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Hyperground - How-to

65K views 128 replies 35 participants last post by  richierevs 
#1 · (Edited)
Overview

The following posts describe the materials, tools, and procedures for installing a Hyperground. Other posts within this thread will include details (pictures and instructions). The instructions herein are specfic to an SRT8, but can be adapted to other LX models.

Skill Level (Moderate)

Familarity with Butane or MAP gas torches for soldering cables and connectors.

Work Time

Allocate at least 1 hour.

Application Benefits*

Improve throttle response, reduce throttle lag, improve air/fuel mixture burn.

A Hyperground (HG) provides additional electrical connectivity and high-voltage flow between the HEI system, Heads, Ingnition Coils, Spark Plugs, Chassis Ground, and Battery.

The HG does not change the stock ground cables at the bottom of the engine block.

Maximizing Benefits

For maximum benefit:
  • HG requires 0/2 AWG and 4 AWG fine-strand braided copper audio cable. Battery cable has been tested and does not provide the same benefit. Fine-strand braided copper audio cable can be purchased in bulk from www.partsexpress.com Pre-made Hyperground cables can be purchased on-line. Perform a Google search on "Hyperground". However, the pre-made kits do not include all necessary cables; so some cables will need to be custom made, particularly the cable to connect to the battery in the trunk to the chassis ground, and the cable to connect the Alternator Support Harness to the Passenger-Side Head.
  • Cable connectors should be either copper (recommended) or aluminium. Connectors can be purchased from NAPA, or equivalent auto supply retailer.
  • Cable connectors must be soldered. Crimping has been tested and provides little benefit.
  • Use 8mm - 1.25mm stainless steel bolts with lock washers to connect cables to the front of the heads.
Safety: Important

  • DISCONNECT BATTERY NEGATIVE (-) GROUND BEFORE BEGINNING THE CABLE INSTALLATION
  • WEAR SAFETY GOOGLES
  • USE GOOD LEATHER/CLOTH SHOP GLOVES
  • TURN TORCH OFF WHEN NOT IN USE
* The benefits of a Hyperground (HG) are still being tested. It is important to understand that a HG is not designed to increase HP and TQ but to provide additional electrical ground so that the engine can deliver its optimum power. Additionally, electrical ground is but one factor that contributes to optimum engine power. Other engine/electrical issues may be present that may cause a loss of power.
 
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#2 · (Edited)
Hyperground - How-to (Tools and Materials)

The following tools are recommended:
  • Bench vise
  • Cable cutters
  • Butane or MAP gas torch
  • Rosin core solder (medium thickness)
  • Knife or box cutter
  • Electrical tape or wire shrink wrap
  • Metric wrench or socket
The following materials are required:
  • 1 - 8mm - 1.25mm x 18mm stainless bolt - coarse thread
  • 1 - 8mm - 1.25mm x 12mm stainless bolt - coarse thread
  • 2 - 8mm stainless lock washers
  • 1 - 36" x 3/4" split loom head shield
  • 3 - 36" 4 AWG fine-strand braided copper audio power cable
  • 1 - 12" 0/2 AWG fine-strand braided copper audio power cable
  • 1 - 18" 0/2 AWG fine-strand braided copper audio power cable
  • 4 - 0/2 AWG copper (recommended) or aluminum connectors
  • 6 - 4 AWG copper (recommended) or aluminum connectors
The following provides an overview for soldering cable connectors:

Tip: Before installation, pre-measure and label cables; and solder all connectors.
  1. Gather cables, connectors, torch, solder, knife or box cutter.
  2. Cut approx. 3/4" insulation from both ends of the 0/2 AWG cables; cut approx. 5/8" insulation from both ends of the 4 AWG cables. Be careful not to cut the copper wire braiding.
  3. Beginning with the 0/2 AWG cables and repeat for the 4 AWG cables.
  4. Place connector in bench vise, with the end to receive the cable upward. Tip: Place connector so excess overflow solder won't drop on vise.
  5. Use torch to evenly heat connector, testing the inside of connector with solder to determine when the connector is hot enough to melt the solder. When the melting temperature is reached, fill the connector end approx. 3/4 way with solder.
  6. If using heat shrink, slide heat shrink onto cable before soldering to connector.
  7. Evenly reheat connector (now containing solder), when the solder mass is liquid, push cable end into the connector (some solder overflow is normal). When fully inserted, turn off torch, and hold cable in place until it begins to harden. Tip: Have a small can of water nearby to quickly cool your work before handling with bare hands. Without water cooling the connector will stay hot a long time.
  8. Repeat Steps 4 -7 each side of cable.
  9. Repeat Steps 4 - 8 for all cables.
  10. Once cables and connectors are cool, afix heat shrink or use electrical tape to cover cable and connector joint.
 
#4 · (Edited)
Hyperground - How-to (Passenger Side Installation Pics)

Attached are the following installation pics:

  1. Passenger-side Fender Ground
  2. Passenger-side Head Connection
View attachment 15252

The passenger side head connection intersects 3 cables:
  • Passenger-side Fendor Ground.
  • Alternator to Head Cable - connector will need to be bent 90 degrees to fit properly. Be careful not to overbend the connector, copper easily breaks.
  • Passenger-side to Driver-side Head Cable.
  • Attach cables to Passenger-side Head using 10mm - 1.25mm x 18mm stainless steel bolt and lock washer. DO NOT OVER-TIGHTEN!! DO NOT CROSS-THREAD!!
Tip: Place cables, but save this connection (bolt installation) for last to make installation easier. Remove oil catch-can for ease of access.

View attachment 15253
 
#5 ·
Hyperground - How-to (Alternator Cable - Installation Pics)

Attached are the following pics:

  1. Alternator to Head Connection
  2. Alternator Support Harness Connection
Tip: Remove oil catch-can for ease of access.

View attachment 15255

The Alternator Cable is short 0/2 AWG cable.
Tip: Leave this cable attachment for last to make installation easier. When installation attach the top (3 cable intersection) first, then do the bottom. Remove oil catch-can for ease of access.

View attachment 15256
 
#6 · (Edited)
Hyperground - How-to (Driver Side Installation Pics)

Attached are the following pics:
  1. Driver-side Head Connection
The Driver-sider Head Connection intersects to cables:
  • Passenger-side Head to Driver-side Head Cable
  • Driver-side Head to Driver-sider Fender Ground Cable (not shown, same as Passenger-side Fender Ground Connection)
  • Use a 10mm - 1.25mm x 12mm stainless bolt and washer to attach cables to the head. DO NOT OVER-TIGHTEN! DO NOT CROSS-THREAD!
Tip: When installing the head-to-head cable snake cable through the split loom heat shield before installing. The cable with heat shield is installed under the intake manifold.

View attachment 15258
 
#7 · (Edited)
Hyperground - How-to (Trunk Installation)

Remove the stock 6 AWG ground wire from the battery connection harness and the chassis ground.

Install 18" 0/2 AWG ground wire to the battery connection harness. An additional washer may be needed to properly ground the cable to the chassis ground.

Recheck all connections before reconnecting battery!
 
#9 ·
Just read :tinfoilhat:

"Application Benefits

Improve throttle response, reduce throttle lag, improve air/fuel mixture burn.

A Hyperground (HG) provides additional electrical connectivity and high-voltage flow between the HEI system, Heads, Ingnition Coils, Spark Plugs, Chassis Ground, and Battery.

The HG does not change the stock ground cables at the bottom of the engine block."
 
#10 ·
Interesting. I installed a "kit" on my brothers Mazda but never even thought to do it for my car. Perhaps sometime soon, thanks for posting!
 
#11 ·
A lot of that is wholly unnecessary... No reason to cross-connect the heads, for example... they're bolted to the same iron block and have two tiny little sensors grounding to them. Upgrading the "big 3" in this manner is definitely beneficial, but beyond that, I'm highly skeptical there are any benefits to be gained, unless you own copper futures.
 
#12 ·
A lot of that is wholly unnecessary... No reason to cross-connect the heads, for example... they're bolted to the same iron block and have two tiny little sensors grounding to them. Upgrading the "big 3" in this manner is definitely beneficial, but beyond that, I'm highly skeptical there are any benefits to be gained, unless you own copper futures.
We've gone back and forth on this topic. The issue is one of resistance or impedence going through difference metals. An electrical spark, like lightening or car ignition, will follow the path of least resistance to complete a circuit. The closer the ground is to the source the better the connection, that means grounding the heads. BTW, copper and aluminum are better conductors of electricity then iron. We can argue the benefits of fine strand vs. thick strand copper wire, but the laws of physics don't change whether you're talking car ignition, arc-welding, or lightening. Either you understand (intuitively or otherwise) the electromagnetic principles or you don't. It's that simple.
 
#13 ·
Richie....your car was at Shippan Auto correct... I think I recall seeing it with cables installed...so are you noticing the benefits??....stop by one day...I work in the building behind the Springdale train station...we'll chat
 
#17 ·
That does make a lot more sense... I guess I'm still not convinced that the head bolts and other metal-to-metal contact wouldn't be enough, but again, you couldn't hurt anything either. I'd need to see some sort of measured data before I'm on board w/ the idea, but I have no idea what you'd measure.

