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Ground Kit......Fact or Fiction

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Old Feb 8, 2008 | 09:24 PM
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Default Ground Kit......Fact or Fiction

I just ordered a ground kit off ebay, i was wondering if it was really worth my money or if its just another thing under the hood that will dazzle it up a little bit, i hear mixed reviews on this product, so please give me your opinion...??
Old Feb 8, 2008 | 09:27 PM
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All for looks, no performance.
Old Feb 8, 2008 | 09:31 PM
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Originally Posted by Obike
All for looks, no performance.

x2
Old Feb 8, 2008 | 09:32 PM
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I didn't get mine from E-Bay, I just created my own, and I noticed slightly smoother throttle response, and less fluctuations in the current draw from the electrical system (for example, headlights don't flicker anymore)
Old Feb 8, 2008 | 09:46 PM
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O_O my headlights never flickered.

but yea, all for looks, anything else is just mental
Old Feb 8, 2008 | 10:18 PM
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lol, so im going with the conlcusion that its for looks, but hey that really doesnt bother me since i have a full exhaust and dc headers and cai, so now im working on dressing up my engine, thank you for your repsonses
Old Feb 9, 2008 | 12:04 AM
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Fact... It is fiction. Actually the only reason you would ever see an improvement in performance or any other positive result other than the looks is if you already had some kind of improper ground that exists in the car. From my experience most people that notice a change in their cars later find out that it simply goes right back to the way it used to be.

Rich
Old Feb 9, 2008 | 03:32 PM
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x2^^^
it doesnt hurt to have good grounds, but its really a waste of time and money because all the grounds are already pretty good unless you have problems. if my car was for show id get it.
Old Feb 9, 2008 | 06:19 PM
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The people who say it's for show are the ones who haven't tried it. I got a Ground Fusion grounding kit like 8 months ago and it made a big difference.

Everyone says a grounding kit will only benefit you if you had poor grounds in the first place. Well ask yourself this: how do you know that your grounds are not bad right now? I am sure many cars come straight from the factory with poorly installed or poorly configured grounds. All I know is that my car was just a couple of months old and completely unmodified when I installed my kit, and the difference was extremely noticable. I think a grounding kit is especially beneficial for people with autos. My automatic transmission got much smoother, throttle response got quicker, engine idle became lower and smoother with no more fluctuations. Also, the headlights no longer get dimmer when the A/C kicks in or when the stereo is on.
Old Feb 9, 2008 | 07:20 PM
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well i hear it is good if you have alot of electronics going through your car which i do, but hey it doesnt hurt to try, im hearing mixed reviews left and right so i guess the best thing to do is just put it in and see how it goes
Old Feb 9, 2008 | 07:23 PM
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That was my feeling too. I did some research before I purchased mine. If the feedback had been 100% negative then I would never have bought it, but I was seeing feedback about 50% positive and 50% negative. I saw enough positive claims to convince me to buy it. I have no doubt that it doesn't work for everyone, but there is no denying that some people do receive a benefit. I am really happy with the improvement brought on by my grounding kit.

Here is a good thread with lots of info:

https://www.scionlife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=29261

And a quote:

Automotive electrical and computer systems are designed to tolerate up to 100% noise on their input lines. Meaning, if the ECU is expecting a 12-volt input signal, the signal may vary in the range of 0 to 12 volts. Fluctuations in signal are due to noise and resistance in the system. Noise is generated by spark plugs firing, discharges through the tires to the road, alternator turning on/off, etc. Resistance is the inability of the system to conduct electricity properly. One of the best-proven ways to compensate for noise and resistance is with proper grounding. Engine grounding has been used in the racing industry for years. The benefits have been proven and documented. Engine grounding allows for cleaner data transfer to the ECU. The result is more accurate measurements by the ECU and therefore more accurate performance, smoother idle and better acceleration.
Old Feb 9, 2008 | 07:37 PM
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^^same. did the research not only here but other auto forums. i have an auto also and, yes, it made a difference. everyone who rides in my car noticed the change. and you can't gripe about grounds, because the only electrical stuff done was a HU, and that was installed by my buddy who works for Car Toys as a tech for about 12 years. so no fault there. unless Scion allows their vehicles to roll out with poor groundage.
Old Feb 9, 2008 | 07:48 PM
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where did you get that quote from rodC??? I don't believe it too much, as manufacturers use twisted pairs and braided lines from the factory to help prevent interference.

Let me ask you this question, why would a manufacturer let a car go from the factory with bad grounds??? I work at a car dealership, and the only time or times we witness bad grounds is either from corrosion or wires breaking due to fatigue such as in door jams... If grounds were bad, then it is very noticeable and will cause many different things to happen, depending on which ground it is, In my opinion you will not benefit from it as the factory grounds are sufficient and if you were to add electronics, if you ground them correctly you still would not need this...
Old Feb 9, 2008 | 07:50 PM
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Well I don't know what happened to my car before I bought it from the dealer. I don't know if anything was wrong with it or not. I don't know what specific technical faults were correctly by the grounding kit. The only thing I do know is that the grounding kit works. I don't care to know the technical details, I am just happy with the results.
Old Feb 9, 2008 | 07:54 PM
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Originally Posted by qrymson
^^same. did the research not only here but other auto forums. i have an auto also and, yes, it made a difference. everyone who rides in my car noticed the change.
I also got the same reaction from people who ride in my car. In the auto, passengers really notice when you have a jerky, sudden shift. No matter how much I would finesse the pedal, I used to get sudden surges of power and sudden shifts, but that was completely eliminated by the grounding kit. That specific problem was the reason I went looking for a solution in the first place, and some people told me that a grounding kit could help to smooth out the auto tranmission response. It did.
Old Feb 9, 2008 | 08:01 PM
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i have manual but hey itll make my engine bay look nicer newayz
Old Feb 9, 2008 | 08:02 PM
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There is still a good chance you will benefit from better throttle response and smoother/lower engine idle. I did.
Old Jun 16, 2008 | 01:30 AM
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Now that my system is dialed in, everything sounds great and the extra grounding eliminates any alternator whine. The headlights are bright and they don't dim as the rpm's get lower. Overall, very happy.
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