Grounding Kit and Fuel Economy/Performance Improvements

Horsepucky. That difference is in the noise level run-to-run of a typical dyno. Just the change in ambient temperature from the first run to the second run could have that much affect. And you couldn't tell the difference in 2 HP even if the difference was real.

Matt

I think that any vehicle should have proper grounding ex factory. Grounding kit sounds like sorting wheel alignment by tightening wheel nuts.

If you have a new car, it might be good to get some di-electric grease and dab it on the connectors, put some anti-corrosize goup on the battery terminals, etc. That would help any vehicle over the long haul. As time passes, electrical connections do corrode and become poorer. What they are suggesting is more along the lines of wearing a back brace for a lower back problem instead of strengthening the abdominal muscles over time to support the back the "natural way". (This comes to mind because I am having to wear a brace today due to an injury yesterday, but if I had been doing ab-strengthening exercises then my upper body would have been supported by more than my spine and back muscles.....

The claims are basically bogus unless there is a problem with the factory grounds. That CAN happen over time as the connections oxidize and the metal they're grounded to rusts. Adding better quality grounds can help to compensate for this natural aging process, but it's not going to gain you any horsepower or torque, reduce friction (what an incredibly stupid claim!!!) or prevent you from going bald. However, if the ground kit doesn't have soldered connections, it's a joke, as it's just going to corrode like the factory grounds. Most kits are more about "bling" than function.

You can make better grounds than most of the kits using wire from Home Depot and gold plated connectors from an electronics store. Solder the connectors to the wires and you've got a system that's better than most you can buy, for a fraction of the cost.

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It won't last though. There's a good reason manufacturers don't use soldered connections under the bonnet.....corrosion. Far worse with soldered connections than crimped.

And vibration tolerance of a soldered connection is poor. That is the reason that airplanes are required to use crimped connections.

Matt

Where did you hear that? Soldered connections create a chemical and physical bond between the wire and the connector which corrodes far less than crimped connections, since water and air cannot get into the connection.

In addition to the points I made in the other post, if this was the case, why would factory battery cables have cast-on terminals, which are essentially the same thing as a soldered connection?

I should have been more specific. I use crimp-on connnectors and solder them afterward. When constructing a buss, the branches are wrapped around the main tightly, soldered, then taped for insulation. In both cases, there is a tight mechanical connection AND a soldered connection.

A properly crimped connection is gas tight in the crimp zone. That should limit corrosion there. Outside the connection zone nothing protects the exposed conductor. All that said, I was under the impression that the main advantage of crimps is cost. Terminals are not that much different in cost but the time involved in a crimped terminal is significanty less than that of a soldered one.

I can tell you from experience that it doesn't, at least not consistently. I've seen LOTS of corroded crimped connections of various types. Up here in New England where road salt is used every winter, it's a significant problem.

One would expect that.

Exactly. It's done because it's cheap, fast and it's ususally good enough for a few years (through the warranty period?).