grounding kits
 

so has anyone with a 7AT used the Stillen grounding kit yet? Does it help with shifting like they say and keep more power from being lost?

what does a grounding kit do?
is it only on the stillen gen 3 intakes?

Grounding kits are pretty controversial. Some swear by them, some laugh at them. Essentially what they do is tie the battery, parts of the engine, and chassis together with a more robust grounding system. It doesn't make power, it just provides some alternate paths to keep the electrons running around in your engine bay happy. On electrically complex cars this sure can't hurt, and most likely helps. Some report brighter lighting, some smoother engine response. It's hard to separate fact from the Placebo effect here. If the stock ground connections are marginal or accomplished with smaller gauge wires this fixes those problems. "Feeling" an actual improvement (other than the aforementioned placebo effect) is a big maybe. I put one on my Z just because. I do believe that very complex electrical systems will potentially develop some weaknesses somewhere. I did this on my Previous Audi TT primarily due to the complexity, and general unreliability of that system with failing ground points. I never had problems, but who knows if the grounding loop had any impact. The Z is well engineered and probably doesn't "need" any assist, but for the few bucks it cost to put a system together (Wire and some connectors, under $30) it was worth it to me...YMMV

(this has nothing to do with the intake BTW)

so no telling about the quicker shifts on the 7AT? That would be my main reason for doing this.

I would kinda doubt it..

I put about 6000 mi. on my 7AT before I installed the Stillen kit, so I was very familiar with the gear change sound and shift speed.
I wasn't expecting much, did it mainly as a safeguard.
Surprise! The gear transition is more immediate and seamless. Very impressed.

Shifting speed isn't going to be improved short of replacing parts in the transmission.

I have it on my G37 5AT. I felt that my shifting was slightly quicker after installing the grounding kit.

Right, mechanically nothing has changed. Increased wire diameter and superior connectors reduces resistance which can't but help with the monitoring of the cars sensors and actuators. Actual increase of the .5 sec. shift speed? Probably not, there is definitely a cleaner response and a change in the lag time.
Course I might jus' be talkin out of my placebo.

Waste of money for that goal...

Grounding kits are good for older cars as you would notice the difference right away because the old car grounding wire loses connection or corrodes. May not notice any difference on a new car but at least there's no worries about the stock grounding connection.

True Dat...A bad common ground on a car, particularly one with a CAN BUS, can wreak havoc all over the car with seemingly unrelated components. Audi TT's at 8-10 years old now are a nightmare.....For instance a bad common ground to the engine temp sensor results in the low oil light and sometimes the ABS light illuminating....!

everyone has forgotten the best reason to get a grounding kit.

IT LOOKS PURDY!