Cusco Earth Grounding Kit

[AVOturboworld]

Sadly, I think I'm the one that introduced grounding mods to north america on Nasioc, way back in the day. It was something that the Legacy twin turbo customers noted on the 2nd gen twin turbo's. Purely an accidental byproduct of them trying to get the ultimate sound quality from the McIntosh audio systems that were an option. It was a big thing then (the McIntosh), and in the process of grounding out the system for better audio, the Legacy bbs (in Japan) noticed that the car ran *much* better.

I tried it myself (did I ever mention I spent 15 years living in Japan?), and reluctantly had to agree with them. This was before any of the aftermarket companies had heard of it, so it was all backyard stuff - heading down to Akihabara and getting all the cables/connectors and doing it ourselves. Due to our experience with it, we went to Subaru of Japan and talked about it, and interestingly enough, on the S202 I tested a year or so later, they had actually beefed up the grounding 4x compared to the earlier model Impreza.

But, that's pretty much the last time grounding kits ever had any major impact on a car. The issue was found and resolved at the manufacturer level, and hasn't popped up since then. It's just that it's a highly profitable and easy to sell product, so they keep selling them.

[naikaidriver]

Originally Posted by AVOturboworld

Sadly, I think I'm the one that introduced grounding mods to north america on Nasioc, way back in the day. It was something that the Legacy twin turbo customers noted on the 2nd gen twin turbo's. Purely an accidental byproduct of them trying to get the ultimate sound quality from the McIntosh audio systems that were an option. It was a big thing then (the McIntosh), and in the process of grounding out the system for better audio, the Legacy bbs (in Japan) noticed that the car ran *much* better.

I tried it myself (did I ever mention I spent 15 years living in Japan?), and reluctantly had to agree with them. This was before any of the aftermarket companies had heard of it, so it was all backyard stuff - heading down to Akihabara and getting all the cables/connectors and doing it ourselves. Due to our experience with it, we went to Subaru of Japan and talked about it, and interestingly enough, on the S202 I tested a year or so later, they had actually beefed up the grounding 4x compared to the earlier model Impreza.

But, that's pretty much the last time grounding kits ever had any major impact on a car. The issue was found and resolved at the manufacturer level, and hasn't popped up since then. It's just that it's a highly profitable and easy to sell product, so they keep selling them.

I completely agree... Those were products from when companies started mainstreaming aluminum engine blocks and heads yet still used the same sizes and amount of grounding cables that iron blocks had.

I spent 8 years in Japan total. 2 1/2 years in Sasebo and 5 1/5 in Iwakuni, just south of Hiroshima.

Sometimes I do really miss it.

Scott

Scott

[Dave-ROR]

Originally Posted by 2point0

Lots of newer cars have crap grounding. My 05 WRX and 10 STi both had dinky little ground wires connecting to the chassis. Haven't really looked at the one on the BRZ yet. But since every device that you ground to the chassis has to go back to that point, it can help depending on what all you're hooking up (stereo, gauges, cameras, gps, lights, etc).

For the most part (stock car), no real difference. If upgrading the sound system, it can mean the difference between headlights dimming or not. With my WRX, I had headlight dimming issues so I put a capacitor in the system because I thought that was supposed to help (hey, I was dumb). In the end, I ditched the cap and made a grounding kit from 8ga power wire from Al & Ed's at like $1/ft (might have even been less). I soldered all the terminals and heatshrinked them. The result was much better and my headlights never dimmed when the subs hit after that.

Paying money for a grounding kit is a waste unless you are absolutely unable to create one on your own. Buying wire, strippers, terminals, heatshrink does add up. Claims of 2 HP gains are pretty worthless, if you ask me. Look at some dyno graphs of people doing back to back runs, they change slightly every run.

There are several topics on NASIOC about this with DIY guides as well. Look up "big 3 mod".

Yes but then you'd be stupid to pay for one of these kits for that purpose too. These kits are a waste of money, if you want massive grounding cables you can use tons of very inexpensive cable for your big 3/4/5/6 mods..

[2point0]

Originally Posted by Dave-ROR

Yes but then you'd be stupid to pay for one of these kits for that purpose too. These kits are a waste of money, if you want massive grounding cables you can use tons of very inexpensive cable for your big 3/4/5/6 mods..

I totally agree. This was pretty much my point, tho I took a lot longer saying it.

[gonbrz]

my .02 cents on grounding kits based on my previous experience (Civic Si) was that i did notice better response from the throttle. At the time when i bought it i believe it was $10 I didn't really feel like it provided any additional benefit to my car but since i had it installed already i just left it. I thought the throttle response was improved but i didn't want to believe it because many time its a physiological thing.

It wasn't till i was about to sell the car did i remove all the grounding kit, that as i was driving my shifts were all off (that day the only thing i removed was my grounding kit). In a way i had to adjust my driving to match the car again.

I was planning to reinstall my old grounding wire kit to the BRZ this weekend just for kicks to see if it does help improve the throttle response.

[gmookher]

I added my own grounding strap to the FI computer a week after I got my car. Why? It made my idle dip less. Not snake oil. They skimped on grounding the motor well for high RPM use. you can make a few cables for alot less tho cusco kit is neat and inclusive

[kwood9000]

Originally Posted by gmookher

I added my own grounding strap to the FI computer a week after I got my car. Why? It made my idle dip less. Not snake oil. They skimped on grounding the motor well for high RPM use. you can make a few cables for alot less tho cusco kit is neat and inclusive

What gauge did you use?

[Dimman]

I had a DSport mag where they looked at all the grounding kits they tested over the years. It was hit or miss on which cars gains and which didn't. Don't think it even favoured the older cars. Very random. I'll see if I can find the magazine...

Edit: OK, this example isn't great because these are probably modded cars, and it is a mix of turbo and NA, but here it is:



That Sun Grounding kit is 3 gauge, and the Apexi is 8 gauge. Neither are cheap.

[kwood9000]

Duplicate post.

[gmookher]

Originally Posted by kwood9000

What gauge did you use?

Good question, not really sure, the car is in California and I am in AZ..

it was 1 or 2 gauge leftover scrap from one of my other stereo installs, thickest wire I could find in the garage. Thicker IS better here. If I could find a braided grounding strap, thats would have been my choice. But quality OFC copper will do just fine.

It goes from the chassis(bolt behind strut where a small factory battery to chassis ground exists}, to the threaded hole where the sound transducer gizmo was bolted in. That black painted bracket is what the denso FI computer sits on. Be sure to use a steel bolt, or a high grade bolt here, not a crappy zinc one.

I thought about taking the bracket off, sanding it, but adding a ground strap did the trick for me, just one. The cusco kit is a bit overkill, but in order to sell it you need to make it seem 'worthy'. Adding a strap, or two goes a long way IMHO. Use a short and fat a cable run as you need is the name of that game. The car is grounded to the block and tranny in other ways from the factory.

I will later redo the factory strap or augment it to a beefier gauge of cable next. It well worth the time if you ask me, and if you dont have time or skills, buy the cable set, it wont disappoint you. Again, ymmv, I am not posting this for an argument regarding its validation, it wouldnt be on my car under my hood if it didnt make a difference. If you think its snake oil, pass it by. Trust me, it works.

Here is a pic of how simple it can be.

[AlexTheGreek]

I'm curious where the performance starts to lack when you have poor grounding?

Is it simply the reduction of combustion effeciency from the spark plug grounded on the block?

Or does the voltage drop on components causing poor fuel delivery?

Or is it maybe a power loss on the alternator from added resistance in the electrical system?

[youcantseeme24]

ya got to love that marketing

[zooki]

Probably marketed to the same people that can "feel" that 3HP a $300 intake adds at 7000 RPM...

[sw20kosh]

I couldn't stop laughing when I saw that dyno graph! LOL