Honda Civic DIYs and Civic Tech ChatHonda Civic DIYs and Civic Tech Chat - for the true gearheads! Bring your wrench, it's time for some Honda Civic DIY projects! Questions about problems with your car do NOT go here.
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After a few back-breaking hours trying to install this thing, I thought I would share my results. Some of those grounding points were extremely difficult to get to and get the bolts back on. On top of all that, a bolt fell into the engine bay somewhere and I had to drive to Honda for another one. Craziness!! I wired mine the same way Happies did in the first post of this diy. The only difference was I used the tranny bolt near the dipstick because the stock grounding point bolt would not come off. All other connections are the same.
Here are the results, which were somewhat disappointing at first. The car started up fine, like it always does, and I didn't feel that it was any faster than before. So the engine didn't improve. While driving around, it maybe felt like the auto tranny was shifting a bit smoother. The headlights didn't really look brighter, and there was no increased throttle response. When I turned on the stereo, I noticed that the subs were alot louder than before. I had to turn down the level a couple notches on the deck to have it back to what it was before.
Overall, it seems to have helped with the electrical system a bit and maybe the tranny shifting. I think this alone makes the kit worth it, especially for just $38.
Thanks, Happies, for the 1-week shipping and a good product!
Originally posted by happies713 You can do either method. from A to B to C. tha is the Daisy Chain method, works very good, its the most used method by the people who buy my kits.
you can also to neg to A, neg to B, neg to C. i dont really know if this is better, but it also works good!!
hm...u r not sure about it?
i just thought second method works better since its directly connected from neg terminal..
but if most ppl go with daisy chain method, then it doesnt matter for me
Use the daisy-chain method. It works. You'll probably notice the most improvement with the stereo. I didn't see much performance gains, and I went into this project with high expectations. Still worth it.
Originally posted by gearbox Use the daisy-chain method. It works. You'll probably notice the most improvement with the stereo. I didn't see much performance gains, and I went into this project with high expectations. Still worth it.
same here ........ but i didn't buy it from happies713 .... DIY from left over wires
The only spot I needed to shave was the valve cover bolt, since the bottom was painted. All the rest were good (bare metal). I would run all the wires first and attach them to the negative terminal LAST. That way you won't have to take out the connector and lose radio settings and stuff.
ok i changed my configuration a bit...instead of neg battery directly to firewall i used another wire to go from neg battery to stock trans ground to firewall...
had the chance to drive around more today...lights are brighter...stereo sounds much better..car seems to run a little smoother...the exhaust note isnt as "rough"...auto tranny shifts quicker... oh ya...and windows go up and down faster...lol no joke
no you dont have to disconnect the battery...i just took the bolt out of the neg terminal without actually taking the negative terminal off...resetting the ecu is a good idea but it makes it harder to notice any gains because the ecu's fuel/ignition maps are reset...
ok, I just finished my grounding kit install! I've noticed benefits all around, mainly brighter lights, in and out, and my stereo is now THX certified here's my version:
from negative to transmission:
from transmission to firewall:
from firewall to right side strut tower:
now, for this next part, i went from the negative terminal to the radiator support frame, then channeled out by cutting the largest wire into 2 pieces:
I heard all you had to do was shave the paint off the valve cover nut, but i decided to shave all the contacts I was making to the frame of the car. and sure enough, the firewall, the strut tower, and the radiator frame all had a painted finish.
I don't think the paint matters, since the current goes through the bolt. I still got a huge base increase from my subs without shaving anything. I might decide to shave them, but boy I had serious problems trying to get that firewall bolt back in!
that's true, the current goes through the bolt anyway, so shaving off the paint doesnt really make a difference. it just gives the current more room to work with. and amen to that firewall bolt.. that sucker was tough!
another question guys, in this picture, is the current going from one wire to the other?
I'm not sure what material the bracket is, so i may not be grounding the strut tower at all
Quote:
Originally posted by gearbox I just remembered--the whole car is painted right? So how would shaving a little spot result in a better ground?
The bracket is metal, I think, but maybe you should wire them on the same bolt. There will be very little room to work with if you try it.
After having the kit on a couple of days, I've also noticed that the car starts better in the morning (cold start). Stereo improvement is amazing--feels like I bought new subs and amp.
Originally posted by Mex hey, I'm wondering. rather than mount to the valve cover, why not mount directly here?
IMO it looks cleaner, but I dunno if it's a good idea, simply because i don't know what would happen if I ground that particular area. would grounding there still be equal to grounding the valve cover? looks like it's a more central location, i'm just not sure how the current would flow in the 2 variations.... someone please give me your feedback
same question i have..
nobody answered yet..
someone help us..
Hmmm, mex--I talked to some car audio people who think it is better to shave the area around the ground point. This is done so the ground has a greater area, rather than just the bolt. It won't make much of a difference, though.
so how bout an upgrade for the alternator to battery wire. in the audio world, the alt to battery wire is a MUST. and what about a 1/0 gauge kit... is that available as well?
I tried upgrading the stock engine to radiator support wire and the car didn't like it. It wasn't as quick off the line. Strange. It seems like the car has good days and bad. Sometimes it will drive so much faster for no apparent reason. ..But that's an entirely different problem.
Originally posted by gearbox I tried upgrading the stock engine to radiator support wire and the car didn't like it. It wasn't as quick off the line. Strange. It seems like the car has good days and bad. Sometimes it will drive so much faster for no apparent reason. ..But that's an entirely different problem.
so are you saying it may not be because you upgraded that wire?
I think it WAS from the upgraded wire. I just put the stock one back on just in case. Btw, I used 8 gauge when I tried it. Just stick with installing the grounding kit and don't replace any other wires.
I'm in the process of redoing my ICE setup and had the woofers out. Let me tell you, the car is so much faster after losing that 70 lbs.
I'm going to get the materials this weekend and try it out. I'm going to set it up as a network (i.e neg to A, neg to b, neg to C...) since no one seems to have done it that way and yet the diagram posted earlier in this post suggests it. I'm pretty familiar with my car now so any difference from the wires should be noticeable. I'll post the pros/cons later in this same post.
FYI:
I'm going to use 4 g wire and go from Neg to: trans, firewall right strut tower, radiator wall, valve cover.
__________________ 4 $ALE(as of Sept' 07): M3 style trunklip, OEM Tails, OEM CD player w/code, OEM Upper Grill. PM for info.
here's my version:
