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voltage stabilizers

Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: Car Audio
Forum Discription: Car Stereos, Amplifiers, Crossovers, Processors, Speakers, Subwoofers, etc.
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=102706
Printed Date: May 15, 2024 at 7:03 PM


Topic: voltage stabilizers

Posted By: audioman2007
Subject: voltage stabilizers
Date Posted: March 02, 2008 at 12:23 PM

I was just looking on ebay and I came across a voltage stabilizer. It says that it helps with HP, torque, and so on. I just wanted to know what exactly this these do, and if they are worth it or just a waste of money (not that I will be buying one). I also saw grounding kits that makes all your engine's grounds have more than 1 grounding location. This kit has like 10 grounding wires that come off this round disc. You ground the disc to the chassis, then run each ground wire to lets say, the battery, alternator, exhaust, and so on. Its supposed to help your car run better and give you more HP, torque and so on.



Replies:

Posted By: greenbroncoguy
Date Posted: March 02, 2008 at 2:52 PM

As far as gaining you tq and hp - waste of $; at least the stabilizers are. As long as the grounding kits are of good quality, they would be worth having, but if they gain you any hp/tq, then you had grounding problems to begin with, and you could have gotten the same gains by fixing your stock setup.

Today's automobiles rely heavily on their electronic sensors,  and as we all know electronics require good grounds. All the sensors are designed to work throughout a set resistance or voltage limit, so if you have a higher resistance through ground, or if you have a lower operating voltage, there is a possibility that it could affect the sensors and therefore performance negatvely.

On a Maxima forum I frequent, I have heard several positive reutals regarding the grounding kits; people say they have a more stable idle, bighter headlights, quicker acceleration (this I doubt), ect. I have never heard of someone getting anything out of a voltage stabilizer - aren't they just a capacitor bank anyway?

-Matt





Posted By: audioman2007
Date Posted: March 02, 2008 at 4:18 PM
Yea, thats what i thought they were also that is a capacitor. But I am not totally sure how to install the grounding kit. I just saw on ebay these stabilizers and saw they were pretty cheap and thought I would ask. I dont have voltage problems at all. I just replaced my battery which was factory (02 cavalier). My voltage during the day will never drop below 14. At night with the headlights on, it wont drop below 13.8 but in the winter time when I have my defroster on or in summer time with A/C on, it then drops below 13.2 if I have it on max and am idling. I guess those stabilizers are for those who need it yet dont have a sound system. In other words, just another way to make some money. But looking at the grounding kits, I think you ground the disc to the chassis or ground one of the wires to the chassis. I know you run 1 wire to the batteries - and run one to the alternator. Some run 1 wire to their exhaust. But really what does this do? Does it simply just give a "unit" more than 1 grounding location just incase 1 isnt enough or isnt "solid"?




Posted By: greenbroncoguy
Date Posted: March 02, 2008 at 7:07 PM

You would bolt the "disc" thing to your vehicle chassis. You would then ground everything else to that disc. You would also have a single arge wire running from your battery to ground.

Hope this helps,

-Matt





Posted By: audioman2007
Date Posted: March 02, 2008 at 7:21 PM
But you want to find a ground that has the lowest resistence correct?




Posted By: greenbroncoguy
Date Posted: March 02, 2008 at 10:02 PM

You want to find a grounding point that has a low resistance return to the negative battery terminal. Keep this point close to the battery for best results. If you can measure the return resistance from the disc thing to the battery terminal, it should ideally read less than 0.5 ohms, but certainly less than 1.0 ohms.

-Matt






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