Grounding kit for the Prius - would it make sense?

Well, considering that the DC/DC converter is connected to the engine/Power split device and providing 80A+, I doubt there would be a ground problem. But it can't hurt either to add to it.

 

I asked Sun Automobile this exact same question nearly a year ago and they asked their engineers in Japan - no definite answer still as of today. I would love to know too but I don't intend to ground my Prius yet.

If any one wants to try a kit (not for free, but for a deep discount) on their Prius, let me know. Although I don't know exactly what size will suit the Prius...... Probably a Small kit.

 

Sorry to be so dense, but what is a grounding kit (in simple terms, please)?

Thanks

 

You can read about it here: Hyper Ground System

 

My "Bullshit" detector is running at overload on that one...

Definately one for those who believe that a $100 "monster" cable is gonna make their home theatre system look/sound better than a reasonable quality $30 cable.

Keep your money in your pocket.

 

Grounding cable like the Hyper Ground System has been offered by car companies in Japan as JDM factory options (eg: both Nissan & Mitsubishi offer HGS for their Fairlady & EVO in Japan). Its effects on these & many other vehicles have been dyno-tested to prove that it can improve HP & torque in CERTAIN MODELS and has been used first & extensively by Rally teams for years.

But no one says that HGS will do any good or bad to the Prius or any hybrid vehicle as I know of no one who has tried it on a Prius yet. not even Sun Auto in Japan.

On our HGS page, I have links to two 3rd-party magazines which perform dynotests on HGS-equipped vehicles. But of course your bullshit detector is so much more authoritative so why bother checking them out.

 

You are correct!

Hey, if people wanna waste their money, they're more than welcome to - but installing it on a Prius is a waste of time. It's not about horsepower, torque, or any other antiquated throwback to regular internal combustion engines...

Dave

 

The Challenge - free HGS goes to a bold soul

Sorry, I thought you condemned HGS in general for all vehicles while ignoring all proven dynotests. My bad. Guess what? Let me donate one new HGS to one lucky (yet bold) member of this forum for free to try on his/her 04-05 Prius. If he/she observes no improvement or even a downgrade, return it to me & tell others here. If he/she feels improvement & wants to keep it, buy it for 50% less our regular retail ($109) & tell others here.

I need proof that you do use it on your Prius so I need lots of digital snap shots on your HGS-equipped Prius please. Also, upon receipt of the item, please wait no more than 2 weeks to actually install it. You should also disconnect the 12v battery post installation to reset the ECU (if such a suggestion even makes sense for the Prius). If there is a difference that it makes, you should notice it within 1 week. And that is when I expect a report from you. You should also have some knowledge about where to connect the HGS to on the Prius.

HGS supposedly enhances one or more of the followings for normal non-hybrid vehicles:

- Faster engine start-up
- More stable idling
- Smoother and faster throttle response
- Increase low & middle engine torque
- Better milage
- Better CPU operation
- Cleaner exhaust gas
- Brighter headlight output
- Improve car audio sound quality

More HGS info:

>> Sigma Auto Hyper Ground System (HGS) Page

>> Sun Automobile USA HGS Page

>> Sun Automobile Japan HotEarth Page

[Broken External Image]:http://www.sunautomobile.com/products.jpg

So I expect you to do a before & after comparison to your best ability for the above. No, I don't expect you to use a LUX meter to measure the headlight output nor do I expect you to bring your Prius to be dynotested before & after although these would be nice. :wink:

Now, the only person who will lose his money is most likely ME. I charge the lucky person who decides not to keep the HGS nothing (except the initial $0.50 which even that is refundable), no S&H, not even return freight (I will issue a call tag to retreive it back from you). US 04-05 Prius owner residing in the US only please. 18 or older.

First person who PM me here gets this new HGS. You will then need to specify a color (Blue, Red, Yellow or Smoke), submit your full address, tel. no & your CC# via our Sigma Auto SSL Order Form (don't PM me your CC#, it's unsafe!). I will charge you $0.50 USD just to make sure that you have submitted a valid CC#. This is to ensure us that you don't just sell it on eBay or give to your lil' cousin to use on his WRX. Even this $0.50 is refundable after the experiment is concluded (ie: you want to return it in new condition or you want to keep it & buy it for 50% less our retail). You must make a decision as to whether to keep (buy) it or return it in its new condition within 2 months from the day that you receive the item. Or I will charge you the product in full value + S&H ($120.00 USD). So if you will be out of town soon, don't participate. This offer is not opened forever, I will run it for a week from today on to see if any one is interested.

Here's the needed disclaimer, if the HGS does you or your Prius any harm, Me, Sigma Auto & Sun Automobile aren't responsible for it. I won't compensate for your loss. This is a risk that you're taking here. It is entirely your decision whether you want to temper with this highly sophisticated vehicle or not.

