Jump to content

The big 3 upgrade should be called the big 4


Recommended Posts

Yes but there is a general guideline that could be made and followed to help get better result.

big 3 upgrade

1. Alt pos

2. Engine ground

3. Battery ground

big 4 upgrade

1. Alt pos

2. Engine ground

3. Battery ground

4. Alt case/mounting bracket or bolt ground

big 3 is what most do, its effective and a good improvement over stock.

big 4 is a better option and would help reduce resistance the most.

another option would be a modified version of the big 3

1. Alt pos

2. Alt case/mounting bracket or bolt ground

3. Battery ground

only difference is the lack of engine ground upgrade but the alt ground in would do both, help improve engine ground and give your alt a better grounding source. Cheapier in cost more effective then the typical big 3 but it lacks a common ground for the alt and battery which isn't all that important but can reduce resistance and ground loop but those are more install dependant and have to be tried and tested in order for you to find the best results for your vehicle.

t1500bdcp

2 t2d4 15"

1 t600.4

1 t400.2

1 set p1 tweets

singer alt, tons of wiring, smd vm-1, 80prs, back seat delete, still in the works, aiming for a 145-147 with the ability to play 25hz up to 50hz.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No reason to run alt casing to front battery. That's not where the bulk of your current will be flowing from. Unless you like to charge a dead front battery every time you drive your car or something.

I have mine does as follows:

Alt positive to battery

Alt casing to strut tower

Battery negative to strut tower. Alt and battery both share a common ground

call me crazy sweetheart, but my explorer gained A LOT by doing a negative run from alt case/bolt to the negative on the battery, matthew from mechman told me that my voltage was dropping like crazy with their alt because i didn´t have that run and i needed that since it was a HO alt, don´t ask me why because you know im a complete noob when it comes to electricals, but i gained TONS with that run, more than 1v at full tilt and like 0.6 dbs on the meter if i remember correctly

I´m the SPL Gains topic creator!! wanna get louder?? check this: SPL Gains. Panamenian 2009 & 2010 & 2014 Bass Race 149.9 Champion!

2 15" subs and a 2K wired at 1 ohm, http://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/topic/167788-fecupe2001-2-15s-on-a-2k-video-on-page-3/

8 Massive 15" subs and small power, http://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/topic/179296-fecupe2001s-8-15s-4th-order-bandpass-wall/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes but there is a general guideline that could be made and followed to help get better result.

big 3 upgrade

1. Alt pos

2. Engine ground

3. Battery ground

big 4 upgrade

1. Alt pos

2. Engine ground

3. Battery ground

4. Alt case/mounting bracket or bolt ground

big 3 is what most do, its effective and a good improvement over stock.

big 4 is a better option and would help reduce resistance the most.

another option would be a modified version of the big 3

1. Alt pos

2. Alt case/mounting bracket or bolt ground

3. Battery ground

only difference is the lack of engine ground upgrade but the alt ground in would do both, help improve engine ground and give your alt a better grounding source. Cheapier in cost more effective then the typical big 3 but it lacks a common ground for the alt and battery which isn't all that important but can reduce resistance and ground loop but those are more install dependant and have to be tried and tested in order for you to find the best results for your vehicle.

That is good, for people that ground to frame. Or unibody or whatever piece of common metal you want to call it. You're totally correct.

For those with dedicated ground runs, like myself, you will never need to ground to frame under the hood. I don't understand why people don't get that.

"Clipping" is the biggest forum boner now. It's like witchcraft... it automatically explains just about everything people don't understand.

My build log: http://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/topic/200295-gckless-2011-chevrolet-impala/

High resolution photos: Gilbert Kless Photography

Link to comment
Share on other sites

True a dedicated ground run doesn't need the same upgraded ground as a person who doesn't do ground rums but still would benefit from an added ground.

for that situation I would do a big 2

1. Alt power

2. Alt ground to battery ground

and maybe for piece of mind battery ground.

reason for alt to batt ground is because the alt case is technically a grounding point for a cars electrical system while running.

at the end of it all I would most likely still do alt case ground, battery ground and grounds in the rear though. Just to make sure everything is at its best.

t1500bdcp

2 t2d4 15"

1 t600.4

1 t400.2

1 set p1 tweets

singer alt, tons of wiring, smd vm-1, 80prs, back seat delete, still in the works, aiming for a 145-147 with the ability to play 25hz up to 50hz.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No reason to run alt casing to front battery. That's not where the bulk of your current will be flowing from. Unless you like to charge a dead front battery every time you drive your car or something.

