The_Zeeness

I just threw one of these one my xB. Good stuff. No more static when I get out of my car, and once the car is warmed up the idle RPM is a bit lower and cleaner sounding. The gears seem to shift a little smoother as well, but I didn't really pay attention to it before so I can't say for sure.

I used gold ring terminals, I dunno if that makes a difference or not. Regardless, good stuff. Thanks Mikochu!

BlueBox

Nice write up.. i gotta try it for myself now.

Did you feel any difference...?

TheScionicMan

Yeah, this is my weekend project i think...

BoostedRex

Very nice write up Miko. My one question is the engine corner bolt. I can't run out and look at my engine right now so I'll ask here. What is that bolt holding together? I just want to make sure that the bolt won't back itself out and that it is now too short to perform it's original purpose. I am going to do this mod though. Thanks again for your write up and pics. Great job!!

Zach

squirrel

I think 4 gauge wire is the better route to go. I noticed a big difference when I made mine out of 4 gauge on the Matrix. There is an improvement while idling with the 8 gauge on my xB, but I think I'll make some 4 gauge replacements when I regain the full use of my right hand.

timinaz

I just finished this and noticed that my rpm's are around 500 -600 rpm (at least by the oem tach.) There is no fluttering of rpm's anymore.

Another tip is to use a hammer to crimp the wire and the lugs. I might do mine again with 4 gauge wire at some point.

Thanks for a great write up!

mfbenson

Isn't that last wire redundant since there is already a ground that runs from the negative battery terminal to the body?

jct

what about alt bracket there seems there could be a bolt that could be put there you think that would work, if you don't wanna take out the bolt thats on the head/corner of engine???

and is that last connection from the battery to the body really needed since there is already a battery to body already there

StackTrayce

Quick and perhaps silly question:
Are the cable lengths in the plans the same for both xAs and xBs?

mikochu

They should be, but I'd measure them in the engine bay just to be safe... Give about an inch slack when cutting them just in case you mess up when stripping the insulation or crimping.

StackTrayce

I think I'm going to get the parts and try to do this. What is a good place to look for heatshrink and other materials? I have an Ace Hardware, Checker Auto Parts and a Home Depot near me. Which would be my best bet?

mikochu

Um, I went to a local electronics surplus store in Orlando. I'm from Miami and I've never seen a place like it. Any decent car audio store sells all the parts you need for the ground wires. Although, the eyelets may be expensive... I know Home Depot sells heatshrink and tools, but I'm not sure about the wire and eyelets...

tbone587

what does a ground kit do?

StackTrayce

I'm new to lots of this so someone more experienced may need to correct me, but I believe the ground kit is meant to help stabilize electric power and make sure the full voltage is actually being delivered. Many electronic components work best when given a stable power supply and there are a fair number of components in our cars that use electricity, so a grounding kit should give them more ideal power conditions to work with. Anyone more knowledgable care to correct/elaborate on all this?

tbone587

so maybe if i printed out these instructions and had the supplies, the local car shop would be capable of something like this, if it is worth it?

mikochu

StackTrayce, sounds good to me. Benefits of the ground kit include better throttle response, less sporatic idle RPMs, clearer audio output, among other things...

tbone587, I don't know if it'd be worth it to have a car shop do it for you. Why not do it yourself? If you're gonna have someone do it for you, you might as well buy a already-made kit from Ground Fusion or whoever...

tbone587

why are u saying to use 8 gauge speaker wire? Shouldnt we be using power wire??

jct

i'm using reg. 8 gauge black wire

Ashe_WCM

On the simple side: Is there a difference between 8Gau speaker wire and 8Gau power wire?
I got Acid Free Silver/Zinc wire and Gold connectors, but thats mostly for style

tbone587

im about to order some 4 gauge power wire from knukonceptz, its gonna be like 20 bucks for everything