Hey whats up folks..

I'm planning on doing up my own ground wire kit..

I know all the pre-done up kits run on 4g. wiring, so I bought that.. But I was reading up on another DIY article here in the TECH area, and read that he made his outta 8g.

I understand, the smaller the wire = less resistance, etc, etc... Perhaps using the 8g over the 4g. you might notice a bigger difference perhaps??

I dunno, I don't wanna sound like a retard or anything...but I had to ask to be safe..

I understand they use the 4g. to play it safe, in case you're running some serious electronics, WHICH I'M NOT ;), that way you don't burn out the wires with voltage or amps, whatever...

So please help, I already bought the 7' of red 4g. speaker wire, and all the connectors, etc, etc, best of the best like crap = $15 worth from a buddy that owns an audio shop... I need to know if it would be neccessary to take back the 4g. and go with the 8g.

Thanks alot!

-Tylor

 

4g gauge would be fine just 8 gauge is easier to work with in some case.. b.c is is smaller and easier to crimp and is more flexible.. but if already have 4 gauge use 4 guage

 

yea..

well, I got it all done up, except I didn't have crimpers handy, so I ended up using a dull chisel and a hammer to crimp it across the connectors themselves...worked the same way a lil'..

I would of done it tomorrow the correct way WITH crimpers at work in the shop, but I couldn't wait

Welp, I got it all installed after a long lecture with my dad, who got all mad at me saying that I could destroy my ECU, etc, etc.. but if I'm only running it from a neg batt. post and to the uni-body..how could I do that :?: :? lol, I told him, dad, thats what fuses are for, JUST in case you're a dumbass and try to redneck-rig ____ up, and you accidentally cross a wire, or mix something up... worst case senario, you'd melt a wire, or blow a few fuses...BIG DEAL..

But hey, its on, and it seems to work ok!

The only thing though was that once I disconnected my battery, it deleted my stereo settings...big woop, no biggie..

I also noticed my lights seemed to be alot brighter, and I had a little more pull in the upper rpms, seemed to pull a LITTLE longer than usual.. But that could just be my imagination...lol

I'll finalize it sometime soon, by buying new 8g. wire, and not stress the lengh issue, as well as buy the proper connectors, and USE A CRIMPER... things would go ALOT more smoothly..

LOL, all I used was a 10mm box wrench, a hammer, a flat head screw driver, and an old chisel....lol

Seemed to work for me...

but hey, lets just make this thread a FAQ thread/ Question thread to ANY and ALL questions you have regarding any ground wire kit... So HAVE AT IT!!!

Thanks for the help..

-Tylor

 

All this talk about crimping????? You are supposed to solder the connections for good connections then use shrink tube over the connector to finish it off and make it look right!

 

^not originally...

But why do they sell crimpers then for 4g. wire?? Besides, if you have a decent enough crimp and connectors, then why bother with more BS, like solder to add to the resistance...

don't go rolling your eyes either bro.. I'm not a dumbass, and my kit looks 10x better than the ones for sale... and 10x cheaper too! so, f### it...

lol, roll your eyes at me..

-Tylor

btw, mods, you can close the thread now..

this is the reason why I don't post often on here, because there's too many smart asses that think they're now-it-all's

 

First off, they sell crimpers because some people are not that worried about the quality of the connection, cheap and simple.

Never heard of solder adding resistance to a connection :?

Besides NEVER SAID ANYTHING ABOUT YOU BEING A DUMBASS, YOU ASSUME THAT THATS WHAT I MEANT. BUT I DID NOT, YOU JUMPED ON THAT A LITTLE HASTY. The rolling eyes was meant simply as I figuered that people knew that connections under the hood and exposed to the elements were supposed to be soldered. NOTHING MORE NOTHING LESS.

 

ok..

whatever

again, back to the know-it-all's reference

^that deserves rolling of the eyes my friend.

LATE.

-Tylor

and, why don't you just stop by a toyota dealership and look through each mechanics tool chest, GUARANTEED he owns a set of crimpers...lol, jk

 

I don't think you need to lock the thread. . . soldering wires in cars is nearly unheard of, and all but unnecessary.

Just because they sell crimpers for 4g wires, doesn't necessarily mean it is better than soldering Tylor(although I do agree with you 100%, just not your reasoning). A good crimp, with enough surface area and made of the proper material, is just as good as a soldered connection, and is arguably much stronger/resistant to damage. Just try to break a soldered connection. . . it's not that hard. Now try to brake a properly crimped connection. Ha! You're more likely to tear the wire! Above all else, using a crimp is much easier, much faster, and makes the most sense for automotive use, especially with cables that can move and dangle.
Finally, the material used for crimps is often the same material and gauge as the wire itself (IF NOT BETTER in some cases). If you argue that the solder conducts electricity better, you are ignorning the fact that the biggest bottle neck of juice is the wire, not the connection (assuming you have good crimps). And in most cases, the crimp will conduct better than the wire, hence conductivity is not an issue at all.

 

greatly put, lol, I was trying to say something along the lines of that.. but one of the sides of my brain isn't working tonight properly... lmao

-Tylor

 

I wish we all had the weather you CALI guys had but we don't. If you've ever seen a connection after a couple of years of being exposed to salt and other weather stuff, you would understand the need of soldering on underhood or exterior connections. IT'S NOT A PRETTY SIGHT.

 

Why not use heatshring for your crimps? Mine usually come with good weather protective insulators. . . unless the car is submersed in water, I can't imagine much water or salt getting into any exposed parts (but I tape by crimps anyway for extra protection). But if you ware worried about salt exposure, you got a lot more to worry about than a Ground kit. . . just take a look at the OEM ground wires, as well as many of the exposed components that are corrodable.

 

I stand corrected this last post IS a knowitall!

 

??? I'm not talking down on you man. . . jeez. . . this is just from my experience. . . unless you run solid gold wires, I've never heard of crimps(of good quality and done correctly), decreasing current flow. . . and here in CA I rarely see deteriorated crimps. . . but I guess it could be different for salty roads from snow, but even then, if you wrap everything up. . . no need for name calling. Seriously.

 

I used Gold Crimps, and Oxygen Free 8gau Speakerwire

 

Soldering can break but so can a crimped wire.. i have had a wire break where it is crimped due to movement. So crimping isnt necesarrily better in that catagory. Crimping can be easier and faster. but i myself will be soldering my connections for two reasons.. I dont have a 4g crimper and two the type of terminals i have are not meant to be crimped. Just use whatever works for you

if you really want easy just forget about terminals and strip the wire and wrap it around the bolt so when you tighten the bolts down its tightened to the wire directly and you dont even have to worry about the terminals being crimped or soldered

 

sorry people but tylor is right. solder has a higher resistance than the wire.. so you would be adding resistance to your grounding kit. the best way is pretty much crimp, then solder.

but i generally skip the solder since i live in CA, and use heat shrink on the exposed end instead.

 

not that i know it all but i would personally just crimp and then wrap with elect tape or use a heatshrink over it. and bam done deal. i crimp every wire connection i've ever made except led's and o2 sensors.

 

If you have a good crimp set, it's REALLY hard to break them. . . I've tried.

Generally for 4g connections, I use a type of connector that bolts onto the wire, and then tape it. . . and then use heatshrink. . . depending on how lazy I am

 

ok maybe stupid question but i am not an electrician? i seen what you were talking about were the wire is put in to connector and it has a screw that tightens down onto the wire but the only i have seen say they are aluminum would that be any good for a ground kit...

 

Aluminum is a main part of the problem, with the eng. and trans. made of aluminum they don't get a ground to all the things that need it. Hense the ground kit.