Anyway, thanks for a better explanation, your logic is sound, and if there were a deficiency in the first place, I guess you have it covered :beerchug:
 
#18 · (Edited)
That does make a lot more sense... I guess I'm still not convinced that the head bolts and other metal-to-metal contact wouldn't be enough, but again, you couldn't hurt anything either. I'd need to see some sort of measured data before I'm on board w/ the idea, but I have no idea what you'd measure.

Anyway, thanks for a better explanation, your logic is sound, and if there were a deficiency in the first place, I guess you have it covered :beerchug:
Controlled measurement continues to be a problem, since what shows improvement in one car under one set of circumstances may not should the car and the circumstances change. Also, since everything is connected to everything else, whose to say the results are direct, indirect or coincidental? Ok, enough philosophy.

One of the areas I look to for empirical evidence is the color of the spark plugs and the presence of unburnt fuel deposits. I run Autolite copper core platinum tipped racing plugs that are 1 heat range cooler than stock. The plugs have been in the car 9 months with over 10K miles on them. Last week I inspected every plug, each was the same. The plugs had no visible deposits, pits or deformities (with the naked eye) and the color was consistently a metallic light to medium grey. The plugs in effect, look new. One can argue that the evidence only suggests that the ignition is not rich. In other words, I can find many more ways to prove something false, than I can to prove something true. Damn, back to philosophy again.

Therefore, I am forced to use Godel's Theorum and suggest that there appears to be some positive effect even though at this time it is indeterminate. At least, I can reasonably conclude that there is a high probability that the the car's ignition appears to be working optimally. How it all relates to total performance is another question.

To test or not to test, that is the question.
Whether it be to the betterment of performance
and in the process end this!
Aye, there's the rub. To test or not to test...

:mrgreen:
 
#19 ·
I agree with Super T, the purported gains/benefits you eluded to are simply not there...
 
#21 ·
Well I tryed this hyperground thing I connected from the right inner fender ground to the front of the right head and a ground from the front of the left head to the left inner fender useing 12 gauge fine wire and ran two 12 gauge wires between the battery and the chassie ground in the trunk.
Now I'm running my factory tune and I have noticed I don't have any dead spot in my throtle before there was a small space at the begining and now I get instant responce.
Does it work not sure but it seams to help.
If you can give the power a shorter and easyer path to travel I'm sure it will take it.
It cant hurt wright :thumbs_u:
 
#23 · (Edited)
After reading threads on Lx and other forums I made a Hyper Ground kit following Richie's instructions. Many thanks to Richie on explaining how to fab and install this kit. I installed it Saturday. Saturday evening I search for other cars for some good data showing if this mod is a real gain or not. On Sunday we tested H.G. vs. OEM grounding systems.

Here is my disclaimer, I'm not an electrical engineer and don't want to pretend I know they hows and whys of grounding. I have a $50.00 invested in this mod. I've spent far more on three CAI's, thinking the next CAI would make a real difference over the previous CAI. I'm on my third Throttle Body and have had marginal gains on my 5.7 platform

I own a copy of T T Dyno program. This seemed like a good place to try it. We used an entrance ramp to a local interstate and made a pull in 2nd gear for each run. We left the A/C on for both pulls, since we are not trying to determine max Power or Torque, just compare two mods. On the second run I did my best to start at the same point again. The first pull was with the H.G. system. Then we found a shady place and disconnect the H.G. and installed the OEM ground wire. I fired up and noticed the ESP/BAS light was on. Strange. I cycled the engine a couple of times and it stayed off. I let the ECT cool back down to 185*, same place as the first run and made another pass. I noticed it bogged down when I first went to WOT, unlike the first pass. Went to the barn and downloaded the two logs and plotted on T T Dyno.



EDIT: Removed the original graph for the above.

The above graph: solid lines are H.G. and dotted OEM grounding!

I was hopping for 5 to 8 gain for Power and Torque.

When comparing the upper end of the H.G. graph to this and another file graph, the H.G. kept making power while the OEM ground file Power and Torque fell off.

Intuitively, bigger could be better? Like bigger air filter, ported heads....

These Pics show how small the OEM battery ground wire compared to the H.G. and an 09 Honda Accord, 4 cyl. The battery ground on my 05 V-6 Tundra, again it was about 3 times larger in diameter than the Lx. Could the accountants got a hold of the ground wires on our Lx platforms??



We find all kinds of stuff on the side of the road, nails, cigarette butts. This was a REAL world pic, trash all all.