I have mine does as follows:

Alt positive to battery

Alt casing to strut tower

Battery negative to strut tower. Alt and battery both share a common ground

call me crazy sweetheart, but my explorer gained A LOT by doing a negative run from alt case/bolt to the negative on the battery, matthew from mechman told me that my voltage was dropping like crazy with their alt because i didn´t have that run and i needed that since it was a HO alt, don´t ask me why because you know im a complete noob when it comes to electricals, but i gained TONS with that run, more than 1v at full tilt and like 0.6 dbs on the meter if i remember correctly

I have a Mechman alt and I'm dropping to high 12s. I do not have that run and I believe they told me to do so as well but never did.

I will do a run from alt casing to battery. They know more then us with electrical and their alts so if that's the way they perform best then so be it!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No reason to run alt casing to front battery. That's not where the bulk of your current will be flowing from. Unless you like to charge a dead front battery every time you drive your car or something.

I have mine does as follows:

Alt positive to battery

Alt casing to strut tower

Battery negative to strut tower. Alt and battery both share a common ground

call me crazy sweetheart, but my explorer gained A LOT by doing a negative run from alt case/bolt to the negative on the battery, matthew from mechman told me that my voltage was dropping like crazy with their alt because i didn´t have that run and i needed that since it was a HO alt, don´t ask me why because you know im a complete noob when it comes to electricals, but i gained TONS with that run, more than 1v at full tilt and like 0.6 dbs on the meter if i remember correctly

I'd believe there was a weakness somewhere else in your wiring if that made such a difference. I've tried one myself and gained nothing. Same with with a front-back negative run.

Where were you grounded to for the other two parts of the big 3?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Exactly, mechman told me the same and it did gained a lot for me, beats me :o

I´m the SPL Gains topic creator!! wanna get louder?? check this: SPL Gains. Panamenian 2009 & 2010 & 2014 Bass Race 149.9 Champion!

2 15" subs and a 2K wired at 1 ohm, http://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/topic/167788-fecupe2001-2-15s-on-a-2k-video-on-page-3/

8 Massive 15" subs and small power, http://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/topic/179296-fecupe2001s-8-15s-4th-order-bandpass-wall/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Came across this video and it sounds like he knows his shit lol that is why I'm posting this. To see if this actually does do a better job instead of engine block.

So should we run a extra ground from alt casing to battery neg? Is that what he is saying.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=K3EFGlHPFDk

As long as your negative battery cable, alternator-case, and engine block are all grounded properly to the structure of your vehicle, you won't really gain anything by going directly from the alternator case to the battery.

To ground the neg. battery cable, the alternator-case cable, and the engine block cable properly, I recommend that everyone buys a "bonding brush" ( http://www.browntool.com/Default.aspx?tabid=255&CategoryID=246&List=1&SortField=ProductName%2cProductNumber&Level=a&ProductID=1550 ) to correctly remove all paint/coatings. Once all coatings are removed to bare metal, clean the surface with 90% isopropyl alcohol, then attach wire lug to burnished area, then coat the lug and small surrounding area with a clear sealer (clear touch up paint works really well) to keep moisture out of the bonded area. Doing it that way will ensure a VERY low resistance that one could only measure with a milliohm meter, and will also ensure the best flow of electrons through the entire loop of the electrical system

I also recommend bonding all three (battery, alternator, engine block) to the same structure for the lowest resistance. There's resistance between body panels, shock towers, etc because many of those parts are coated before assembly, and they're not touching metal-to-metal. This is why the frame is the best place to bond all three. A frame is welded together and electrons will flow the most freely between each ground if they're all bonded to the frame.

You can also use that same bonding process above with the negative cables on your amplifier, head unit power-ground, head-unit case, and anything else electrical to ensure that resistance is low, electrons flow, and RF noise is kept to a minimum. I actually have a cable bonded between my frame and the floor of my truck cab, so anything I bond to my truck cab us also bonded to the frame. Lastly... Keep grounds as short as possible to keep them from picking up noise.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Who's Online   1 Member, 0 Anonymous, 1597 Guests (See full list)

×
×
  • Create New...