that every ground "pulse" a sensor or injector has to make eventually makes its way back to the battery or no circuit is formed for it to do its thing. So logically making that ground path more established should smooth things out. Usually that little strap from the block to the body isn't much compared to the cable from the battery to the body. I know back in my stereo days all my batteries had at least 2 4ga wires grounding them.

Bottom line, the kits I made for my Subies (wasn't going to buy one), no HP that I could feel, but they do and did seem to help the cars run smoother.


(My friend is an electrical engineer, I'm sure he'd be pissed to see my "abreviated lesson on electricity ." )

Bigkahuna808

Im running one and I dont see any differences. I only noticed my headlights are a little brighter. Other wise with all the aftermarket sounds im running, my engine looks like a spiders web. Save your money on thoes wires and make your own out of welding wire or engine ground straps

Mystickal

An "octopus" ground is a waste. Electricity will take the path of least resistance (just like with our dual spark plugs), so unless each ground is connected to an independent circuit, only 1 wire will actually flow.

As for the gains "measured" in magazines, how do we know that their stock ground cables weren't defective, corroded, or oxidized? If the stock cable was faulty, then naturally there would be a measurable increase in performance.

But, as others have said, unless the stock ground was not up to the task, or if there are many aftermarket parts and the stock ground can't handle it, it's a waste.

Although it is an inexpensive way to add a little style under your hood.

~Bill

rimpainter.com

On a new Z?

TRD04RUNNER

That mod was an option on my EVO! and YES I gane 7whp from it! dont know why but i did!

RagerXS

In the Miata crowd, guys running aftermarket ECU's and Piggybacks always beef up the grounds to get everything to work as best as it can, but like has been mentioned before it is about correcting a deficiency that reclaims power you would otherwise already have without the deficiency. Regardless, don't buy a cheesy kit just make your own -- and then only if you have aftermarket fuel management on a Miata, or a Subaru, or a brand new 350Z...

Now the real hot tickets are performance decals and British Racing Green caliper paint. Of course, the stickers are best placed underneath your trunk lid, behind door panels or under bed-liners so it's real stealth. And though the British Racing Green caliper paint helps convert the most braking heat to stored engine performance, it really looks like hell. So the trick is to use two coats liberally, then cover it with the caliper paint color of your choice, such as bright red or bright yellow. And luckily, that mod ends up stealth too...

~ Fred

BruceTS

I gained 10 HP simply by adding the TRD stickers to the side of my 4Runner

foxtrapper

Not true, just look at parallel circuits. If all things are equal on the octopus ground, the current will flow through all the wires equally divided among them.

RagerXS

Humor aside, the octopus ground could increase the capacity for current flow. It would also reduce the effects of a bad termination because the current could still flow through the rest of the wires. Contrary to AC wiring in a home, for example, the 'ground' in a vehicle is actually part of the circuit. While it is true that current seeks the path of least resistance, it will also flow through the rest of the paths available.

Nonetheless, while it may restore lost power or smooth idle or whatever, it can only do this if it corrects a deficiency. It will not add power that you shouldn't have already.

~ Fred

bike4miles

Baised on what everyone has said about this idea, I'm still thinking it is a good idea to wire in some extra grounds for "just in case" reasoning. It seems like a good idea to have the negative grounded to the frame and engine and also to have the engine well grounded to the frame. It can't do any harm and it may impove the elctrical system efficency so I am going to install some extra grounds. I really doubt I will get hp out of it but with a 1200 watt amp, I wat to imprve my electrical system as much as posable. I am alos planing on insalling a new power wire to compleet the circut wire upgrade. Thanks for the help, opinions, and ideas everyone.

Mystickal

This is not a true statement. In a parallel circuit, there are resistive loads on each parallel branch. If you have a parallel circuit and you add a branch with just a wire, none of the other branches will receive any current whatsoever (hence, a short). In an 'octopus ground' there are no loads on any branches. Thus, a short is created, and all current flow takes the path of least resistance, flowing on only 1 wire.

~Bill

Bigkahuna808

Ive been wanting to take it off my truck for some time now. After all its just a 4 guage power wire kit. Im just looking to replace it with engine wround straps. Any idea where to buy various lenght straps???

foxtrapper

When you are comparing a parallel branch circuit, all things being equal, the current flow through the branches of the circuit will be equally divided between them. It doesn't matter of these circuits are wires (which do have resistance btw), or "loads" as you describe it. If one branch or wire has more resistance then the other(s) , the current flow through that branch or wire will be reduced, but only proportionally to the increase in resistance. Conversely, if the resistance is equal, the current distribution will be equal.

The math formulation for this is done partially using Ohms law for parallel circuits with R(total)=1/R1+1/R2+1/R3+... You can use this formula to work out the values of current going through each leg of the parallel circuit and the ratio of each compared to the total circuit. You also use Kirchhoff's several rules to do the rest of the calculations of a complex parallel circuit.

The only way to make it so that the current flows exclusively through one wire in a parallel circuit such as this octopus is to raise the resistance of the other circuits to infinity.

The weak link in this octopus ground btw is the center mount that brings everything together. This grounding design is used by some vehicle manufacturers such as Volvo. When this single contact point experiences increased resistance due to corrosion or a loose screw, The grounding current from all the co-jointed components flows through other paths, wreaking havoc on those components.

3.4v6

i have a home made ground wire kit on my 2001 taco. i used some 8 gauge wire and ring terminals. you have to be kidding if you say you gain 5 hp because thats a joke. i did notice smoother idling, smotther engine starts, and the engine seems more stable at high rpm's. but i doubt any power gains.

Mystickal

The key phrase is 'all things being equal'. They are not equal. While the wires do have resistance, it is so small as to not really be a factor. However, the various points that the wires are connected to, and the various impedance associated with each connector, is going to mean that each path has significantly different resistance. Thus, the current distribution will not be equal.

The correct formula is 1/(1/R1 +1/R2 +1/R3 . . .)

While you are technically correct, current flow in 1 of the wires is going to be signifcantly more than in the other wires. If you take a simple series circuit - a battery hooked up to a light bulb - even if you short around the bulb, there will still be a small amount of current going through the bulb. Just not enough to really do much of anything. Just like hooking up multiple ground wires. You'd be much, much better of just hooking up a larger single wire.

~Bill

Gadget

You guys and all your math is impressive.

However, lets try to keep in perspective here. Is it worth paying $90-$120 for a box of wires expecting to get more HP and performnace out your engine?

Well, I would have to say based on my own dyno testing on a TOYOTA TRUCK just like we all drive here, the answer is NO!

Gadget

potroast

you won't get any extra HP -- and you won't get anything you shouldn't have had anyway, but it DOES help with the electrical system... For example, do the big-3 upgrade (search for it at a car-audio forum) and it'll help a LOT if you've got a big load, such as a nice stereo system, flex-a-lite fans, etc.