GAUGING INTEREST: Sentient Grounding kit + BIG THREE

[Rolling Estonian]

Ok guys I've been E-mailing Nathaniel (senteintbydesign) he pretty much has the Altima grounding kit to the point where all the most important spots are hit. I have requested from him to work out a 0 Gauge Big three upgrade kit to be included or as an option to his kit.

A big three upgrade kit would consist of new 0 gauge wire that run from 1) alternator positive to battery positive, 2) battery negative to chassis, and 3) engine ground to chassis

for those of you that are unaware Doc has spoken very highly of the benefits of doing a big three upgrade.

So what I'm looking for here is how many people THAT ARE PLANNING ON BUYING THE GROUNDING KIT would also be interested in a big three upgrade.

[PHENOMenalVinyl]

this doesnt say wat the big three upgrade does though???

[Jose3.5]

I already have his kit and I'm happy with it and it looks good.

[Rolling Estonian]

Big Three Upgrade

Before we get to some details about tuning and component selection, let’s tidy up the installation phase of things. This upgrade is essential to get the most out of your aftermarket audio setup. The upgrade consists of improving the stock cabling for the electrical that is being used by your amplifier.

First, a larger gauge cable is needed to connect the battery negative to the body chassis. You should know that everything in your car can be grounded to the metal chassis of the car. If you are installing an aftermarket amplifier, you will route positive power cables from the battery to the amp. The negative terminal on the amp will then be connected to the body of the car for a ground. Pop the hood and look at the cable running from the chassis to the negative terminal of the battery. It’s pretty small. To allow current to pass through your system with less resistance, this will need to be larger. I would recommend 0/1 AWG cable for this connection.

Next, the cable from the alternator should also be replaced. Again, 0/1 AWG cable will work the best here. In most cases, you can follow the factory cable with your increase size cable. This helps relieve some of the resistance that the alternator will see when charging the battery. Without this, loud thumps of bass can chew up the voltage from the battery at a rate that the alternator cannot replenish. This will result in a decrease in audio performance, as well as potential dimming of the light sources in your car.

Finally, you will need to improve the grounding of the engine. This mechanical device can add noise to a system by altering the voltage felt by the car. Grounding this with 0/1 AWG cable will reduce this likelihood. All you need to do is locate an bolt on the engine that is not used for something mechanical (obviously, a bolt that seals an opening for oil or coolant would not be a good choice, as this may cause these fluids to leak – not a good idea). See if it is possible to use one of the bolts that is used to mount the engine in place.

Some companies sell grounding kits for cars. These are designed to reduce electrical noise, and may contribute to an increase in performance. Generally, they will include at least a new grounding wire for the engine, as well as the wire from the negative terminal of the battery to the chassis of the car. Be sure when you purchase these that they are of the largest wire gauge available. The other grounding wires will help, but the big three are the primary wires you should be concerned about (in terms of audio performance only).

[BlackNWhite]

I already have his kit and I'm happy with it and it looks good.

Same here. It's awesome.

The car is more responsive when accelerating. There has been a couple of times when I'm leaving the parking lot at my work and my tires squeal when I'm barely touching the gas. The stereo sounds loads better. Gas mileage improved. Before... I would have to baby it to get 300miles per tank. Right now I'm at 302 with maybe a quarter of a quarter but I've been driving it hard.

[adidas2go]

Baby it to 300 miles per tank? Really? Before the turbo, I used to get 320 miles per tank, and I ran the hell out of it. Redline 3/4's of the accelerations.

[BlackNWhite]

Yea... my bad. Make that baby it to get MORE than 300 per tank. Usually around 340-350.

[DarkScorpion]

I'd be interested in the grounding kit, and maybe the big three if it's not more expensive than buying the parts themselves.

[noshift]

is there a difference between just regular 0 gauge amp wiring than 0 gauge grounding wire? or are they the same type of wire?

[DarkScorpion]

Usually no. It all just depends on the material the wire is made out of like copper, aluminum, copper tinned aluminum etc. For an amp wiring kit, a lot of companies like to tell you that you're getting all copper but really, it's only the power cable that's copper whereas the ground cable is aluminum.

[Colton92]

i get like 500 per tank

[BlackNWhite]

What the hell?

Is it mostly highway? I think I MIGHT be able to get that strictly highway.