 

Sounds like this has become a Sales Offer an should probably be moved out of this forum.

 

It seems credible to me that various electrical connections would become corroded and oxidated over a period of time. The time varying according to location and local weather conditions, salt, humidity high condensation, etc. I find it very difficult to accept that most manufacturers of any electronic equipment are neglectful of good grounding connections! Within an economical parameter. There should be very little improvement within the 1st. year of manufacture. I have seen corrosion completely block a signal on both Airplanes and Boats, so good grounding is important, but good maintenance is more important. However the offer made is very generous and challenging, I think somebody should take it up. The older and more corrosive the vehicle, the better the improvement! ie: A Classic.

 

The thing is, the DC/DC converter is part of the inverter, who's grounding block shares the ICE. Unlike the output of an alternator, which varies in voltage and current output, the DC/DC converter has a consistent high output, consistent voltage.

OK, now that we have talked about the ICE side of the 12V circuit, what about the body? That MIGHT benefit from a better ground from the powertrain block to the body, and from the body to the neg. side of the battery. But being that the whole HV system would have serious problems with a ground fault, I doubt that would be an issue, unless you had a mega subwoffer installed with a huge amp.

 

So Dan, sounds like you are one damn good candidate to take up my free trial offer. What do you think?

 

I think it sounds interesting, but difficult to measure the difference because the Prius so tighly controls most ICE paramaters (e.g. how could you tell if there's a better throttle response w/o a scanner telling you?) Cleaner exhaust gas, faster starting, or better idling - definately a nonstarter here.

Better MPG - now that's the biggie. Of course, MPG is difficult to measure "real world" except over time, since so many variables come into play. The system doesn't seem totally from left field, like using thicker gauge wire in your house to bring your electric bill down (and of course it's safer). But that's AC and 120V and I have no idea if similar principals apply (probably not?) I've always thought car manufactures ground to the body just to save money and reduce complexity, not for best electrical efficiency. The Prius isn't a typical vehicle, they put a lot of money into the electrical, and Dan's post above makes sense that critical components under the hood are probably already grounded well.

I think it's interesting, but it will be hard to measure any benefit other than MPG, which is difficult to isolate any particular variable. If anyone installs it can't wait to hear about it!!!

 

Guys, thanks for your input. There is this very unusual incidence regarding HGS that not too many know about but I must share with you here. My local installer once reported to me that one of their customers installed the HGS on his Land Cruiser (forgot the exact year but it is an earlier model like '91?). The idling went bezerk (up & down) after installation and this could be reproduced 100% of the time. I reported to Sun Automobile & they in turn reported to their Japanese HQ. They too could reproduce the problem 100% of the time. So we have since concluded that the HGS is not for every car. It's effect can be quite drastic. So for those who think that a few cables don't do jack, think again. And for those who think that this is a sale offer post, think again - I am posting negative feedback on this very product that I am being accused of promoting!! :roll:

 

It's been almost two weeks since Aerometer made his offer and well over a week since the last post. Did anyone take the challenge/offer?

BTW, wouldn't you need a rather long cable to run back to the 12V battery? I'm pretty sure the ground on the HV side is solid and wired, you wouldn't want that much current running through the body. So you'd want to connect ICE components back to the 12V in the back, right?

 

No, if you were to do this, I think you'd want to go from the 12V inverter/converter output (alternator equivalent) to the ICE as this is what is supplying 100% of the vehicle's 12V demands while turned on. The 12V aux battery basically just sits there and sips to charge itself back up..

Now, can anyone out there who has done work under the hood or has a set of reference manuals confirm where the inverter/converter 12V output leads go? It might already have a fairly direct connection.. If the converter output goes directly to the aluminum block, I suspect that you're not going to get much, if any, additional benefit from supplementary grounding...

What makes me suspicious about the offer is that Aero has a Prius himself if I read one of his early replies correctly, but is afraid to install a kit because the factory wouldn't reply to his queries.. A salesman who doesn't believe sufficiently in the efficacy of his product to use it himself is not exactly the most convincing spokesman..

 

To Bill: No one so far has taken my offer. The offer is still valid. If there’s a need for a longer cable, I will throw that in. Just name the length.

To c4: I do have a ’05 Prius. I plead guilty for not being as ‘experimental’ as I should be. But hey, at least I’m honest about it, right? To prove that a grounding kit works, we need to dynotest the Prius before & after, maybe measure the lux output of its headlight before & after, etc. Am I ready to invest in such tests yet? Well, I am not THAT desperate to sell the kits to the hybrid community. Plus, I am R&D’ing something else for the Prius & grounding kit isn’t on the top of my priority list. I am more like responding to ‘rookie’s initial idea & trying to help out in whatever way that I can.