After making the two pulls I made an additional H.G. cable and replaced the OEM tranny ground. It was interesting to see that the tranny cable was not that much smaller than the OEM battery ground wire!

This mod would be a natural for our Mod Face Off :stir:
 
#25 ·
This would also be a great mod for those of you running a high power system. With electronics you are more likely to operate at max theoretical efficiency with a good ground. I have done a similar modification on a Ford e-150 van that was having battery charging issues.
 
#26 ·
So if we were to buy the premade sets...I'm confused. Because there's 3 sets that could possibly work. Theres the "S-type" for small vehicles that includes:
Contents 5 Wires and Battery Terminal clamp 400mm(15.7in), 500mm(19.7in), 600mm(23.6in), 750mm(29.5in), 900mm(35.4in).

The "M-type" for larger vehicles which includes:Contents 5 Wires and Battery Terminal clamp 400mm(15.7in), 600mm(23.6in), 800mm(31.5in), 900mm(35.4in), 1000mm(39.4in).

or the "L-type" for rear battery vehicles which includes,
Contents 6 Wires and Battery Terminal clamp 400mm(15.7in), 500mm(19.7in), 600mm(23.6in), 750mm(29.5in), 00mm(35.4in), 5500mm(216.5in).

but the only cars it lists are BMW's, and every time I search for a Charger system it shows me the "S-type" which is strange...cause it's not a small car.

I noticed in your posts you only made 5 wires...so is it the 5 wire kit? And if so, which kit is good enough? The larger or smaller? Just not very skillful when it comes to electronics...in fact I almost got electrocuted a while back after a botched splice job I did trying to fix my computer power supply...Needless to say there was a big white flash (no fire) and I almost s**t my pants. So you can see why I would want to buy this pre-made. For $100 I'd rather buy the thing if I end up getting it.
 
#27 ·
So if we were to buy the premade sets...I'm confused. Because there's 3 sets that could possibly work. Theres the "S-type" for small vehicles that includes:
Contents 5 Wires and Battery Terminal clamp 400mm(15.7in), 500mm(19.7in), 600mm(23.6in), 750mm(29.5in), 900mm(35.4in).

The "M-type" for larger vehicles which includes:Contents 5 Wires and Battery Terminal clamp 400mm(15.7in), 600mm(23.6in), 800mm(31.5in), 900mm(35.4in), 1000mm(39.4in).

or the "L-type" for rear battery vehicles which includes,
Contents 6 Wires and Battery Terminal clamp 400mm(15.7in), 500mm(19.7in), 600mm(23.6in), 750mm(29.5in), 00mm(35.4in), 5500mm(216.5in).

but the only cars it lists are BMW's, and every time I search for a Charger system it shows me the "S-type" which is strange...cause it's not a small car.

I noticed in your posts you only made 5 wires...so is it the 5 wire kit? And if so, which kit is good enough? The larger or smaller? Just not very skillful when it comes to electronics...in fact I almost got electrocuted a while back after a botched splice job I did trying to fix my computer power supply...Needless to say there was a big white flash (no fire) and I almost s**t my pants. So you can see why I would want to buy this pre-made. For $100 I'd rather buy the thing if I end up getting it.
The premade kits that are currently offered don't fit our LXs properly, hence the reason that I custom made the cables/wires. Kent (Alcharger) is now offering premade kits for the LXs based on the info in this thread. If you're interested, send him a PM for details and pricing.
 
#28 ·
:sad::doh:I'm sorry Ritchie....


It's a waste of time and money. This is one of those things where they take sound engineering principles for certain things, and misapply them to market a product that will never do any good unless you accidentally fix a fault in your factory ground system.

Of those that claim to be engineers, I'd like to know who the EE's are and what field of experience you have. Never mind the general public, there are EE's that don't understand ground systems.

I will now walk away and leave you that truly believe, to enjoying your copper octopus. Yes, it's very nice... :wink:
 
#30 · (Edited)
:sad::doh:I'm sorry Ritchie....It's a waste of time and money. This is one of those things where they take sound engineering principles for certain things, and misapply them to market a product that will never do any good unless you accidentally fix a fault in your factory ground system....
Jaak, I cannot argue against the possiblity of having an existing ground fault that could otherwise have been fixed. It's always easier to disprove something as a universal truth, rather than proving that it has validity in a finite number of cases. However, as I recall there was a Mopar TSB issued over a year ago that addressed the issue of inadequate LX ground cables. Would that mean there's some substance to this topic? Also, please keep in mind that I did not resurrect this thread since I am comfortable with my own view of reality (whatever reality might actually be :roll:). Kent (Alcharger) resurrected the thread after he did some sound empirical testing on a dyno. Was I there to assure sound scientific measurement? No, but as a mechanical engineer, Kent is very capable of performing the test correctly.