[maxentropy]

Isn't this a simple DIY? Buy a long strip of 0 gauge wire, cut it to length for the BIG3 positions and then anchor them down? This doesn't take a rocket scientist... and for the results, it's really not worth paying more than the parts.

Bottom line is, this is for folks that have a lot of high-end electronics in their ride for a cleaner circuit.

[noshift]

Isn't this a simple DIY? Buy a long strip of 0 gauge wire, cut it to length for the BIG3 positions and then anchor them down? This doesn't take a rocket scientist... and for the results, it's really not worth paying more than the parts.

Bottom line is, this is for folks that have a lot of high-end electronics in their ride for a cleaner circuit.

this is exactly what im thinking also. unless they are using some kind of special wire, but i dont think it is. cuz if this is the case ill buy some wire off of ebay and cut the wire myself

[dangeris]

Definitely interested in doing this as well as the other grounding points!

[adidas2go]

Its not as simple as that. Not all wiring is the same. Im sure most of the wiring on ebay is garbage. You also have to take into account you need oversized dikes, wire strippers, terminals, and crimpers. It would end up costing you more in the long run. Believe me, I have wired things in my car that I use navy electrical supplies for. If I were to buy my own, I would be in the hole big time for tools I only used a few times. No need to do that

[dangeris]

I agree with you Blake! not all wiring is the same. I've seen kits that you definitely need special tools for!

Not sure if you saw my other post Blake had a quick question. Have you done this to your car yet and if so, How does it look with your turbo? Did the wires have to be cut differently for you since your battery has been re-located and the turbo installed?

Can you post pics of it if you did get it installed?

[adidas2go]

I didn't get a chance to install it, I had to leave to Nevada for Top Gun training again. Which is where I'm at right now. When I get back, I will look into doing it.

[LongBeachCoupe]

+1 try putting a nice connector on the end of a 0 gauge wire lol.. im sure you will need some muscle and tools to get it on right, and this is CRUCIAL, you wouldnt want it falling off.

The quality of the wire is very important, Im an ebay fanatic, but I wouldnt touch any no-name wiring for this type of use, and with the other parts you need etc.. this kit is just the best option IMO

[Sentientbydesign]

Hey guys,

I've gotten a few emails regarding the big3 and I feel bad that nothing has come of it yet. I'd like to offer this to you guys if you really want it, but I'll need a decent preorder list in order to make this worth while.

2 spools of QUALITY 0 gauge retail for $600. I can get it for less than that, but it's still a large investment once tools and accessories are added.

If you all still want this, email me with your interest and I'll get together with Jose and Daniel to work on something. I'm going to warn you that this won't be cheap. Quality 0 gauge retails for around $6/ft. I can definitely get a discount if enough people are interested, but you're still looking at (ESTIMATE) $80-$90. I won't have an actual cost until I do some measuring.

[dangeris]

Definitely count me in for a Big Three! I already have the grounding kit and after seeing the quality in that, I'm down for the Big Three Upgrade!

[losenone]

Im down for this as well. Count me in.

[chiapetchua01]

depending on the results i might be in

[razah9]

I'm down.

[Sentientbydesign]

I'm doing some research on how I want these made and then measurements will be taken (maybe this weekend).

Due to the high price of materials, I'm going to ask for some pre-orders to get things moving (once the price has been posted). Forgive me for being paranoid, but dropping upwards of $500 does this to me ------>

[dangeris]

I'm doing some research on how I want these made and then measurements will be taken (maybe this weekend).

Due to the high price of materials, I'm going to ask for some pre-orders to get things moving (once the price has been posted). Forgive me for being paranoid, but dropping upwards of $500 does this to me ------>

Do it Bennet, Just do it!!!!

Can anyone guess where that quote is from?

[planBe]

Has this been measured? Any idea on the price of kits? What are the ground points that you'll be hitting?

[rjdmmfl1]

Do it Bennet, Just do it!!!!

Can anyone guess where that quote is from?

sounds like a quote from Arnold in the movie "Commando"... one of myb favorite movies as a young kid... but I could be wrong

[nnguyen]

Count me in also , just recently bought my basic grounding kit from him, quality stuff!

Plus i got a smoother idle, 2+ mpg , and for some reason now my exhaust sound a whole lot better like a lot better =]

[headhunt3r]

Just wondering, is the estimate of 80 - 90 dollars the price of both the grounding kits and big 3 upgrade? Or just the big 3.