Doing some research on a grounding kit for my coupe. Any feedback on the usefulness or suggestions for brands to buy?

 

You can make your own for less than half the price of a Stillen brand, but I went with the Stillen one anyways. The lag with the shifting is definitely improved and honestly it just looks nice under the hood cosmetically as well.

 

Cool thanks for the suggestion. Your car looks good under the hood. I was also thinking about a strut brace also. After seeing your pic, I think I'm gonna get one.

 

Everything I read about this mod seemed fishy... Most said it was a B.S. mod and that it did nothing and on some people it even caused problems ....!!??
However, if Kenny likes it ...heck maybe I should try it...

 

That's why I was asking on here. I have read good and bad about it. I guess I am still on the fence.

 

You'd get better visibility by posting in the engine forum.

 

Thanks for the heads up.

 

Honestly maybe the whole lag difference might just be in my head. I don't think it's a "CRAZY OMG NOTICEABLE DIFFERENCE" as others have stated and over exaggerated but like I said it looks nice so fugg it why not lol


Also just realized you posted this in the wrong section of the forum. This is for site suggestions and feedbacks.

 

I wonder if anyone knows how to test the validity of the claims that it works. Some people claimed that their battery ran down because the charge of the alternator was not adequate after the install. ???? Others had some electrical glitches after the install.

I am all about reducing shift times on AT..however many claim that it is a placebo affect of disconnecting your battery when installing the grounding kit which resets the ECU and causes it to forget the old learned style of driving. The ECU then relearns fresh...over time it simply goes back to the delayed shifts unless your led footing all the time...

 

I would think the easiest and most cost effective way to test if this really works would be to first reset your ECU, drive for a few days to a week with your typical driving habits and routes. Then take the car for a run and record timing between shifts. This would be your baseline. Then add a grounding kit, run your car for a few days to a week with the same driving habits and routes and then again take your car for same run recording shift timing.

I think someone posted comparison videos on the forum somewhere but I can't remember if they previously reset the ECU to account for that variable.

As far as electrical glitches/problems, if you are making good connections with good wires you shouldn't have any problems. Bad grounds can really start to mess the system up, which is often why when people start to have electrical failures the first place to look is for a bad ground.

I installed a grounding kit of my own making last week and while it wasn't earth shattering there did seem to be some minor added benefit (I didn't previously reset the ECU so I can't account for that variable). However with that said I wouldn't spend $100+ to do it, but since I had most of the wire/connectors/heat shrink laying around it was a worthwhile as my out pocket cost was less than $15 to do it.

 

Honestly, perceived improvements are just as important as real improvements when modding your car

It's all about what you find fun and satisfying.

 

Yes! It will make your car faster; your wallet will be lighter.

 

I made my own from cheap wire I found on Amazon last year. Only improvement I noticed was a definite decrease in shift lag. Felt like a different car! I then had to remove it for the dealer to successfully diagnose a (seemingly unrelated) electrical issue which took them several months. After that frustration, I just had a sour taste in my mouth for electrical upgrades. The "what-if" of whether or not the kit was causing issues stuck with me, so I never reinstalled (and threw it away, sorry). If I was to do it again, I personally would opt for a brand name kit, but wouldn't be willing to spend more than $50 or so for it.

 

If installed properly it should not cause any issues.
BUT, be aware that our cars have MULTIPLE grounds for different sensors. You don't want to connect two grounds that are designed to be isolated from each other.

 

Make your own and install it if you want, but I don't believe it makes much of a difference. If you want a difference go with a Big three kit.