if your theory is correct about the grounding point to the heads "The closer the ground is to the source the better the connection, that means grounding the heads". why are you not running a ground directly from the battery?
Personally this seems to fit into the same class as magic spark plugs which dont do anything provided the proper ones are already in place
The dyno tests that Kent (Alcharger) did indicate an improvement, at least for his ride. For Kent there is certainty of improvement, albeit in a singular case. Unless, of course, you're implying that Kent either performed an inadequate test, or he falsely represented his dyno tests. If that's the case you should address that directly with him rather than backdooring the implication through this thread.
 
#29 ·
if your theory is correct about the grounding point to the heads "The closer the ground is to the source the better the connection, that means grounding the heads". why are you not running a ground directly from the battery?
Personally this seems to fit into the same class as magic spark plugs which dont do anything provided the proper ones are already in place
 
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#31 ·
richierevs;3069112 The dyno tests that Kent (Alcharger) did indicate an improvement said:
Nobody here was trying to imply anything, simply gave my personal opinion & although I don't have the status of being a engineer I have over 40 years working experience in the electrical trade as well as being a long time motorhead, yes he may have seen improvement but were the tests under the same conditions? why don't the heads get grounded directly to the source (negative battery terminal) seems to go against what you said earlier
 
#34 ·
Here's a link to Kent's test method and results:

http://www.lxforums.com/board/showthread.php?t=227734

As to your question regarding connecting to the source. I did a test with a 0/2 gauge wire from the negative (-) battery terminal to the engine bay. I found no significant difference between that and upgrading the stock engine ground wire to 0/2 gauge in the trunk. Contrary to what has been suggested, the ground cables in the engine bay are not octopus-like. The cables are fairly innocuous-looking and don't appear out of the ordinary.

The main point I believe we need to ponder is that something appears to be present that is counterintuitive or counterfactual (goes against current understanding). For example, Kent has experienced empirical improvement. The question is why? Until we know the reason, we'll continue to debate this topic.
 
#32 · (Edited)
Heads don't need to be grounded, unless you're running the old style ignition coils with the mess of wires across the top. Even then, they're grounded through the block and head bolts/gaskets which are metal and at that voltage the losses through the cast iron block are insignificant, because the current is minimal. The secondary coil path is through one spark plug, the head, the other plug and right back to the coil. Short and sweet, the best way to ensure a fast risetime spark.

The coil pack's primary is not grounded for a current path, it's supplied through the connector. Doesn't matter if you make one side a huge conductor, if the other side isn't. Where I2R losses are high is for high current devices, like the starter motor and that's where it can make a difference. Rad fans on high would be the next big current draw. Lighting system is probably next. Ignition coils and injectors are handled nicely by the PCM's wiring. If you want to make the engine happy, make sure the power and ground for the PCM is good.
 
#35 ·
aluminum is a conductor but not as well as iron or copper and as aluminum heats up it loose's its ability to carry current and becomes a weak ground path
for example-a 10 gauge copper wire can hold a 40 amp load-alumiunm 10 gauge wire can only hold a 30 amp load when cold-as the wire heats up that load drops to aprox 20-25.
GROUNDING THE HEADS=will you see HP improvements-no.
will electronic components comunicate and react quicker-yes
 
#36 ·
I agree, heat is a resistance factor; but, we're also talking high voltage discharge for the ignition. So, this does not explain the HP and TQ differential that Kent documented. We're still missing something. It's not the coil ground because that's controlled by the PCM; but, what about the spark characteristics and resulting flame field. How can this be determined?
 
#39 ·
next time any one is at a nascar or F1 race and are in the pits or around a car look close if you get a chance-the heads are always grounded to the block and the block is grounded to the frame along with the starter will be grounded to the block with a stainless steel ground strap-this grounding method works
 
#42 · (Edited)
Well I can add to this at a rock bottom level. My car was not feeling right after a battery change. I decided to just put a 14G wire to the passenger side head and fender... triggered by Richies thread and prior to Al posting his findings. I drive my car everyday and enjoy driving it. I can tell you that my butt dyno is real senstive to changes. I can also say that when that ground wire was added, the throttle response felt better on the car.... that's all. Did it wake up some horses? I don't know. But I think the fact that Chrysler subsequently went to thicker ground wires kind of supports that there is something lacking in the earlier generation LX grounding system. I think I will be adding more grounds and or thicker wires...just got to deal with the f'n front end first :sad:
 
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