I've seen some here that have added a larger ground cable near where most of you have added a Alta OCC. I just added a 2 gauge Battery to starter cable that I bought at Autozone and attached it to the attachment points that the current ground cable is. I basically doubled up on it. I did notice that when I started the car, that it started quicker. Any opinions or observations. I appreciate folks that are well versed in engine grounds and those that know performance secrets concerning electricals.

Thanks,
ARLY

 

I did not see much different.

 

This was an issue with the water cooled VWs. The alternator and starter are much more efficient with a larger or secondary ground wire. I believe the VW does run a little better because it has electronic fuel injection, which is dependant on a strong battery. This isn’t a “performance modification,” but rather compensation for a bad design.

The classic Mini will find a ground wherever it can. I’ve heard horror stories of people forgetting to connect the ground strap after an engine rebuild. The result? The stainless-braided fuel line or throttle cable glowing red hot!

 

The MINI has a nice, solid, properly sized and well placed main grounding wire. As long as this wire is solidly connected from the engine mount to the frame, adding anything else is a waste. It's better to periodically check the condition of this ground than it is to replace it or spend the money on some overpriced 'solution' to a problem that does not exist here. If you have any concerns over the effectiveness of the ground, attaching a second ground from the engine or transmission to the frame in another area using common terminals and 6-4 gage wire can't hurt, and only cost a couple dollars in materials.

 

I see the same kinda thing on the Mazda Rx-8 board. It was discussed at length and the opinion over there was positive. Basically the prevailing opinion was that any modern car could potentialy benefit from this. The reason was simply a cleaner signal reaching the cars ECU and other electronic systems. If your car has no issues, the gains are likely non-existant. Opinion over there was as a car ages the quality of the grounding can degrade due to normal corrosion. Having mutliple clean sources for the ground can't hurt. A negligable 1-2 hp is rumuroed in some applications due to the cleaner signal. As stated though this is not a performance mod. More like a preventitive measure, for a problem you may never have. imo.

 

Thanks all,
I am doing this because I read somewhere else, that the better the grounding is the better the electrical flow to all systems especially the ecu as mentioned. Is there any other areas where there is a ground that connects to the engine.

ARLY

 

I agree with Greatbear... the stock grounding system is more than adequate.
A good grounding system will help keep "noise" down on the electrical systems and reduce the chance of errors between the various systems.