Could a few people's MSP issues be related to power distribution?

[DistantTea]

I was rolling down my windows and noticed that if I rolled both my driver and passenger sides down it slowed down.. I assume from power drain.

Ok maybe they're on the same circuit and its a governed feed. But then if you turn the stereo way up and have the lights on at idle the lights dim... ok another coincidence... but when the cooling fan kicks in it has the same effect.

Could we be seeing some sort of electrical limitation on the car? I'm at 900 miles and don't have a single problem, except a damn rock chip already, but I see these power fades. I've noticed its easier to bog the engine when the cooling fan is on, or you have the AC blower on.

Didn't WRX's have a problem like this that could be resolved by a better grounding system? How'd they do that? I'd like to test it.

 

[Limited Edition]

Hey.
i have the same power limitation on my car as well. I don't think it's an issue though because from all the car's i've been driving it's happen to all of them. if you roll down the windows at the same time, it will slow down a bit. But it's hardly noticble.
I do notice the guage dims when you run the stereo on at high volume with all the lights on at idle.
Seems normal to me.

 

[AFaceInTheCrowd]

yes it is completely normal. when ur running 325watts worth of stereo + other electrical, it takes a toll on the electrical of the car. if it bothers you sooooo much that you can't take it, ditch the stock battery and put in a marine battery. any size is good but if its big, you gotta reroute it to the trunk.

 

[DistantTea]

The WRX's that had this problem were getting weak ignition because of a grounding issue with their cars. I love my car and I'm not knocking it. I'm trying to put the pieces together as to why some cars are having funkified problems.

Weak ignition equals loss of HP and idle problems.

I'm not asking if its normal. No s*** its normal, but is normal always good?

 

[JDM Sam]

I have a voltmeter and it regularly stays around high 13 to low 14 volts. If that helps anyone there you go. Most the volts drop down to with a lot of stuff on is around the low 13.00 range. One of the built in functions of the HKS TYPE 1. I'm lookin into those HYPER GROUND wires. Only 100 bucks and dyno proven to gain hp and torque. Anyone beats me in gettin em let us know how they do!

 

[AFaceInTheCrowd]

the marine battery in my corolla made a helluvalotta difference. well thats cuz its a sound setup in there not a performance. my headlights no longer dim, my done light is brighter and my cold start is quicker. that mother has 772 cca!!

 

[RX-KEVIN]

I put a custom ground kit in my MSP for around 27 dollars

about 10 ft of 10 gauge wire
8 ring terminals

ground the alternator chassis the two coils and the head
I felt a difference

 

[03MzdSpdSTP]

so if u change the "ground" wires u get better power or what does this exactly do? and how can u gain HP from wires?

 

[chuyler1]

If you're running stereo equipment, a Stinger high-amp Alternator does wonders.

Although a better battery will help combat dimming, an alternator will fix it because that is what is charging the battery and running your electrical devices while the car is running. The battery only acts as a capacitor to stabilize the system.

 

[JDM Sam]

so if u change the "ground" wires u get better power or what does this exactly do? and how can u gain HP from wires?

Go to Import Tuners webpage and look it up. they have hyper ground wires dyno tested on a rx7 it gained like 13 hp!
Better grounds mean less parasitic drain on the cars accesories and more power for them without draining the engine. so its like a pulley system, but with ground wiring. trust me it works! read the article if you still dont believe they DYNO tested it ! look online for the HYPER GROUND SYSTEM i can get mine for $99.

 

[ebsalem]

Uh, dudes....

Distributor-less ignitions either fire or they dont. And they all work down to 12.1 volts. It's just the laws of Thermodynamics.

A ground cable won't get you more. If somebody's selling you one get a dyno sheet for the before and after.

Said cable can go bad, but it's not going to make you faster. Stereo and Lights are a different story.

e

 

[JDM Sam]

its been dynoed for 5 diff cars in import 2nr!
it works!

 

[1sty]

All cars do this. Its not a lack of power its just the voltage of the system dropping slightly before the alternator has a chance to respond and becomes a heavier drag on the system. No larger alternator will stop this. I have a 180 amp one and it still does it. Its not a big deal.

 

[Dexter]

All cars do this. Its not a lack of power its just the voltage of the system dropping slightly before the alternator has a chance to respond and becomes a heavier drag on the system. No larger alternator will stop this. I have a 180 amp one and it still does it. Its not a big deal.

so then a capacitor would help smooth out these periods where power is lacking, correct?

 

[ebsalem]

So if I follow the logic of Import 2nr correctly, the folks that designed the car are idiots and only the advertisers in said magazine know what really works. (don't the advertisers have to pay for the ads?)

Please spend your money on $100 ground cables that cost $4 bucks to make. You'll have less money to spend on mods that actually make your car faster.

e

 

[1sty]

A capacitor is useless to stop the draw unless you put the capacitor on the electrical circuit that is creating the draw.
A capacitor reducing light dim in an audio system is only a side effect and not the intended purpose of the capcitor.
A cap on the stereo will do nothing to stop the power windows circuit from dropping the voltage of the charging system.

Just as a comparison if you were to make the ground systems yourself it will cost $2/ft of 4 guage retail and $6 per set of ring terminals.

I can see them doing some good in that the stock wiring is only 6 guage from the alternator to the fuse box under the hood and on to the battery. However I have replaced ALL factory power and grounds with 1/0 guage and there was ABSOLUTELY no change in drivability, power, or performance of the car in any way. the only reason I did it is becuase there is the possibility I will be running a several 1000 watt rms system.

 

[chuyler1]

Uh, dudes....

Distributor-less ignitions either fire or they dont. And they all work down to 12.1 volts. It's just the laws of Thermodynamics.

A ground cable won't get you more. If somebody's selling you one get a dyno sheet for the before and after.

Said cable can go bad, but it's not going to make you faster. Stereo and Lights are a different story.

e

I don't know much about these kits but I think you're confused as to how the power is obtained. The alternator is a resistance on your drive belt. The amount of resistance depends upon the current draw of your entire system, i think. So improving your ground takes some stress off of the alternator, lowering the resistance, thus freeing horses from the engine. Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[1sty]

You would have to have a voltage drop across the gorund wire for there to be a precievable difference when switched to something else. A wire that is to small of guage can create a resistance to flow when it exceeds its ability to flow current. However if not exceeding its limitations, the connections are good and the wire is of decent quality there will be no voltage drop.