Good Grounding in My Racing Program?
Let’s start with a question for you to consider, are you running more than just one grounding strap from the battery/chassis connection to the engine? The answer should be yes, one for each cylinder head & one for the engine block. Ok now your saying to yourself hey this is bull #!@$ I don't need all that in my racing program it’s a waste of time. Let me take a moment here to try and show you the advantages of going through with this upgrade. With all the different materials used in today’s performance engine programs a good ground connection can become a tough thing to find! You need to go the extra distance to gain access to all the performance your engine builder gave you. To do this you want to make sure each engine cylinder sees the same grounding point to help create the best possible spark event each and every time!
I would like to let you in on a commonly know fact in the world of electronics. Electrical energy is lazy; it takes the easiest path it can each and every time. So with that said, why not make electrical energy work for your racing program not against it. You want to start with a grounding strap running from the chassis to the engine block. Then you need to have a grounding strap running from the chassis to each cylinder head. With this setup you can be sure that those nice aluminum cylinder heads & the engine block are all at the same grounding point.
Now all grounding cable is not created equal, you want ground cabling that is a flat braid type of cable. Let the street cars run the standard style battery cables, they Do Not belong on a High Performance platform. The product should be at least 3/4 inch wide and long enough to reach each mounting point with slack for movement. Any good electrical supply house in any city across the US should carry what we’re looking for here. I usually like to see at least 3 inches of play for any cable I make up, more is always better. Now the end connectors I like to use are the solid copper types so I can fold up the ends of the braided cable. Insert it into the open end of the connector, crush the connector then solder it up for a sealed connection. To finish it off I usually use a good quality heat shrink tubing around the connector.
Now why the braid type of cable? You’re talking basic electrical energy flow here. Common knowledge in electronics states electrical current flows on the outside of each wire in the cable. So if you’re using a braid type of cable Vs a standard battery cable. You will have multiple wire strands to carry the energy Vs just a few strands of wire.( Current flows easier) And an added feature of this product is it’s lighter than standard battery cable or a welding cable solution.
In closing, remember doing this upgrade will allow your racing ignition system to provide top performance across all cylinders. Which allows you to access all the performance your engine builder built into your bullet. At the same time you have just brought your racing program to the next level of performance. All done with a little bit of effort and some cash for parts and supplies. Always keep in mind it is the small things in any racing program adding up together that makes the difference at the track. When you're looking for that winning edge for your racing program it makes sense to take advantage of all possible solutions.
EP33510
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Website: MSD Ignition Repair
