battery ground strap from van cafe

[mStrad]

Hi everyone

Van cafe sells a battery ground strap instead of a cable. I was wondering if anyone has tried it out and noticed any electrical improvements from the stock braided copper cable. From the looks of it cross section area is much bigger with the strap (1in x 1/8in - these dm are what van cafe told me)

[Corwyn]

If you hammered the cable flat, you would have a strap. VC's ground strap works fine.
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[Sodo]

You are correct in ensuring a good connection from battery to chassis.
But.
There can be no possible improvement WRT the variations you are proposing.

An old corroded strap could have high resistance and hshould be replaced. It won’t make a difference if the new one is insulated or not. Non-insulated are more flexible, which can be useful. Its feasible that the insulated cable will have a longer life. If you’re young you’re strong and not bothered by the lack of flexibility (minus) but you have time to wait around to reap the benefit perhaps around y2040.👍🏽👍🏽 Long way of saying insulation doesn’t help at all - just makes it a little more difficult). 🧐

However, the OEM starter ground strap is about 4 series connections downstream from the starter, before it jumps from the transaxle to the chassis. As such it offers a much larger possibility of “improvement” by simply bypassing all those connections..

VW put it at the end of an assembly of dissimilar materials (magnesium, steel, (aluminum). The 4 connections are in series thus additive, the worst kind, and un-maintainable. The connections are outdoors (35 years). This is kinda ridiculous. It should be the first upgrade every van owner does. Its $15 and “easy” DIY.

I’m suprised the VanCafe and GoWesty etc don’t sell a direct starter-to-chassis kit. Maybe they make more money selling new starters? The logic is sound and within their realm of knowledge. Maybe they’re embarrassed for overlooking it for so many years. Dunno.

Its clearly logical to bypass all that silliness by grounding the starter mounting bolt directly to the Van chassis. You cannot properly diagnose a starter deficiency with 4 or 5 un-verifiable connections in series on the starter ground path.

If you renew tha battery AND starter grounds, you will have the best possible current path for your starter to perform (as new).

While you’re thinking about the negative ground path, it would be wise to replace the ground from the engine to chassis too, to ensure best possible current path for your alternator.
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